A Political Primer for the New Voter (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1912 edition. Excerpt: ... should constitute a day's work, and our law has gone to the extent of requiring that a stipulation to that effect shall be made a part of all contracts in which the State or any municipal corporation is a party. "Now the policy, therefore, of the State is of long standing, and while the sections quoted refer, of course, to public work, they established what has been the set policy of California for more than forty years--that eight hours shall constitute a day's labor. "The argument against the eight-hour day for women is purely economic. It is asserted that it will work hardship upon various enterprises--that these enterprises will have to close and that financial disaster will follow. "This has been the argument ever advanced against legislation of this sort, and even against legislation designed for the protection of the public, such as pure food laws. "When the first shorter hour law was adopted in England, the English employers with the utmost vehemence protested. None of the ills they prophesied occurred. Many of us remember the first child labor laws. At the time of the enactment of these in our State many of our reputable business men protested with earnestness and apparent sincerity that they could not compete with their rivals, and the enactment of such laws meant their ruin. When a law limiting the hours of miners was enacted, many mine owners appeared and insisted that the indus-'try would be entirely destroyed. Today the same mhies are running with the same profit and the same employes. "The economic argument also fails because experience has shown that productivity will not be materially decreased under an eight-hour law." Employers' Liability Industry in the United States kills each year from thirty thousand to fifty thousand...