14 Hours a Day and Wages Cut against Chance Absence At a regular meeting of the Shanghai Woman's Club held in the office of the "Shunpao" on Monday afternoon the condition of the workers in the silk factories was discussed. Mrs. An Ben, the~ wife of the late manager of The Sincere Ca., who maintains an industrial school with a silk filature and who is much interested in bettering the conditions of workers, sent a letter to the Club stating that she had received many letters from different associations of women silk-workers complaining that their hours of labour were too long long (14 hours), that part of the work, dipping their hands into boiling water; was very painful; and that the system of making deductions from their wages against possible future absences was a great hardship.
Mrs. An Ben said that alone she could do little but with the endorsement of the different women's organizations she felt that much could be accomplished and she asked the Shanghai Woman's Club to endorse her letter to the Manager of the Silk Guild, requesting that the leaders in this industry would take steps to remedy the present conditions. This letter was aipproved by the Club, with the additional statement that the Club stood for the principles enunciated by the National Christian Conference of China and by the Chambers of Commerce of Peking and Tientsin, namely; No child under 12 allowed to work in factories; one day's rest in seven; safeguarding of health by equipping machines with safety devices, proper hours and sanitary conditions.
The address of the afternoon was given by Mr. Tsung Blu-wang, previously one of the Chief Justices of the Criminal Court of the Southern Government, "China's laws as Affecting Women." He first outtlined woman's position as a citizen, showing that she could not vote, be elected as a representative, bold judicial office or become a lawyer. Her personal rights were limited by the maxim "For the harmony of the family the will of the husband should prevail."' Unless the husband wag adjudged insane or a criminal his will is law. No woman can in-hent property unless there are no male descendants. A daughter is the fifth heir, son, nephew, cousin, husband's brother preceding her in right, and when. she comes into. property it is through her husband. In the matter of the guardianship of children the father has first right also.
Ir is understood that the number of Russian refugees in Shanghai was on Thursday increasel by 98, the new arrivals being all young men. The report is current that the reason of their coming here is due to the refusal of the Dairen authorities to permit them to Jand there.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.