The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-01-31
Those Under Sixteen Years Of Age Now
Employed 10 State Number 1866.
CONDITION IN BLACKSTONE VALLEY.
Factories There More Free from Child Labor Than
Arc Those in The paWIws Waller RESULT
Of inspections In 1899.

The annudl report OF the ld'NoIS III
spectors. j. Ellery Hudson and Helen
NJ. jerks. has been presented 20 the
General iAsSembly and deals largely
with the employment Of chid labor.
The inspectors in the course OF their
report say:
I'm the discharge OF our duty we
have during the year ending Dec. 81.
1899 visited and Inspected $40 estab-
lishments that come under -he proyi-
sions OF chapter 6S OF the general
Laws. This Is an increase OF ll6 over
the number visited IN 1898 While the
additional places visited represent
nearly all Of the. industries II the state,
the occupants Of over 40 per cent. of
them We're engaged in The manufac-
ture of jewelry.
In the establishments visited there
were found employed as follows:
Males OF 16 years Of age and
over. ............ ...s..... 4l,ooJ
Females u l6 years OF age and
over. ,....................... JV'iol
Whole number Of adults. ........ 2.29G
Males under 16 years of age. 2,555
Females under l6 years Of age. 2,lll
Whole number OF children...... 1906
Total number employed ed.......... 1852
Compared with the number OF en-
ployes reported last year. this is an in-
crease OF 5S6S I'm the number of men
employed; 1863 i'm The number OF women
employed. decrease OF 81 in the num-
ber Of boys employed and an increase
Of fSS i'm the number of girls employed;
a total Increase OF 9l6f OF this in
crease i'm the number OF employees 3545
were found I'm the ll6 establishments
visited and 55l9 should be credited TO
the places reported last year. The in
crease i'm the number employed would
have been somewhat larger II the nee
essary help could have been secured to
run the various manufacturing estab-
lishments at their full canadty.
A SLIGHT INCREASE.
"It is pleasing 10 note that although
there has been an increase the past
year OF 9031 in the number OF adult
employees, the increase in the number
NJ children ennployed Is but 127. In
1898 6ia per ces.t OF the whole numhor
OF employees were children. while the
number of children at work the past
year was but 6 per cent. Of the total
a proportional decrease.
I'm the cotton industry of the state
2i.T5l persons are given employment,
and So. 403 looms and over ]. 700. 900 spin
dies are kept i'm operation. OF these
looms and spindles 46 per cent. are in
the Blackstone Valley. while the Paw
tuxet Valley has 80 per cent. The bear
ing which this industry has on the
question of child labor Is shown In the
fact that while il employs but 1868,
adults. or 27.2 per cent. OF the whole
number for the state IL employees 2064
children. or 44.2 per cent. Of all the
children employed
The wooden industry gives employ
ment TO l6.0Ss adults. or 22.2 per cent.
OF all over rs years of age. and 1863
children. or 81 4 per cent. Of those un-
der l6 years OF age.
"In II Of the cities and towns which
come under the provisions Of the Fac
tory Inspection law the percentage OF
child labor rs below the average for the
state. while i'm three of the towns
Johnston. Coventry and TiVcrt0n-the
percentage of ch'ldren employed is
more than double that OF the state In
Johnston the employment given is In
the manufacture of worsted yarns and
hosiery I'm the village Of Thornton. and
in Coventry and Tiverton the employees
are engaged almost entirely IN the
manufacture of cotton cloth. but in
neither Of the three towns mentioned
as large as I'm some single establish
ments In other towns.
IN THE PAWTCXET VALLEY.
"In the PawtuXet Valley, which in
cludes all OF the manlFaCturing i'm the
town of Sctuate and nearly all of that
in Kent county. the percentage of chill
dren employed ls 1913 The percentage
of children employed in the cotton in
dustry In the same territory Is ll.2.
These percentages are far above the
average of per cent. given FOR the
whole state. and also above that for
the states entire cotton industry.
which is 81
In the Blackstone Valley. IN which
we include the cities OF Pawtucket.
Woonsocket and Contra Falls, and the
towns of Lincoln and Cumberland. but
90 per cent. Of the whole number ~
employees are children. And OF those
employed i'm the cotton industry for tho
same territory only 20 per cent. are
children I'm both gnqpg rho uovgontanes