The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-08-25
YOUTHFUL WAGE FARMERS.
Lille Children Compelled 10 Woik In England
viii keagrs Educational FaclliI.s.

In answer~tO the government circu-
lar Of inquiry as TO the number OF chill
dren working for wages out OF school
hours, 9Si2 out OF the 20.O22 public ele-
| mentary schools in England and wales
have sent I'm schedules containing the
names OF l74.S49 children. only S3l
schools have sent no reply. The re-
| mainder consider that in the schools
| under their control no children come
| within the terms of the circular
In many districts earning chill
I dren are taken away from school az
! special seasons for picking fruit. hay
! making beating up game and carrying
J fish, but the loss OF tuition is likely to
| b. less injurious than the attempt 10
! combine work for gain with education,
says the Pan Mall Gazette. one hun
| dred and thirty-one children under Z
are returned as wage-earneTs; S4,2i6
are IL and II years OF age: newspaper
selling employs 15,1S2; work in and
about shops is done by ma; odd jobs
cleaning knives and boots by 1865;
II .5S5 girls mind" babies for wages;
over 5000 work I'm house or laundry,
and nearly 5000 boys carry dinners or
"knockup" early workmen. The hours
OF 100.0 900 OF the children are limited 10
from under 10 to 20 a week. but of the
remainder over $4,000 are employed for
between 80 and 80 hours; 576 work be-
tween 50 and 60 hours. and PIG are
shaved for from 60 TO so hours and
over. When we recollect that men In
this country are clamoring for AS
hour week. and that the figures given
are in addition to the full days school
ing the assertion OF one manager, the
workingman himself, that there are to-
day I'm our national and board schools
thousands Of Ettle white slaves is am
ply justified.
London Is the worst offender. and ac-
counts for over $4,000 child laborers.
Yorkshire and Lancashire are far be-
yond an other countries, with nearly
$1,000 each. Next comes Warwickshire
with 5000. and Staffordshire with 5000.
The rate OF pay is miserably dispropor-
toned 10 the amount or work; about
/ : 900 children earn under sixpence "a
week. 10000 less than two shillings. The
average money wage per child is rather
more than one shilling. To this must
be added, i'm many cases, food or par
tlal food. articles OF clothing, etc.
though such entries as "a girl works 5S-
hours a week for 2s. Sd. and meal
pie =" "a boy works sixteen and a half
hours for half tin of salmon" and
another five hours "A week for two
six penny plants" do not point to a
uniformly lavish rate of remuneration
I'm kind
The interest of the report lies largely
In the comments made and particulars
given by the managers. The inquiry has
been warmly taken up by many OF
these. Several important school boards
have forwarded resolutions expressing
their conviction of the injury done TO
me health and progress OF the children
and their hope that the education de-
Dartment will be able 10 frame regu-
alton to meet the evil.
Among examples given are those Of
'hildren who have to walk from three
o fve i'm "A few cases as far as six.
niles i'm the midday interval OF two
lours. carrying dinners, and then rush
O school, eating their own dinners rs
hey go. Some of the little ones work
n a quarry before coming TO school.
md again during dinner hour and in
he evening" A boy employed In plac-
ng skittles Is engaged from to II y.
n. daily; another begins work at a
n. and works again in the evening till
o'clock A boy aged 12, in the fourth
standard. is employed as a knocker-
ID, and he lis employed 81 hours a
week. This boy rises between 3 and
every morning, and starts out at 4:30
% waken % workingmen. At he goes
his rounds as newspaper boy till .
clock. when he comes to school. He
S a very regular boy. but is often half
asleep. especially I'm the afternoons of
TOT days. zone boy OF IL years is en-
)loyed by butcher for "a hours n
week. namely from 10 a. M. from
p to Q, and from AIS TO 9. and the |
whole of Saturday" "A boy of 13 Is |
employed as billiard marker for 80 |
hours per week at a wage OF As, and |
intll IL O'Clock at night"