The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-03-14
0urIyolula|g 1'olks.;:

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Mrs.. George r.. zRaer;S wife of the
special agent Of the Almighty, is visi-
bly, interested in the problem of child
labor, and, like the good woman she is,
is deeply concerned because "children,
mere babies some-of them, pass your
door daily on their way to work, when
they should he going to school, This
is unfortunate and we hope the lady
will speak to George about it and see
that the pernicious@ practice is stopped.
Possibly, however, George does not see
this particular bunch of children on
their way to work, partly for the rea-
son that he does not live at the mines,
and partly because he is not out of bed
at that hour. Still it will do no harm
to call his attention to the circum-
stances, for George is a good husband
and would not wantonly hurt his wife's
feelings.-Chicago Post.
There has been a great outcry of late
| in the North against child labor in the
South, particularly in the southern cot
| ton mills; but 1t now appears, accord
| ing to the New York Tribune, "that we
need to turn our attention homeWard."
| It has been found that about 10000
children under fourteen years are en-
ployed in New York City in spite Of the
| law, and it has been claimed by work.
ers among the poor that more child
labor exists in New York than In all
| the States of the South combined,
which The Tribune calls "a remarkable
revelation An independent body,
known as the Child Labor Committee
of New York, has investigated the
matter and in it's report declares that
"grave defects exist in the present
Child Labor and Compulsory Educa-
ton law to the great injury of the ris-
ing generation and of society at large"
In spite of the effective work of the
State factory inspectors and the city
board of health in the enforcement of
the present law, children are employed
before the educational test has been
complied with, and they are employed
under the legal age Of fourteen.
The committee indorses the position
taken by Governor Odell, in his mes
sage to the Legislature recommending
the amending Of the child-labor laws,
and has already entered ON it's CAM
paign for legislation on the subject
The committee in it's report cites some
phrases of the law and shows the de-
fects '*due to the loose phraseology.'
The law says that children shall not be
employed under fourteen, but this al
lows them to work 1T they are accom-
panied by parent or elder brother or
sister who is paid for the child's work
Che child's name not appearing on the
ipay-roN.'' The ten-hour law for chill
dren under fourteen lis made difficult
and almost impossible of enforcement
by clause which allows any day to be
heightened on condition that chorter
day is made of Saturday. The law al
lows vacation work for children twelve
years old, but the committee states
that "only with great difficulty can
children who work during vacation be
taken out of the many factories and
stores in which they are widely distrib-
uted and returned: to school,
The tobacco trust has gone into court
in Louisiana to smash the child labor
law. The trust loves the children of the
poor-they produce wealth for the cou-
. pon-olippers. The combine claims it
} has the right to hire whomsoever it
/ pleases, and the threat is made that the
) matter will be carried up to the U. S.
Supreme Court, if necessary, to settle
the question for all time.
One of the investigators, Mr.. Poole,
of the University Settlement, as quoted
: in Charities, found near Newspaper
Row over one hundred boys sleeping
2 in the strets. "Other hundreds sleep
e in stables, condemned buildings, back
rooms of low saloons, and halls Of ten
enents. This sleep they piece out at
intervals He found boys between
l the ages Of IL and 16 working in the
4 Chinese quarter of the city, cooking
I opium pills and running errands for
the white women who frequent these
dives, from p. m. until after 8 the
next morning. In Wall street, too, Mr.
Poole found hundreds Of stock-runners
y below II years of age.
compared to this the child slavery
of the South is the greatest freedom,
r says the Memphis Co1nmercial-Appeal
e There is nothing in southern fac.
= tories" it adds Ito be compared tt
= this, and yet the evils that exist ir
e southern factories might be abated.'
II The Philadelphia Record remarks thai
IF private persons can find cases
enough to warrant organization, there
: can be no excuse for the paid agents
e Of the State whose sole. duty is t.
maintain the integrity of the law"
st
(. Mayor Jones' Way.
The following account is given b,
= the whim of the manner in which may.
IL or Jones, of Toledo, Ohio, while films
y the place of police judge one day
treated a tramp who had been fount