New-York tribune., 1903-01-12
THE CITY'S CHILD LABOR.
IS fGG.NDTNG. IT IS SAID.
H'crkrys -4moRg Poor Declare There
Is More Here Than an South.


lie a revelation of children put TO work unoer
the legal age through the widespread perjury
Of parents: of children growing UP iliterate
under the shadow Of New-Yorks great public
schools: of children stunted in mind ana
body by hard work ard long hours in their
growing years and OF whole host of out
law children protected by no law whatever
The facts on which this revelation is based
have been gathered in the last six months by
The Child Labor Committee of New-1ork Last
Nav the Settlement workers of the city or
rarized for taking concerted action on the child
labor question. child labor committee was
srponted. with Robert Hunter, head of the
University settlement, as chairman This COM
7ujttee has since become an independent body.
lacked by about one hundred of the strongest
,,1ilanthropists and reformers in New-York-
since May one thousand cases of child labor
in the tenement regions have been personally
investigated by skilled workers These thou
sand cases. in no way singular. but represent
ing thousands of others have been classified
and tabulated on blanks containing names,
7a-es addresses and sources of information,
furnishing 2 mass of original material for ref
srerca and publication. Public school teachers,
factory inspectors, keepers OF boys lodging
houses and the children and parents them
selves have furnished the facts.
THE GOVERNORS VIEW.
Governor oden in his recent message to the
legislature decla ed that the child labor laws
Of the State unsatisfactory ana lne1-
fac4iue and recommended their amendment Inc
child Labor Committee is ready with the facts
in support Of that recommendation, and has al
ready entered on its campaign TO secure legis-
lation on the subject
As the result OF its instisation, the committee
declares that in spite of the effective work OF
.l7e state factory inspectors and the City Board
of Health in the enforcement of the present law
rbi16ren in New-York are employed before the
educational test has been complied with; they
are employed under the legal age OF rourteen'
they are SET 10 work in the hottest months OF
summer and in the brief vacations Of the school
vasr. the working day for those between four
+een and sixteen is longer than the ten hour
maximum allowed by law The committee de-
rlares that more effective child labor law,
s,a more complete harrncnizing of that law
1rirb the compulsory education law are necessary
-,r The rrotection of the child workers and their
education as future citizens Thoroughly IN
g7orsing the position taken on the subject py
Governor Odell in his message, it recommends
zertain fundamental changes in the present law
nd TO that end has prepared a bill for intro
,i,Iction in the legislature
DISCREPANCIES IN THE LAWS.
The discrepxncies between the present Com
rulsory Education and Child Labor laws, the
Committee asserts. have formed the most seri-
Gus obstacle in years Of effort to enforce the
ar Under the Child Labor law, the child must
7,o+ work until he is fourteen, except in vaca-
,io, Under the Compulsory Education law
he need attend school only eighty days in any
school wear. Obeying the Compulsory Education
law narents put their children to work at the
e,niration Of the eighty days If they are re-
moved from the factory as below the lesai
ape there is no way to compel them TO attend
school. The Child Labor Committee indorses
The bill now being urged by the Asso-
,-iarion of Boards of Education, making at
,andance cornpulsory throughout the entire
ctoo1 year on children below the age OF four
teen.
The committee desires additional safeguards
flung around the legal age Of employment
t-sc+ories and stores are full Of children under
fourteen placed there by the false oaths OF
-beir parents There is indisputable evidence
of widespread perjury of parents on this point
long list Of typical cases has been ooilecueo
and tabulated by the investigators
PERJURY OF PARENTS.
One principal Of a school on the lower East
Side declares that three out OF hVe OF the aP-
.1io.+fon blanks for working papers" brought
for her signature show that parents have per-
,rred themselves as TO the age of their chill
- Parents can now lake affidavit as TO
- age oT their children before any chance
,,,+arv The committee recommends that such
--t he made before a responsible city o11clai'
md accon1panied by documentary proof OF the
sze of the child, copied from public birth or
school records.
pa-en+. and employers also evade the re-
,,,irAr,ents IS TO age without violating the Ia"
l,v means of a device which does not peFJuIe
either side The phraseology OF the present Id"
4orbi5s work only to those children VINO are
.-a,,,rlo,,ed g, This permits children to work
wherever wages are not directly PAID 10 lneiii,
n, factories where members Of the family are at
- +bev are paid for the children's services.
and il is urged that the children are WORKING
for them
acbid under the legal age and without
,ertifcate was found in the workshops OF an
sd6ressing company. The employer explained
,ta+ the child had come to the shops with her
sister as she had no companion at home WIN
whom 10 stay. Investigation disclosed lhaI lie
,bu5 had another sister at home AT the fac-
-, = mas declared that she received no wages
f7,,- II, fart she working under the same
-on5i4ions as the others. The committee recon-
,ren6s that TO meet this evasion the law sIlali
1e amended TO read that child under legal age
shall not be employed, suffered or pefmlt'eo 10
work"
VACATION CERTIFICATES
-r,,s ,bole system of vacation certificates is
denounced as pernicious ana the colrfrllp'ee
,,s,-e "a sweep the exception clause out of the
--te present law says that children shall
,o, ne er7nIoved under fourteen except IN
.--..,,,, T-rder this clause children returning
-. scbool in the fall, if they return at all are
,vt,aus+a5 and ievitalizeds and when chlldreh
e a. .io,s-' in vacation time II Is almost M
,ossitle "a ferret them out when school begins.