New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-03-06
CHILD LABOR REDUCED.
REPORT OF THE FACTORY INSPECTOR
MR.. CONNOLLY SAYS THAT OTHER REFORMS AXE
GREATLY NEEDED.

GREATLY NEEDED.
Tho sixth annual report Of the Factory Inspector
| will no sent TO the State Legislature tomorrow IL
contains list of all the factories Inspected tosetnr
with a mass of figures showing the number OF perSo"'
employed the total number OF each sex, the numOei
| OF women under tweny-One, yonths under elsH'ec"
vcar. old and the number Of children under sixteen
wears II shows that about 70 per cent OF the oiueI'
Of the inspectors requiring alterations to be MADE III
factories and workshops have been complied witi ana
| bot the rest are being made. table showing thc
accidents that have occurred In factories during the
last wear +, embodied In the report. 1t is fnghtful
statement Of loss of life aud limb In many cases no
douht due 10 oarclessncss and evasion OF the law
In the references TO the Weekly Payment law list
NJ fine corporations affected by 1t Is given. 1t shows
that the law /, generally obcyed. The inspectors have
served notice, Of suit for violation Of this law upon
the Chatcaugay ore and Iron Company of PiatsDurG
| the Crown Point Iron Company, of Crown Point; the
,hanley and Alfred Lumber Company OF Shancy, ana
the ST. Regis Leather Company, Of St. Regis Fails.
Ex-senator Foley. Of Saratoga has been selected to
conduct the prosecution I'm each Of these cases.
Mr. Connolly the Chief Inspector, goes to say
that while the factory Inspectors were originally
simply required to expel children under thirteen years
old from factories and 10 see that certain minors were
not Obliged to work more than sixty hours a week.
their duties have been added TO by each successive
Legislature until at present they must give attention
To sanitation III laftoIles,
guarding elevators, providing Of rcescapes. to tho
education Of children to prevent women under twenty
one aud youths under eighteen years old from working
In factories between p. m. and q a. M. etc. MT.
Connolly proposes that the wages of the deputy In
spectOrs should be increased forthwith. plea Is
made for substantial Increase In the salaries OF these
overworkcd deputies, who, has been alleged pub
licy In the Central Labor Union OF this city do not
Inspect. Smarng under the recent bitter criticism
of Central Labor Union Mr. Connolly makes haste
TO say that be has been unlustly accused in de
mandatory resolutions, and possibly petition to
the Governor asking for change In the department..
This last suspicion Is quite correct the suspected
resolution having been adopted by an overwhelming
vote at the convention Of the Central Labor Union
held In Clarendon Hall, No ia East Thirteenth st.,
on January Il.
The law regulating tho employment Of children, it Is
urged Is defective In not prohibiting the employment
Of children under fourteen years old In mercantile
houses The statistics accompanying the report show
that the employ mcnt Of children l. being rapidly
diminished In 1857 there was nm average Of eighty
two children between the ages OF fourteen and sixteen
years employed In factories that were Inspected Last
year the forty II l. said that child
labor in this has been reduced so per cent
since l5s6 In the lOl12 factories Inspected last
year there were employed 4e2070 persons. Of whom
405 children between the ages Of fourteen aud
sixteen years. There 1913 children under six
teen years reported having been Injured more or
less seriously in factories during the year: twenty
three children were fatally injured. ON this subject
the report concludes rs follows:
The employment OF children In telegraph and mes
service apparently calls for regulation. 10 some
extent at cart. The law prohibiting children from
answering calls from carrying places 81
III report sad ~ be violated In nearly every city I'm
the state. Ii /, evident that further legislation B.,
II the purpose, Of this Wholesome statute are
10 hc carried ont
The report points ont At considerable length the evils
~ the dctc>table sweating system. which has come
to be recognized A. n menace 10 the health Of the
community. Tie Inspector says: THE present vile
state Of affairs In such places Is becoming
worse lie points out that until year
ago the Russian Jews had practical monopoly
appeared ~ competitors and In every case they have
undDTbd the Russian Jews The pasSag" Of law
similar to the Massachusetts, nw Il urged. Ii Is
further urged that no person under eighteen years old
should be put ia charge ~ elevators. and that the
Trcd. location and construction Of elevator, should
be- rcgulnrd. Reference i made Ia the frequent viola
ton ~ the law providing Tor nrecscap-S on school
m,ldngs. hotels theatres. etc. II j. recommended
that all nc warehouse b" compelled T. wash and
clean all me-. hy machinery. aud then place them
IN d>nfccung chamber and subject them at least
80 degrees of heat before thoy passed. to the
hands ~ the softcr.
largo part u the report Is given 10 the subject u
the compulsory e'iucau n 81 children The opinions
Of niS well known eNiuc ator, given They recon-
be- compelled 10 attend some school during the full
scholastic