Manuscript Group 1107, Consumers League of New Jersey Records 1934 – 1979
Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
Manuscript
Guide # 1107
Consumers League of New Jersey Records
Records, 1934 – 1979
1
linear foot
Organizational History:
The Consumers League of New Jersey was
founded in 1900 as a voluntary organization aimed at protecting
consumers by making them aware of the marketing and distribution
systems under which goods and services are produced. In
addition to disseminating information, the League has often acted
as an advocate or opponent of policies and legislation undertaken
by the State of New Jersey. Accordingly, the organization
monitors state and national legislation concerning consumer
affairs, organizes conferences, and distributes literature to
clubs and adult education institutions. The League also
receives consumers complaints and refers them to the proper
governmental agency.
Membership in the Consumers League is open
to anyone. Members elect officers and Board members at
annual meetings. The Board of Directors and the Advisory
Council manage League affairs. The organization is
non-profit.
Provenance:
The Consumers League of New Jersey Records
were donated to
Archives
Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs in February,
1980 through the wish of Susanna P. Zwemer, President of the
League.
Scope and Content Notes:
The Consumers League of New Jersey Records
span the years 1934-1979, and contains information on a multitude
of the Leagues activities. Some of the subjects covered in
the records are unemployment compensation, Equal Rights
Amendment, industrial health, minimum wage, child labor, migrant
farm labor, and industrial home work. Some of the material
which was donated to the New Jersey Historical Society by the
Consumers League of New Jersey was published material and has
since been transferred to the librarys holdings and not
held with the manuscript material of this collection. A
list of the materials transferred from this collection can be
found in the data file.
A variety of records comprise this
collection including: annual meetings, minutes and reports,
1950-1977; minutes of the board, 1965-1977; bulletins,
newsletters, conference programs, leaflets, correspondence and
reports concerning unemployment compensation, the Equal Rights
Amendment, industrial health, minimum wages, child labor, migrant
farm labor, and industrial home work. Inventory available.
Note: Additional records of the Consumers League of New Jersey
are held by Special Collections at the Rutgers University
Library, New Brunswick, N.J.
Manuscript
Guide # 1107
Consumers
League of New Jersey Records
Records,
1934-1979
Series
Description
1107.1
Annual Meetings, Minutes and Reports
1950,1959,1961,1962,1967-1977
Contain agenda, treasurers reports, reports on legislation,
Workmans
compensation,
Youth employment, Consumer education, seasonal farm labor, and
other matters of special interest to the organization.
1107.2
Minutes of the Board
1965-1971
Contain agenda of executive meetings, reports, resolutions,
memoranda
from
the President to members of the board, and related documents.
1107.3
Minutes of the Board
1972-1977
Contain agenda for the executive meetings, reports, resolutions,
memoranda
from
the President to the executive board, and related documents.
1107.4
Bulletins (5 items)
1928-1931
This incomplete series of newsletters contains articles on bills
concerning
women
and child labor in various fields of industry in the New York-New
Jersey
area. Bulletins also contain statements of recognition with
respect to
individual
members of the Consumers League of New Jersey.
1107.5
Newsletters
1952-1969
These concern League functions such as conferences, annual
meetings, New
Jersey
legislation, annual reports, ect. They also contain
articles of interest
on
consumerism. The series, however, is not complete.
1107.6
Newsletters
1970-1978
Bimonthly
publications dealing with conferences, annual meetings, New
Jersey legislation, annual reports, etc. They also
contain articles of interest on consumerism.
1107.7
Seventeenth Anniversary Dinner, Records
April 14, 1970
Includes press releases, tickets, reservation forms, programs,
copies of
speech by Virginia
H. Knauer, President Nixons Special Assistant for Cunsumer
Affairs and Frederick Lacey, United States Attorney for New
Jersey. It also lists the committee for the dinner, and
includes a copy of Make Your Voice Heard, which
describes the achievements of the Consumers League of New Jersey.
1107.8
Consumer Conference Kit
1977
Materials used at Cunsumer Conference which took place March 19,
1977.
Includes
schedules of events, descriptions of exhibitions, ect.
1107.9
Conference Programs
1956-1974
Programs for Consumer League Conferences on Consumer Education,
urban and rural
poverty, environmental education for action, and other matters.
1107.10
Leaflets (5 items)
1964-1974
Consumer League flyers concerning food marketing, consumer
protection
agencies, a
consumer conference, New Jersey Consumer protection laws, and a
bibliography of pamphlets concerning migratory labor.
1107.11
Legislation-Action on Bills
1967-1972
Correspondence, reports, and announcements concerning league
sponsored
forums,
the committee on legislation, League legislative goals in New
Jersey.
1107.12
Employment Agencies-Legislation (3 items)
1970
Contains the copy of an act introduced in the New Jersey Assembly
to
license employment
agencies, a Newsweek article concerning slave shops,
a letter to the New Jersey State Senate from the President of the
Consumer League of New Jersey referring to legislation.
1107.13
Industrial Health
1941-1943
Correspondence, reports, and bulletins concerning the industrial
health field.
1107.14
Unemployment Compensation
1945-1948
Contains articles on proposed legislation referring to
unemployment
compensation in
New Jersey. It includes a comparison between a proposed New
Jersey measure and an existing California law on unemployment
compensation.
1107.15
Equal Rights Amendment (8 items)
1937-1953
Contains correspondence and other materials referring to a
constitutional
amendment
providing equal rights for women. The folder includes
material both for and against such a measure.
1107.16
Equal Rights Amendment
1941-1960
Government Publications. Non-manuscript material
transferred to reference
library.
File folder contains full list of materials transferred.
1107.17
Hours Laws for Women (4 items)
1968-1971
Correspondence and miscellaneous material pertinent to proposed
bill
repealing hours
legislation for women. Contains a letter from the Consumer
League President to New Jersey Governor Cahill on this matter.
1107.18
Minimum Wage
1934-1937
Contains correspondence and newspaper articles on the subject of
minimum
wage
legislation.
1107.19
Minimum Wage, Speeches (3 items)
1954-1961
Speeches by Edward J. Flynn, Director of Wage and Hour Bureau in
New
Jersey to the
Employment Agency Association of New Jersey and the Consumer
League.
1107.20
Minimum Wage : Miscellaneous Papers (5 items)
1961-1962
This series includes a speech by the President of Consumer League
of New
Jersey by
concerning Minimum Wage, 1962, and a list of state minimum wages
throughout the United States (1960) as well as related items.
1107.21
Child Labor
1964-1967
Correspondence and reports concerning child labor and pertinent
legislation.
The series is especially related to newspaper boys.
1107.22
Industrial Home Work Legislation (5 items)
1969-1970
Correspondence concerning the Leaguess fight for the repeal
of the
Industrial Home
Work Law. Letters to Governor William Cahill and State
Senator Harry Sears are included.
1107.23
Migratory Farm Labor: Health Services Report
1963
Includes reports on Migrant Labor health services in various New
Jersey
counties, the
Princeton Visiting Nurse Annual Progress report, and reports on
various health questions referencing migrant labor. (174 pages)
1107.24
Migratory Farm Labor: Health Services Correspondence
1964-1969
League correspondence with the New Jersey Division of Public
Welfare,
the
Governor, referring to health and welfare among migrant laborers.
1107.25
Migratory Farm Labor: Health and Welfare Correspondence
1966-1968
Letters and related documents referencing health services among
migrant
laborers
1107.26
Migratory Farm labor: Publications
1951-1979
Newspaper articles, Rutgers University reports and others on
problems of
migrant farm
workers in New Jersey. Some published materials, of which
Consumer League of New Jersey was not the promoter, have been
transferred to the reference library. The file folder
contains a complete list of materials so transferred.
1107.27
Migrant Farm labor: Information Meeting
March 24, 1965
Minutes of the meeting, summaries of services for migrants given
by such
state offices as
Migrant Labor Bureau, Bureau of Childrens services, and New
Jersey Health Department.
1107.28
Migrant Farm Labor: Forums (3 items)
1969-1971
Agenda, copy of Migrant Housing Standards Law of 1967.
1107.29
Migrant Farm labor: Antipoverty Program (5 items)
1965
Documents concern the relationship between the Anti-poverty
program and
Migratory Farm
Labor in New Jersey Consumer League views are included.
1107.30
Migratory Farm Labor: Legislative Matters (5 items)
1953-1969
Correspondence and official statements concerning the law and
migratory
farm laborers.
Includes a letter from Governor Richard Hughs to Susanna Zwemmer,
President of Consumer League of New Jersey, also includes a photo
of the signing of the Crew Leader Bill, May 31, 1961.
1107.31
Migratory Farm Labor: Governors Task Force
1967
Consumer League of New Jersey recommendations to the
Governors task
force,
statement on culture centers for migratory farm labor.
1107.32
Migratory Farm labor: Migrant Center Proposal (3 items)
1965
Consumer League of New Jersey proposals for migrant centers.
1107.33
Migrant Farm Labor: New Jersey Department of Health Migrant
Health Project
1963-1967
Papers concerning
welfare and health problems among migrants, workshops and
programs, special related papers.
1107.34
Migratory Farm Labor: Consumer League of New Jersey
Recommendations
1960-1971
Consumer Leagues 10 point program for migratory workers, 1962;
summary of New
Jersey Migrant Labor Law; Report of Migratory Labor Committee of
Consumer League of New Jersey, April 11, 1964; membership of the
governors task force; interim report of the governors
task force; Legislative recommendations.
Processed by Carl A. Lane
March 4, 1980
Updated by S. Sullivan
March 2000
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