Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-03-24
Child Labor Legislation.

y,,,r,tg tho present winter the Legis-
INJURIES in several states have enacted
or ut least considered. more stringent
laws to regulate the labor of children.
Tho evil of child labor, particularly in
factories. has resulted In eHectiVe
,eeislation i'm our own and many other
northern states, but in the South the
cvp has been unchecked and there has
been aroused much agitation against
II. 1t Is pleasing to note that seVerai
southern states are among those tax
ing steps to restrict the labor OF chill
dren.
South Carolina is the first of the
Southern states to pass child TABOR
law. The age limit has been placed at
10 this year, IL next year, and IL in
1905. The reform, it will therefore be
seen, is intended to be progressive. NO
night work is allowed for children I'M
der II. A serious defect in the South
Carolina law, however is that the same
age limit is not fixed for orphans ana
children of widows and disabled par
ents, In this way, it is seen the children
probably least fitted to work, who may
have inherited weak constitutions from
their defective parents, are not as well
sofe-puarded as those more able.
Alabama and Georgia cannot point
to as much reform as their sister state
of South Carolina, but a step forward
has been taken. and it is known this is
what counts. Two years ago the
Georgia legislature defeated a most
moderate child labor bill, but the
manufacturers agreed not to work chill
dren. under 10 years of age. Much the
game conditions are found in Alabama.
An agreement has been reached be-
tween the mill owners and legislative
committees putting ten years as the
limit of labor, twelve for children from
disabled families, thirteen for night
labor. while children of sixteen can be
employed at night forty-eight hours,
and all children of twelve by day sixty
six hours in the week.
Oregon thus far this winter has
taken the most advanced step, having
raised the age limit to IA years, and
prohibited employment altogether for
children under 16 years unless they can
read and write. The Pennsylvania bill
under consideration makes it unlawful
to employ any child under IA years at
any labor during school hours, and be-
tween Ia and 16 years unless able to
read and write: or except between the
hours of and 6. In New York bills
are under consideration at Albany,
which. II carried through. will effec-
tually regulate the employment of chill
dren. For example. one important and
fundamental regulation requires that
In determining age, a board Of health
certificate shall be required, and re-
lance not be placed in the word of par
ents or children. Messenger boys, tele-
graph or delivery boys. or office boys
must be over IA. Vacation work for
children is prohibited for children who
have not been at school for the full
term. Furthermore. nine hours is fixed
rs the child labor day between IA and
1G. All street selling is also cut off for
children under II.
Those insisting upon some legislation
restricting child labor do. so not so
much from humanitarian motives re-
garding the welfare of the children,
as from selfish motives looking to the
welfare of the state. Children whose
young years are dwarfed in mill and
factory may temporarily be useful
themselves. but they are likely to pro-
duce next generation which shall be
burden to the state. In the southern
states now. where the white children
are employed in the factories, stock
of white illiterates and detectives is
being raised which will be at a great
disadvantage compared with the negro
children. who are, happily for them,
excluded from the factories.