FACTORY LEGISLATION FOR WOMEN
I8 9
twelve years had been limited to ten hours per day, but it was not until 1874 that the state interfered with the work of adult women. The history of that enactment is suggestive and seems to throw light on subsequent legislation.
The year 1845 was rnarked by more vehement agitation than had before characterized the reformers. The legislature was flooded with petitions praying for a reduction of the eleven-hour day, which was the rule with corporations. But the legislators met this request with the same vapid arguments in use ever since. Nothing more was done until 1850, when a bill came before the house only to be defeated. Another attempt in 1852 was like- wise unsuccessful.
In 1865 we find the appointment of an unpaid commission ot five men to investigate in regard to the hours of labor in the factories. This marks the birth of bureaus of labor statistics now found in nearly all civilized countries. A few years later the Massachusetts bureau was formally established. The labor bureaus 1 of this country rank high among the world's statisti- cians and have been a great benefit to the laborers. The facts laid before the public have assisted in securing good legislation
1 The following table shows the states having labor bureaus and the year in which such bureaus were founded.
SIMM
Year
estab- lished
Headquarters
States
Year
estab- lished
Headquarters
Arkansas ....
1887
Little Rock
Nebraska
1887
Lincoln
- >rnia
Colorado
1883 I887
San Francisco Denver
New Hampshire New Jersey
1893 1878
Concord Trenton
Connecticut . . . Illinois
1873 1870
Hartford Springfield
New Mexico . . . New \
1891
1 88)
Santa 6 Albany
1 ixl ! .in i
l8?0
I ii'lianapolis
North Caiolin i
1887
Raleigh
I ' >vva
I SS l
I )(/> \] c I) (if^
,
1877
Columbus
Kansas Kentucky
,885 1892 1887
Topeka Frankfort Augusta
Pennsylvania . . Rhode Island... South Dakota
1872 1887
iSoo
Harnsburg Providence Minnesela
Maryland Massachusetts .
1884 i860
more
I'.ostoll
Tennessee Texas .
1891
ISST
Nashville
Austin
Michigan Minnesota ....
1883 1887
Lans
aul
United States. . . Utah
1885
IS DO
Washington. I>. ('. Salt Lake <
Missouri
|S7()
Jefferson <
West Virginia
1889
Charleston
Montana
i **<) ;
Helena
Wisconsin
1883
M ul i ^' >n
