HOURS OF EMPLOYMENT OF FEMALES IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. FEBRUARY 26, 1913.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed. Mr. WILSON of Pennsylvania, from the Committee on Labor, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 27281.] The Committee on Labor, to which was referred H. R. 27281, a bill to regulate the hours of employment and safeguard the health of females employed in the District of Columbia in any mill, factory, manufacturing or mechanical establishment, or workshop, laundry, bakery, printing, clothing, dressmaking, or millinery establishment, mercantile establishment, store, hotel, restaurant, office, or where any goods are sold or distributed, or by any express or transportation company, or in the transmission or distribution of telegraph or telephone messages or merchandise, hereby reports the same to the House with the recommendation that the bill do pass. The purpose of the bill is to limit the hours of labor of females employed in various occupations to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and to prevent the employment of females under 18 years of age between the hours of 6 in the evening and 7 in the morning. Various States, particularly California, Colorado, and Washington, have already passed laws limiting the hours of labor of women to 8 hours per day. It has long been contended by students of the problem that the long hours and continuous application required from women workers in our industries have been a great drain upon vitality of those who are to be the mothers of the coming generations. Dealing with the subject from a technical standpoint, Rosalie Slaughter Morton, M. D., of New York City, in a paper read before section 4 of the International Congress of Hygiene, made the following state ment: the The laws, or lack of them, for the protection of women's health and the occupation in which women suffer from lack of fresh air or proper light, too great heat or cold, speeding up, inhalation of irritating dust and gases, etc., and the effects of these various forms of industry, have been so comprehensively presented to you that anything I might say would be in large part a repetition; therefore, I will confine my paper to the especial effect upon women of trades which involve prolonged and unnecessary standing, the pushing of heavy trucks from room to room, as in the larger canneries; the constant carrying of heavy weights, as core makers in foundries, who carry trays of sand cases weighing from 10 to 50 pounds from workbenches to ovens; or operating machinery by treadle pressure, with incessant kicking, as in a case cited by Dr. Caroline Hedger, where, in assembling screw drivers, a girl kicked 7,000 times a day with one foot. Violent treadle pressure, as in button-stamping machines, perforating presses in binderies, and the laundry cuff press, is especially harmful to women. In order to push or carry a heavy weight it is necessary to forcibly inflate the lungs and rigidly fix the diaphragm. This increases interabdominal tension, and will eventually lead to prolapsus, antiversion, antiflexion, retroversion, or retroflexion of the uterus. The fatigue consequent upon continuous heavy muscular effort causes a relaxation of the ligaments which support the uterus, and, as the organ is situated in the pelvis with the heavy end up, when the ligaments lack tone the force of gravity tends toward misplacement. Normally the uterus is well balanced by the round and the broad ligaments on each side, the sacro-uterine behind, and the vesico-uterine ligaments in front, and is to some extent supported by the vagina. According to the investigation of Elizabeth Beardsley Butler, in Pittsburgh, in 1907-8, prolonged standing as customary in most departments of cracker factories, laundries, dyeing and cleaning establishments, metal works, lamp and glass factories, mirror, broom, cork, paper-box, soap, and trunk factories, in some pressrooms, and in most mercantile houses. This standing for long hours may tend toward uterine misplacements, as indicated above. Then, too, the fatigue of the nerves of the back bears directly upon the uterine nerve supply, which is derived from the second, third, and fourth sacro-spinal nerves, and from branches of the hypogastric (sympathetic) plexus; this not only causes local but reflex symptoms which impair the functions of other parts of the body. The numerous occupations which, on the other hand, require the employee to be seated for hours in one position have an especially deleterious effect upon a woman's health by tending to overfull bladder, constipation, and pelvic congestion. The uterus is placed between the bladder and the lower end of the large intestine, which passes above and back of the uterus, and the straining caused by difficult defecation produces at least 50 per cent of downward misplacement of the uterus, with all its attendant discomfort, and the frequent necessity of spending several weeks in a hospital. Constant overloading of the rectum causes pressure on many of the 28 blood vessels in the pelvis and interferes with the return of venous blood, thereby causing congestion and possible inflammation of the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, uterus, and vagina, which means ofttimes invalidism, sterility, habitual miscarriages, or lifelong misery. Dr. Ely Van der Warker has called attention to the fact that the shape of the knee, the shallowness of the pelvis, and the delicate construction of the foot of a woman render her inadequate for continuous standing for 8 or 10 hours. He calls attention to the "smallness of the patella and the narrowness of the articular surfaces of the tibia and femur. The lateral prominences of both bones are more developed in man, and therefore his knee joint helps to form a more perfect sustaining column. In a woman the muscles which keep the body fixed upon the thighs in the erect position labor under the disadvantage of shortness of purchase owing to the short distance, compared to that of a man, between the crest of the ilium and the greater trochanter of the femur, thus giving to men a much larger purchase in the leverage existing between the trunk and the extremities; and, comparatively, the woman's foot is less able to sustain weight than the man's, owing to its shortness and the more delicate formation of the tarsal and metatarsal bones." It must, however, be borne in mind that this is somewhat offset by the fact that the average weight of a woman's body is less than the average weight of a man's, and that the feet of European and American women have increased in size with their greater use. One of the primary drawbacks for women in the industrial life of to-day is that most factories are equipped for the convenience of men workers. Mrs. Florence Kelly called my attention to the use in one instance of tables designed for men to sit at them, and used by girls 14 years old, who are thus quite needlessly obliged to stand. Prolonged standing and excessive use of the legs, as in the manipulation of the treadle machines, has an effect upon the bones of the pelvis, particularly in poorly nourished women between the ages of 14 and 25, as the bones are then not sufficiently hard to resist the mechanical effects of the extreme pressure. The pelvis forms a bony girdle, which supports the weight of the rest of the body and is itself supported by the legs, the heads of the femurs fitting into the acetabuli, the concave sockets on each side of the pelvis. Constant standing causes this pressure to symmetrically narrow the pelvis. The incessant use of one limb may cause a lateral deformity which will render difficult or impossible an erect position of the body, upon which depends to a large extent the health of every organ, because unless the lungs have sufficient room to expand they can not aerate the blood, and therefore a large portion of the waste products of the body is not eliminated and oxygen is not supplied to the tissues of the body. All occupations which cause the workers to become roundshouldered are fundamentally injurious, because the space for each organ in the body is so apportioned that the encroachment of one organ or set of organs upon others (as from faulty position of the bony structure) interferes with the function of the organ pressed upon. The especial menace of any pelvic deformity is in its relation to pregnancy. Any narrowing of the pelvis interferes with development of the child in utero and may necessitate an instrumental delivery, with the attendant risk of serious injury to both mother and child. The health and vitality of the child from the time of conception depend very much upon the mother's physical condition. An unhealthy condition of her tissues may prevent a proper development and implantation of the placenta. A large number of miscarriages are due to this cause, and later, if she is overworked and poorly nourished, the nourishment of the child will be very much interfered with during gestation and lactation. Speaking of the operations of the California law, which is in many ways similar to the bill under consideration, Miss Maud Younger, of San Francisco, made the following statement to the committee: The 8-hour law for woman took effect in California on the 21st of May, 1911. Since then 20 months have elapsed, and upon the ground of actual experience we can now say with Mark Twain that the objections to this measure are all in the nature of prophecies which have never come true when tried, for many objections were raised, and dire disaster was prophesied should the 8-hour bill become law. First, there was the objection to giving the women 1 day's rest in 7. This objection came from those enterprises which were in operation every day in the year, as telegraph, telephone, and transportation companies, and hotels which said "Our guests eat 7 days in the week," and condensed-milk factories which cried, "Cows give milk on Sunday as well as week days." But since the law has gone into effect all these enterprises have been able to adjust themselves by the simple method of employing one extra relief girl to every six previously employed; that is, she relieves A on Monday, B on Tuesday, C on Wednesday, and so on. Consequently it is merely a question of expense due to the employment of additional women. Then there were other employers who did not object to the 6-day week but to the 8-hour day. First came the retail merchants. They said their stores were open from 8 in the morning until 6 at night, or 10 hours a day. However, since the passage of the bill they have been able to adjust themselves to the law by having part of their force work from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon and part from 9 until 6, with 1 hour for lunch. The laundries also objected to the 8-hour day, though not to the 48-hour week. They said that on Monday morning the drivers collect the wash, so that the girls did not come until noon, which necessitated longer hours on other days. Since the law has gone into effect, however, they have been able to adjust themselves by having the girls come on Mondays at noon and work until at 9 at night, with 1 hour for supper. The San Francisco laundries incidentally already had a 48-hour week, owing to the union; but the workers said it had cost them 11 weeks' strike and $60,000. They thought that an 8-hour day through legislation would be simpler and more economical, also far less inconvenient to the public in general. Then it was objected to that there was no provision for overtime or rush seasons. On this subject a little cracker packer spoke at the public hearing in our State senate. She told of her work, 9 hours a day, standing at the end of a canvas chute, down which the crackers came so fast that she had to pack, pack, without turning her headpack without moving aside unless some one were there to replace her or the crackers would go all over the floor. Then sometimes, after the day's work was over and there were rush orders, she must work overtime, 2 or 3 hours, perhaps. She said that, though the girls were paid for overtime, they would rather give up the extra pay than to have the wear and strain that resulted from the extra work. She said that the day after they were so tired that even shorter hours could not make up for the strain under which they filled the rush orders. A short time after the law went into effect I met this same girl on the street and asked how the law was working. She said the girls practically did as much in the 8 hours as they had previously done in 9, because they were so much fresher when they went to work in the morning. She said also that there was no difficulty in filling the rush orders. Then, it was objected that there was no provision for special seasons. Here came the department stores again, with their Christmas season when they remain open at night. However, they have been able to adjust themselves to this law by having part of their force come at noon or at 1 and remain until 10 in the evening, with 1 or 2 hours for supper. The owner of one department store told me that though this involved an additional expense that the eight-hour law had proved very satisfactory, owing to the greater efficiency of the girls. He said that previously, under the long hours, the girls had broken down and it had been necessary to replace them and to train new girls during the terrible holiday rush, but that, under the eight-hour law, every girl had remained at her post throughout the entire season, and the law had thus been of benefit to the merchants themselves. In a letter which Mr. Harris Weinstock, one of our best known merchants, wrote while the bill was before our legislature, he said: "In some of the mercantile enterprises in which I am interested we have been working on an eight-hour basis for women with every satisfaction to them and to ourselves. If the eight-hour day in mercantile establishments is made a common condition in California, including the Christmas holiday season, it will work no hardship upon the employer, it will be a blessing to the woman worker, and will tend to make for a higher degree of efficiency on her part." Then came other trades with other seasons. The candy men claimed three seasonsChristmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July. Each trade seemed to have a special season, and each predicted calamity should the bill become a law. However, notwithstanding all the opposition, and this bill was the hardest fought of the entire session, public sentiment was so strong that the bill went through with only five dissenting votes in the entire legislature. Since it has become a law the opponents have adapted themselves very readily to the change. I have talked with many of them-owners of department stores, hotel men, manufacturers--and they have all said that the law was not at all terrible, as they supposed it would be, and they would not again oppose it. It was also objected, in behalf of the girls themselves, that wages would be reduced. I have asked very generally, but have found only two or three instances of this kind. One was a girl who had stood behind a counter nine hours a day for three days a week and the other three days she had worked from 8 in the morning until 11 at night. For this she had received $9 a week. After the law went into effect I asked if her wages had been reduced and she said, "Oh, yes; a dollar a week; but I don't mind; I'm glad to give up the extra pay for the sake of the shorter hours." Then it was objected that women would be replaced by men. We see, however, that the only adjustment that has been necessary since the law went into effect has not been the displacing of women, but rather the employment of more. This has meant an additional expense, but we know that the expense in the end is not borne by the employers, but by the public; and it is an expense which we in California bear very willingly for the sake of a healthier, happier womanhood. This greater expense is, moreover, made up to a large extent by the greater efficiency of the girls. The number of females 16 years of age and upward who will be affected by the bill is shown in the following statement furnished to the committee by the Director of the Census, E. Dana Durand: Hon. WILLIAM B. WILSON, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND LABOR, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. WILSON: In reply to your letter of January 24, I send you herewith a copy of the press notice recently issued by this bureau on the occupations of the gainfully employed females 16 years of age and over in the District of Columbia, 1910. Very respectfully, E. DANA DURAND, Director. OCCUPATIONS OF THE GAINFULLY EMPLOYED FEMALES 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OVER IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 1910. PRELIMINARY THIRTEENTH CENSUS STATISTICS ISSUED BY THE CENSUS BUREAU. WASHINGTON, D. C., December —, 1912. On April 15, 1910, there were in the District of Columbia 52,488 women 16 years of age and over who were gainfully employed. These figures are contained in a statement issued to-day by Director Durand, of the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce and Labor. The statistics were prepared under the direction of |