SOCIAL LEGISLATION ON THE PACIFIC COAST 28^ 



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The strongest criticism is concerned with the welfare of business. Busi- 

 ness in one state may suffer from competition with business in another 

 state if laws which affect the cost of production are unequal in the two 

 states. Charges of this nature have been made in the Pacific coast 

 states with reference to some businesses. It is to be observed, however, 

 that labor legislation is rapidly spreading, thus reducing the evils of 

 competition and lack of uniformity. For instance, in a very few years, 

 workmen's compensation laws have spread to twenty-four states. Indeed 

 the rapid spread of social legislation is one of the incidental demonstra- 

 tions of this paper. 



Of all classes of wage-earners, women most need protection. They 

 have not learned to organize for better wages and shorter hours, and 

 there are special obstacles to their doing so. Yet, the inroads of 

 machinery into the home-occupations are throwing large numbers of 

 inexperienced women into the factory and the store, a situation not 

 suited to a policy of little government and unrestrained liberty. And 

 when it is remembered that women are peculiarly related to the welfare 

 of the race, the new theory of the state seems amply warranted in legis- 

 lating for their welfare. The new states of the Pacific coast, in mould- 

 ing their social order, have not hesitated to provide for their women 

 citizens. 



Oregon was the first state to limit extensively the hours of labor for 

 women; in 1907, a ten-hour law was adopted. Maine and North Dakota 

 had previously passed ten-hour laws for women, but these were for a 

 rather limited field of occupations. Oregon's ten-hour law is famous 

 in being the first to be declared constitutional by the supreme court of 

 the United States. California and Washington, in 1911, adopted eight 

 hour laws for women and remained unique in this respect until 1913, 

 when eight-hour laws were passed in Arizona and Colorado. In 1914, 

 a similar law was given the District of Columbia. The hours of labor 

 of women in Oregon have been further restricted under the minimum 

 wage law for women. This law gives the commission establishing the 

 minimum wage the power to limit hours of labor. This has been done 

 varjdngly for the different industries. 



Of recent labor legislation for women, the minimum wage laws have 

 aroused the greatest interest. The causes necessitating the minimum 

 wages for women are mainly these. The development of the factory 

 and the consequent break down of home industry has forced large num- 

 bers of women to seek employment outside the home; and the large 

 supply of women, means a low wage. The supply has been unevenly 

 distributed because of the attractions of the store and the unattractive- 

 ness of the domestic work in the private home. The situation has been 

 further aggravated by the fact that some girls who could be partially 

 supported by parents were willing to work at very low wages. These 



