The Commission of the cloak and suit industry, which held its first meeting Monday in the offices in New York City of Raymond V. Ingersoll, impartial chairman of the industry, decided to wage a war against sweatshop conditions in the industry.
Under the direction of Mr. Ingersoll, who was named executive director of the commission, a group of subcommittees will conduct a three-month investigation of sweatshop conditions in the industry. The recommendations to be made by Mr. Ingersoll will form the basis for action by the full commission.
The commission adopted a resolution calling upon Frances Perkins, State Commissioner of Labor, to cooperate with the campaign by causing systematic inspections to be made of plants in the needlework trades during September and October, to facilitate enforcement of the labor laws.
The resolution emphasized the need for checking unsanitary and sub-standard conditions said to be prevalent in violation of the law.
The commission, which was created after Governor Roosevelt had intervened in the recent strike of 30,000 cloakmakers, consists of twelve members. Three, including George W. Alger, the chairman, were appointed by Gov. Roosevelt. The International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union, the Industrial Council of Cloak and Suit Workers, the Merchants’ Ladies’ Garment Association and the American Cloak and Suit Manufacturers Association each has two representatives. Mr. Ingersoll serves as the unanimous selection of the other members.
The commission will not act, however, Mr. Alger declared, until it has investigated conditions thoroughly and laid the foundation for recommendations in which all interests may be expected to concur.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
