more likely to be sterile or to suffer miscarriages, or to bear dead children; or to lose their children as infants. Lead poisoning in men has not been known to have any ill effects upon the offspring, but for women the poison affects not only herself but her children in the future, and these serious results occur more frequently if she works in the lead industries after her marriage. Dr. Alice Hamilton, one of the foremost authorities in this country on the subject of lead poisoning, has recommended that women should not be employed in

Lead smelters.-Tending and discharging Hunting-Heberlein pots, tending and discharging hand-rabbled reverberatory furnaces, tapping blast furnaces, working on Scotch hearths or open hearths, working in the flues and bag houses.

Lead refineries.-Doing furnace work or handling dross.

Manufacturing white lead.-Stack setting in blue beds when old buckles are used; stack stripping--"stripping the white beds;" drypan room; packing dry white lead; grinding white lead in oil; on Carter process, except in packing lead nicil.

Painting trade.-Dry rubbing down of lead paint; mixing dry lead compounds with paint; using dirty drop cloths; chipping off old lead paint.

In the manufacture of storage batteries - Manufacture of storage batteries.-Mixing paste and applying it to the plates.

Compounding rubber. These recommendations were only made after a careful study of all the processes in the various industries. It is interesting and significant to note that even in face of the special danger to women in the lead industry Dr. Hamilton has not recommended the prohibition of the employment of women in the entire industry, but rather that, except on certain processes so dangerous as to make the safeguarding of the worker extremely difficult, the industry should be made safe for both men and women. And yet in face of the definite assurance that lead poisoning is particularly dangerous to women, only two States in the Union have laws prohibiting or regulating women's employment in industries. where they are in danger of lead poisoning. In fact, in most cases the laws which prohibit their employment have little bearing on the real hazards to which they are exposed. If a woman's hand may get crushed while she oils moving machinery, so may a man's, and his hands are as valuable as hers. If a man can be taught to oil that moving machinery so that he will not be injured, a woman can learn the same method; but if safety can not be assured, then the machine should be adequately safeguarded so that neither man nor woman will run the risk of injury. Prohibiting the employment of women on certain dusty processes does not solve the problem of any industrial disease in a community. Men also are liable to contract pul

monary diseases from exposure to dusts. Dusty processes and machines should be ventilated and hooded, so that men and women both may work at them with impunity. It is very possible that under the guise of "protection" women may be shut out from occupations which are really less harmful to them than much of the tedious heavy work both in the home and in the factory which has long been considered their special province. Safe standards of work for women must come to be safe standards for men also if women are to have an equal chance in industry. Only in cases where conditions are more harmful to women than to men should their employment be prohibited. Except for the lead industry, so little information exists in this country as to the special effect on women of the various industrial poisons that it would seem essential, in order to guarantee that the women workers of the country be protected but not discriminated against, to make extensive investigations before recommending the exclusion of women from any industries or processes.

Laws making it obligatory to report industrial diseases such as exist already in one form or another in 15 States are the first step in establishing a satisfactory policy regarding the employment of women in hazardous industries. A further step will be the inclusion of industrial diseases under the workmen's compensation law. The operation of this law will stimulate management to make progress in the engineering problems of safety and sanitation, and will insure more effective health supervision while the facts disclosed will furnish information on which to base conclusions as to the greater liability of women to industrial poisons, and as to the more serious effects of such poisons.

О

THE CONTROL OF NIGHT WORK FOR WOMEN IN UNITED

STATES THROUGH STATE LEGISLATION.

LAWS LIMITING THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT WOMEN MAY WORK AT NIGHT IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS.'

Six States-Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Wisconsin-have passed laws limiting the number of hours which women may work at night.

Eight hours per night, 48 hours per week.

Three States-Kansas, New Hampshire, Wisconsin-limit the hours that may be worked during any one night to 8 and the weekly hours of night work to 48. Wisconsin is the only one that specifies that this work time must fall within certain hours-8 p. m. to 6 a. m.-in order to be considered night work. The Kansas ruling applies only to public housekeeping. New Hampshire covers all manual or mechanical employment, but excepts household labor, nurses; domestic, hotel, and boarding-house labor; operators in telephone and telegraph offices; farm labor; manufacture of munitions or supplies for the United States or State during war time; mercantile establishments on the 7 days preceding Christmas. Wisconsin includes mechanical or mercantile establishment, restaurant, confectionery store, telephone and telegraph, express, or transportation.

Eight hours' labor within certain fixed hours.

Two States-Delaware and Maryland-limit the number of hours that a woman may work at night to 8, and further provide that some part of this work time must fall between certain definitely specified hours in order to be considered night work. Delaware places these limits at 11 p. m. to 7 a. m.; Maryland, as 10 p. m. to 6 a. m.

Both States cover mercantile establishments. Delaware includes telephone and telegraph office or exchange. The Maryland law also applies to manufacturing, mechanical, printing, baking, laundering establishments, but excepts canning.

Eight hours per night.

Two States-Wisconsin and Nebraska-have limited night work to 8 consecutive hours. The scope of these laws varies greatly, as Nebraska only covers public-service corporations and Wisconsin specifies any occupation." Twelve hours overall per night.

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The Kansas Industrial Welfare Commission has ruled that if telephone operators are regularly employed after 10.30 p. m., they may not be on duty more than 12 hours per night, this time to include rest time and sleep time as well as work time.

1 For references and brief statement of laws see Appendix I. (Attached chart.) 100846-20

Value of laws.

These laws recognize the evils of night work and seek to lessen the bad results of such work by limiting the hours of labor. It is probable that by restricting the conditions of employment, night work by women is prevented to a degree. In many occupations, however, especially in telephone and telegraph establishments, it has not been possible so far to prohibit night work.

Only two States-Maryland and New Hampshire-have failed to follow up these laws limiting the hours of labor at night by enacting laws prohibiting night work in some occupations. This would seem to be evidence of the fact that these laws are a definite recognition of the bad effects of night work, and that in all probability they are first steps toward its prohibition.

LAWS PROHIBITING WOMEN FROM WORKING AT NIGHT IN CERTAIN OCCUPATIONS.

Twelve States, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah,2 Wisconsin, and one Territory, Porto Rico, have prohibited women from working at night in certain occupations. Within specified hours.

Nine States, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and one Territory, Porto Rico, have set certain definite hours between which women are prohibited from working in a number of occupations.

5 p.m. to 8 a. m.

The longest period of time during which women are prohibited from doing night work is from 5 p. m. to 8 a. m. in Wisconsin. This act regulates the employment of conductors, motormen, flagmen on street car lines in first-class cities.

5 p. m. to 6 a. m.

Wisconsin has also prohibited the work of women as conductors, motormen, flagmen on street car lines outside first-class cities between the hours of 5 p. m. and 6 a. m.

6 p. m. to 6 a. m.

Two States, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, prohibit night work between 6 p. m. and 6 a. m. Massachusetts applies only to the manufacture of textile goods; Wisconsin covers manufacturing and laundries, but excepts canneries. 9 p. m. to 6 a. m.

Kansas prohibits night work in factories between 9 p. m. and 6 a. m.

10 p.m. to 7 a. m.

New York prohibits night work in mercantile establishments for messengers or telegraph or messenger companies and on any type of street car between 10 p. m. and 7 a. m., but excepts mercantile establishments from December 18 to 24 and two days annually for stock taking.

The Utah law has been declared unconstitutional by a State court, but has not been passed on by the United States Supreme Court.