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Show WAGE EARNERS BENEFITED BY LAWS ENACTED Annual Summary by Labor Law Association Shows Continued Extension of Safety and Health Measures in the Interest In-terest of the Workers. New labor laws enacted by congress con-gress and more than forty states show continued gains in the protection of the safety and health of wage earners, earn-ers, although on the pressing issue of unemployment the legislative record is practically blank, according to a summary of the year's labor legislation legisla-tion Issued by the American Association Associ-ation for Labor Legislation. "Of particular import is the progress prog-ress made during the year in federal-state federal-state co-operation for maternity protection pro-tection and for vocational rehabilitation rehabilita-tion of industrial cripples," says Secretary Sec-retary John B. Andrews. "Passing by congress of the Sheppard-Towner bill for maternity and infancy protection, crowning for victory a three-year intensive in-tensive campaign, found six states prepared pre-pared for Immediate action, having ac-' cepted in advance the federal aid now available. This advance acceptance of the federal act is in several Instances In-stances based upon the bill for state action prepared by the Association fof Labor Legislation. Twenty-three additional ad-ditional states in 1921 enacted legislation legis-lation accepting the new federal act for vocational rehabilitation, making a total of 30 that have adopted this sig-niflcaat sig-niflcaat development in workmen's compensation legislation. "Acute unemployment continued throughout the year," he states, "yet congress and more than forty states met In legislative session and adjourned ad-journed with apparent Indifference to the immediate need for adopting a constructive program, of legislation for permanently combating the disastrous reiflilts of Industrial depression. California, Cal-ifornia, alone, took a forward step in eincting a law for long-time advance planning of public works by the state to help In preventing unemployment. Tlie Keayon bill,, in congress, aimed to set the federal government upon a similar course of distributing public works intelligently. The nation-wide interest in this legislation, as reflected in the press, gives promise f state ac-tfoa ac-tfoa that may open the door to an ara of statesmanship In America in dealing with unemployment." The 'President's conference on unemployment un-employment is referred to in the statement as the outstanding official development of the year in relation to unemployment Emphasis Is placed upon the Importance of the conference In setting unemployment before the country In an official way as primarily a problem of industry. Its program of emergency rolief, it is suited, is in Hue with and strongly reinforces the "Standard Recommendations" as formulated for-mulated by the Association for Labor Legislatien in 1915 with the co-opora-tion of more than. 300 organizations , la 115 different communities and re- j affirmed and republished, together wkk the results of the association's u.employment survey of 1021, In the American Legislative Review. Social Insurance. Thirty-one states and congress -amended the existing compensation laws, extending the acts to cover more persons and injuries, reduce tire waifr ins period, Increase benefits, and, In I the case of Ohio, to cow occupatloo- I al diseases. Missouri passed a new act to replace the one repealed by referendum, ref-erendum, but it Is suspended, until November 1922, by a new referendum petition. The federal vocational rehabilitation re-habilitation act was accepted by 22 states, bringing the total number ol states having accepted the act, to 30, The Sheppard-Towner act was passed by congress, creating a board of maternity ma-ternity and Infant hygiene and appro priating money for state and federal use. Six states have accepted the act. Safety and Health. New Mexico enacted child-labor legislation leg-islation for the first time and school attendance and minimum work age requirements re-quirements were extended in 13 states and Porto Rico. The lifting by women of receptacles weighing 75 pounds or over was forbidden by California ; a mining code was created in Illinois; and a new law regulating tenement manufacture was enacted in Wisconsin. Wiscon-sin. Hours. Women's hours were restricted for the first time in New Mexico, the eight-hour eight-hour day being extended to factories, laundries, hotels, restaurants and places of amusements. Hours and standard working conditions for women wom-en determined by the industrial welfare wel-fare commission of California were made legal requirements for all Industries. Indus-tries. Employment. Free employment services were created cre-ated for the first time in Nebraska, North Carolina and North Dakota; and in Illinois they were extended to towns and villages. The California state board of control was directed to arrange for the extension of public works to relieve unemployment in times of emergency. Immigration. Immigration was restricted by congress con-gress in a law limiting the number of aliens of any nationality who may be admitted to the United States in any year to 3 per cent of the number of foreign-born persons of that nationality nation-ality resident of the United States, according ac-cording to the census of 1910. Administration. Departments of labor and Industrial relations were created, and the various vari-ous existing commissions and bureaus consolidated or abolished, in California, Califor-nia, Minnesota, Montana, Ohio and Washington. The New York labor law was recodified, completely re-organizing the department of labor. |