Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/788

 774 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

required to work ten hours, but no longer, and employers com- pelling individuals to work for a longer period than this may be fined from 10 to $25. Seats must also be placed in the mer- cantile establishment, and complaint can be made by any per- son to the factory inspector, if this act is not observed, and the person so violating the law may be fined from $10 to $25. The act also insists upon cleanliness in factories and in shops, and compels the separation of lunch- and retiring-rooms. Oftentimes the laws have nothing to say in reference to many other condi- tions of importance, but undoubtedly, if they were enforced, go far enough to meet many of the conditions that are unsatis- factory in most of our cities.

When it comes to applying the standard of a "fair" house in the matter of wages, there are many serious questions to be answered. First, what is a standard wage ? Is it one that has been established in the city of New York or Boston, or is it the wage which is now received by the employes in the mercantile establishments ? This raises the question : Is the standard of wages one which will maintain a girl who lives at home, or is it one that will maintain the girl who boards ? The girl who boards is usually at a great disadvantage, largely because wages are influenced by the other class. On the other hand, wages may be high in one community and low in another. Each community may therefore make its own standard in the matter.

In the questions dealing with labor and the conditions under which employment is had the Consumers' League must soon come in contact with trades unions. Just what shall be the atti- tude of the Consumers' League toward the trades unions ? Shall it be hostile, or shall it fail to recognize their existence, or shall it aid them in every particular way possible? In one sense the trades union today is endeavoring to accomplish exactly the same thing that the Consumers' League is working to secure. Both, from a national point of view, wish to bring about cleaner and better conditions of employment, and higher wages. In order to secure this, and at the same time to use the power of the laborers as consumers in bringing to bear upon employ- ers such force as may be found in such a demand, they have