WOMEN WORKERS

Evening Star, Issue 19666, 20 September 1927, Page 5

WOMEN WORKERS

U.S.A. CONDITIONS LITTLE LEGAL SHELTER The United Slates lias no such social legislation as that existing in Australia with old ago pensions and baby bonuses, so that, it is imnnnbrnt on the -workers io provide for ttioiv own future, but when the, rate ot wages is compared the. definitely higher rest of living in the United States must be taken into consideration. The above is one of the findings ot Dr Kate Mackay, one of the two women observers appointed by the Federal Ministry to accompany the Australian Industrial Mission to tbo United States. Dr .Mackay is Medical Inspector of Factories in Victoria With Miss May Matthews, of Sydney, it was her responsibility to report on the conditions in industry for women in the United States. Of 500 industries in the United States, she found that women had invaded ail but thirty-six, and were accepted everywhere on the same footing as men. There is no such protective legislation tor women in (no United States as exists in with regard, for instance, to prohibited industries, night work, and limited hours. “in the United Stales they make the job safe for both men and women, rather than select the women for consideration, Dr Mackay said. She was interested, too, lo find women holding responsible executive positions in large factories, as well ns in the Government services. With regard to hours, as in other matters, conditions in the different States varied greatly, in Stales such as Now York and Wisconsin, for instance, they have a forly-ciglit-hour week, but in other Slates they may work legally for ten hours a day for seven days in the week. Economic conditions have compelled married women in large numbers to go into industry, and they are accepted now as a matter of course. The majority of the women arc unskilled workers, but in places such as furniture factories, whore they are employed in decoration and in doing martinet iy work, which calls for a very high standard of skilled labor, they worked on the same grade as the men, and received equal pay. In this connection the Women's Labor Bureau at Washington, which was doing excellent work in formulating standards, creating public regard to the employment ot women had directed attention to the hick of facilities for vocational training for women, and already in some factories classes had been established. One of the greatest problems for industry in the future, Dr Mackay considers, is “ intense repetitive work,” which calls for little initiative or intelligence from the worker. Speaking of medical and welfare woik, Di Mackay says tiiat it is regarded by employers as a payable undertaking, apart from any altruistic motives, and the medical department is accepted as an integral part of the factory system. This aspect of industrial life, and the effect ot the high school leaving age on child labor, were the things that most impressed Dr Mackay. Like”everything else, the school leaving age varies in the different Stales, but in no case is a child aged less than fourteen years allowed to enter employment. The average age is sixteen years, and in some States in special circumstances, such as parental poverty permission may be given for a child to go to work when aged lourleen years, but he is required to attend a parttime school in his employer’s time. In other States in no circumstances arc they allowed to begin work before sixteen years, and it in poor circumstances they have to get assistance from charitable organisations, io meet Ibis situation many firms provide schools in their own factories. The result or this regulation of the school leaving age is that there is no problem of child labor in the Northern States at all, though it still exists in the South.