Union Labor Bulletin

Arkansas Labor Department Report.

The department was a most potent factor in furnishing both skilled and unskilled labor during the war.

Tuesday Ben D. Brickhouse, state labor commissioner, was succeeded by T. A. Wilson, both members of organized labor and well and favorably known in Arkansas.

This bureau, under the administration of Mr. Brickhouse, has an enviable record. With no appropriation to cover the cost of the work it has secured, during a period of less than two years, positions for nearly 4,000 males and 379 females. It has also secured several hundred men for the government for overseas railroad service. It secured 1,000 applications from automobile men for entrance into the Motor Transport Corps at Fort Sam Houston within a period of two weeks, sending in more applications than any other state in the Union except Texas.

This department was a potent factor in averting threatened labor troubles among the thousands of skilled and unskilled workers at Camp Pike, Ft. Roots, the Aviation Field at Lonoke and the Picric Acid plant at Little Rock. It has successfully handled several strikes in different parts of the state.

One hundred and fifty saw-mills, employing 14,000 men and 1,174 women, were registered with this department.

The number of fatal accidents during the year covered by the report were 11, non-fatal accidents, 1,776.

The average wages for men were $2.50 to $3.00 per day of 10 hours, for women it was $1.75 to $2.50 per day of nine hours.

Much of the work of this department was given to explanations and enforcement of the Child Labor Law and the Minimum Wage and Maximum Hour Law for women.

Retiring Commissioner Brickhouse makes the following recommendations:

"The Child Labor Law, being vital to the best interests of the State, I would recommend to the next legislature that a Child Labor Division be created in the State Labor Department, as it is in the Federal Labor Department, for this important work will never be cared for properly until such suggestion has been carried out."

"Under the Minimum Wage Law, as under the Child Labor Law, the department has adopted the policy of friendly adjustments rather than bringing prosecutions."

Mr. Brickhouse's report contains an extended report on the minimum wage work from Miss Mary H. McCabe, secretary of the Minimum Wage and Maximum Hour Commission.