Research

Scope and Content Note

The Commission submitted a brief to the Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department in the case of The People of the State of New York v. Jacob Balofsky. Balofsky, a coat manufacturer, was convicted of a violation of Section 104 of the Labor Law for contracting with a woman to finish coats in a tenement residence.

The commission's brief argued against Balofsky's appeal of his conviction, providing information on: the commission's legislative mandate regarding manufacturing work conditions in the state; previous legislation relating to manufacturing in tenements; the commission's investigation into and final report on manufacturing conditions (published in Second Report of the Factory Investigating Commission, Vol. 1, 1913); commission findings concerning unsanitary conditions, disease, child labor, and long hours; legislation recommended by the commission; and legal arguments for upholding the conviction.