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as wet as they could be. The sizing rooms, during seven months of the year, were so filled with steam at all times of the day that I have frequently bumped against a worker in a gangway. I could not see my hand in front of my face in the hat factory sizing rooms. Although men work, live and die in that kind of an atmosphere, it was the notion of many of the old time employers, and many of the workers, that the steam laden sizing room was not the most unhealthful place in the factory. Of course, the workers had no medical inspection; the State had no medical records-we haven't many yet; so we really don't know whether the working conditions were as bad as they seemed. However, we designated steam control apparatus in accordance with data obtained by a trade investigation so that now you can walk through those factories and find them free from steam. The men now work with dry shirts and under humane conditions. While I never claimed that the steam conditions were deadly, I did maintain that if I owned a dog or any other kind of a dumb animal that I thought much of I would not keep it in that kind of a room. Then why ask a man to work under these conditions? It is an insult, to the self respect of the worker even if no physical injury results, to expect him to render social service in work shops charged with steam, noxious vapors or industrial dust.

Public officials, having the duty of regulating industrial working processes, who shut their eyes to the menace of impure air, occasioned by improper working methods should be condemned unless they provide ventilating standards to improve them; the workers should insist on this.

In this large organization, the Anti-Tuberculosis Association that I spoke of, the hatters had a membership. One of their processes, called "pouncing" the hat, is a very dusty process. For a period of seven years, nearly all of the men who died in that industry and who worked at "pouncing" died from tuberculosis. It may have been a coincidence probably a large number of lawyers working on legal matters also die of tuberculosis. It seemed significant to me that all of these men should die from tuberculosis until I made a thorough examination of their working premises and found them working in clouds of dust; great streamers of it hung from the side walls and ceiling. The work rooms resembled magazine pictures you may have seen showing bad factory conditions. The situation presented, was one requiring the services of a mechanical engineer. All it needed was the installation of suitable exhaust equipment to take the dust away. After this was done, health conditions among the "pouncers" became noticeably better. An investigator who recently visited the Hatters Union was astonished at the keen interest of the workers in the question of industrial hygiene. On the other hand, you could not arouse much interest in the safeguarding of

machinery and fire protection. They were ready and willing to discuss the thing that they understood-the question of the hygiene of their working conditions. That is the way it is with all of us. We understand those things best that come closest to us, and I think when the question of controlling the dusts and fumes and vapors generated in industry has been given the same consideration as that of safe-guarding machines and freedom from the fire risk, there will be a vast improvement in the industrial hygiene of our factories throughout the country.

I am pleased to say that New Jersey and Pennsylvania are cooperating in this work. I believe that it is work in which all of the large industrial states should co-operate. Two years ago, at a meeting in Columbus, Ohio, I proposed that the large industrial states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, should hold interstate meetings and establish standards for the removal of dusts, fumes and vapors; this was intended to include visits to individual plants where successful installations had been made.

So far, New Jersey and Pennsylvania have worked together in this enterprise and I hope before we have our next meeting, that all of the states, especially the important northern industrial states, will join in this interstate conference idea. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have already collaborated on Safety Standards for explosives manufacture and the manufacture of nitro and amido compounds. The published standards have received a wide recognition. The various danger points involved in the manufacture or the handling of nitro and amido compounds are provided with a comprehensive group of trade rules to cover this very dangerous work.

But we have only begun to scratch the surface a little. We see a pearl button machine making dust. From experience we know how to remove it. We furnish the employer with the necessary engineering information. We do not say to him, "Get a remedy for this dust." If he says, "How?" We do not say, "Don't know; just go ahead and do that or we will bring a lawsuit on you." This is not the modern way. If we ask him to install an exhaust system and he says it cannot be done we lay the job out for him. Briefly, we show the reason why and the way how dust should be removed. State Departments of Labor have got beyond the point where they walk into a factory and say, "Well, I don't know whether this process injures health or not; the law says you have got to carry it on another way and if you refuse we will sue you." That is the old way. We first make sure a process is detrimental to health. We then provide a remedy. We solicit the co-operation of the factory owner and the workmen employed in the industry.

In the printing industry, I understand, you have not provided

engineering rules for the removal of vapors from linotype machines. I think you could easily induce a publisher to install a system in accordance with the New Jersey standards, and thus demonstrate the health value of this kind of equipment. We started the Industrial Hygiene Movement in New Jersey in that way. We prevailed on some factory owner in each trade to put in a system on standard lines and thus demonstrate its usefulness. After a large number of installations are made you may find a recalcitrant employer who will simply say, "I don't care what the law says, I won't do it; and you can bring a legal action if you want to." So far we have not had an experience like that and I hope we never will. I think it is to the interest of the employer as well as the employes that good healthy conditions should exist throughout the industrial world. I believe the time will come when everyone of us will frequently have an examination made of our physical condition to determine if we are in good working order. When that time comes I will certainly favor physical examination for all workers.

CHAIRMAN YOUNG:

Just a word in closing. The speakers who have been necessarily omitted from this morning's program will have an opportunity to speak this afternoon. We appreciate the time and study which have been devoted to the various subjects by the speakers of this morning. We also thank you for your patience in staying here until one o'clock. The session is now adjourned.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1917.
Afternoon Session-2 o'clock.

Chairman, C. A. Emerson, Vice President of the Engineers' Society of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa.

ACTING COMMISSIONER PALMER:

As two of the papers were held over from this morning's session it seems best for us to start on our afternoon program even though we did not adjourn here until one o'clock.

The Engineers' Society of Pennsylvania has, since the Department of Labor and Industry was created, been one of our closest associates in this line of work. For a number of years they held joint conferences with us and it is out of recognition of that close co-operation which has come from this society that we have asked Mr. C. A. Emerson, Vice President of the Engineers' Society of

Pennsylvania, to act as Chairman of this afternoon's session. I am very glad;

indeed, to introduce Mr. Emerson to you.

CHAIRMAN EMERSON: As Commission Palmer has just said, in the past it has been the custom of the Engineers' Society of Pennsylvania to hold an exhibition at the time of these conferences. That exhibition, for the most part, consisted of labor saving devices, safety devices and others for the prevention of industrial accidents. It was believed that the conference and the exhibit could work in harmony and that the exhibit was well worth while. The Directors of the Society had hoped to have a similar exhibit this year but under existing war conditions it was deemed inadvisable. I want to assure you, however, that the idea of the exhibit has not been abandoned, simply postponed until later when conditions may be more favorable. I therefore bring to you the greetings of the Society and the assurance of the Board of Directors that this Society wishes to be of value and of use in whatever way it may to further proper industrial conditions in the state and particularly those conditions that have so much to do with the efficiency of the workers.

We will now take up a discussion remaining over from this morning's program on the subject of "The Teaching of English and the Making of Americans," as presented by Dr. Peter Roberts. The discussion will be opened by Mr. Robert J. Wheeler of Allentown, Pa., whom it gives me pleasure to introduce to you.

THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AND THE MAKING OF AMERICANS.

By ROBERT J. WHEELER, Allentown, Pa.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I understand that I am to continue the discussion of the subject presented this morning by Professor Roberts. It was not my good fortune to be in time to hear all of Professor Roberts's remarks and see all of the demonstration, but because I have had something to do with that kind of work for some years I pretty much know what the Professor told you and I certainly enjoyed the demonstration.

It has been my good fortune to be acquainted with many industries in my time and I have come into intimate touch with numbers of foreign people and particularly those from the south of Europe and I have found them to be very lovable people. Last fall my business carried me into South Bethlehem every day and there are throngs of southern Europeans in that city. Very often they rode with me and some of them worked for me. I have come to know the southern Europeans, who work in the industries, and I believe it to be very much worth our while to endeavor to teach them our language and thus enable them to take part in this great experiment for democracy.

I will have to cut what I have to say very short for I have to take a train soon, but I want to tell you a story which will illustrate all that the Professor sought to impress upon you this morning and anything else I myself might add to it. The teaching of English and the making of Americans out of the Europeans who come to us as laborers has been to a very great extent neglected until quite recent years. I know this to be true because I have met them in many industries, in many states, over a period of years. I know that neither the employer, the labor unions or outside educational agencies have paid much attention to these people and it is because of that, that we in the United States have such a great problem in our endeavor to assimilate the large numbers of foreign born people who come to us, particularly the laboring class in the great industries. They are very much worth our while. They constitute a vast problem. We must assimilate them. We must teach them English, we have not been very sympathetic with them, neither we of the labor unions, employers, nor the general public and they feel that bitterly. A number of years ago I worked in the glass industry, and after a short acquaintance with the works, I noticed from day to day a very splendid appearing laborer who came out from behind the furnace. I found out later that he was our furnace tender, batch mixer, as we glass makers called him. He impressed himself upon one by his splendid carriage. He was a fine specimen of manhood. He had the appearance of a man of military and athletic training, I noticed him going along from day to day, and I remember one time I came upon him seated upon a bench reading a book, and he seeing that I noticed him, looked up and said: "Please explain this word to me," in faulty English. I took the book and was astonished to find it to be a difficult work on philosophy. Now, think of a furnace man, a laborer, reading a book on philosophy in English, a man who could barely make himself understood in the English language. Well, after I got over my surprise I explained the word to him and took considerable interest in him afterwards, I learned that he had a wonderful history. This man had just been driven out of Hungary. He had been a student attending the university of Budapest. Coming to America, no opportunity was offered to him because he was hampered with a language he did not understand. Whatever talents, whatever abilities he possessed, whatever he might have done for himself here he could not do because he did not understand our language nor our customs and we cared naught for him; he was only a Slav, a foreigner, just a laborer. The more I became acquainted with this man the more he impressed himself upon me. Shortly afterwards he and I both attended a great labor meeting. I do not believe I ever saw a more magnificent speaker. I learned that he spoke four other languages besides Slavic. He set to work

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