The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-29
A CHILD LABOR LAW.
ALL UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS MUST
ATTEND SCHOOL OR BE IDLE.
Many Regard the New Law as Arbitrary
and Too Sweeping In It's Character.
Serious Wrong Inflicted on Poor People
by It's Prohibitions.


Serious Wrong inflicted on Poor People
By It's Prohibitions.
Hencoforth no permits will be issued
allowing children under the age of II
years to do any more work in Illinois
The new state law passed by the legis.
lature prohibiting employment at any
gainful occupation to boys and girls not
yet ii years old went into effect July
/. In order to avoid any conflict over
| the law the Chicago school board has
stopped all permits. This being the
case, it will be only short time hence
when no children will be employed in
any of the large down town stores.
Theodore j. Bluthardt, superintend-
ent OF compulsory education, refuses to
allow children below the required age
even to work during the summer vaca-
ton months. AT the same time Mrs.
Marie Owens, special officer for the en-
| forcement OF the compulsory education
| laws, began thorough canvass of all
the stores and factories where boys and
girls are employed. She informs every
employer that no children without per-
mits from the board of education may
be kept at work and that as soon as the
date comes Oh which any child's permit
expires it must be discharged, permits
sion in the future being withheld. 1t is
estimated that at present there are only
about 100 children under ii in any of
the big stores, this being due to the Wig
lance of the officials of the board of
education in the past during the oper-
alton of the child labor ordinance which
was enacted by the city council few
years ago. During the three months of
summer vacation there have been many
more, greater leniency having been ex-
ercised in granting permits. This year,
however, no child may work during va
cation.
According to Superintendent Bluth-
ardt, he should be given discretion in
the matter of compelling children to go
to school or work. This was given him
under the municipal act. Hereafter he
will have to see to it that all children
attend school. Under no circumstances
will any store or factory be allowed to
give work to any child. This Mr.. Bluth-
ardt considers too radical a regulation.
He says that under the act of the state
legislature children must be II years
old or must loaf all summer. Many, he
believes, would be benefited by having
an opportunity to put in their time at
some occupation, and in doing some
labor would also earn few dollars to
help in their support.
There is no provision in the law that
keeps the board OF education from issu-
ing its permits as usual, for these sim
ply give child the right to stay away
from school for given time. The en-
ployer would incur the whole risk Of
coming into conflict with the law when
he puts the child to work. But the COM
pulsory education department does not
wish TO be involved i'll any trouble if a
test case is brought after the law has
gone into effect. Therefore it has de-
cided to refuse permits in future.
1.-THE state legislature has decided
that all children not yet IA years old
must loaf when there is no school, ="
said Superintendent Bluthardt. 1.-The
new law must be enforced, and | have
therefore ceased giving permits as l
used to do under the city ordinance,
which gave me some discretion in the
case, allowing the board of education
TO Judge in individual cases. The labor
organizations of the city succeeded in
obtaining the passage of the measure on
the ground that child labor was injuri-
Gus to their interests. Nevertheless la
boring men come to my Office every day
and ask for permits to have their chill
dren work l dom { wish to be mixed up
in any suit under the law, and so will
issue no permission to anybody.
''There are cases where children below
the required age might as well be en-
poyed at some work. can see no harm
in poor persons boys earning little
money during the vacation period. If
they don't, they are on the street, and
here their bodies and minds certainly
will be in greater danger. Take, for
instance, the newsboys and small ped
dlers. The law does not affect them and
thus is partial. Boys only 10 years old
may sell chewing gum or beg in the
streets until midnight They will not
90 to school, and we have no jurisdic-
ton by which we can stop them. If
some one were given discretion i'll these
cases, it would be far better.
Every day find instances where l
would be glad to allow a child to work
and would do so if could. There is the
case of poor widow who has boy IL
years old. During nine months of the
year she sends him to school, and she
scrubs in one of the department stores.
Her employers were willing to give the
boy work this summer at the store,
; where he might be with his mother all
day, but he is not allowed to be cash
boy now because of his age, so he must
loaf alone or in the street all day while
his mother is at work, and he earns
, nothing. "-Chicago Post.