New-York tribune., 1903-02-13
LITTLE WAGE FARMERS.
Extracts from an Investigators Report
Children In Factories.


the chief woman investigator for the Child Labor
Committee, some interesting facts are presented
which n themselves plead eioquenty Tor the speedy
passage OF the committees two bills. now before
the state legislature. The bills carefully pre-
pared by George ". Alger. John Henry Hammond
W English Waling and Robert Hunter chairman
o. the Child Labor Committee and head worker OF
The University Settlement These bills aim 10 make
effective the existing prohibitions as to child labor
IN factories stores and other establishments.
Miss ATarot's report shows that in certain estab-
ushraents in Ne77-Tork children are employed as
assistants by their parents guardians eloer
brothers OF elder sisters The boys and girls SO
employed by their kith and kin are not mentioned
in the firms payroIs, and the employing firm is
not responsible for violation Of the Child Labor
law. The report demonstrates the necessity CT re-
curing Of all child applicants certificate CT olrtn,
instead OF an affidavit sworn 10 by an unscrJpulous
parent or guardian. before any chance notary In
this connection Jacob A Riis writes TO the Child
Labor Committee:
- hope that in the revision the way may be
found TO make the chid's birth certificate the only
warrant for the employment There are obvious
reasons for thar and little hinder It The objec-
ton ziIl be raised that the child IN New-YoTk has
no birth certificate half the time That IS no real
objection. 4 horn abroad the child is registered
there and the certificate can be obtained in few
weeks L is no real hardship TO make him wait
that long II he Is born here and has 10 certificate
the rejection Of dozen children on that ground
viii do more than the health laws Of twenty years
to cure one OF the disabling oefects OF our n1unlCi-
nal life No one viii get hurt, and we shall all be
better Off
The report submits several interesting cases.
among which are the following:
Bridget Brennan is now fourteen She com
-,enoe6 working in the paper box factories when
she was ten When she left school she was in the
.rr5 urinary she measures at fourteen only four
feet During the busy season she worked from
40 in the morning until Z night. with one-haf
hour off for luncheon
Mary Force was employed especially for rush
work For over six weeks she worked from 7:3o q,
N 70 s D. n. daily. with one-half hour intermis-
sion for lunch Saturday was the one day IN each
week that she worked the legal ten hours Her
fun weeks work aggregated seventy hours she
received six cents an hour for overtime She had
secured a regular certificate for the work on the
representation that she had reached the legal age
She was as undeveloped as a child OF twelve.
Fannie Rossa is fourteen years old but has
regularly been employed in a paper box factory
since she was thirteen From November until
December Z she worked from $50 in the morning
until 0 clock night, receiving five cents an
hour for overtime IN addition 10 her regular weekly
wage Of S .. She was given no time for supper,
but ate what she could while standing al her work
she mad been allowed one-hslf hour in the middle
the day. She is delicate. anaenlc child OF tour
and oue-half feet She suffers intensely from
Jennie Boose IS called = ''turner-in." She takes
mat covers the outside OF the box over the edge Of
the cardboard The operation Is simple ana her
5r.Ia ~ ~ rhe ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Of the task She
IS four feet high and twelve years old According
70 her employment papers Ehe Is fifteen years old
F4er certificate secured and she began work in
busy season she worked from 75O in the morning
unit! : at night with one-half hour OF Tor lunch
She was released rom Work On o1Ll4tlas 10y -, a.
o'clock. Fer her week Work OF sixIE-IlVe nouIs
ebe vas paid 2 - Her regular weekly wage IS
q %. but for the I'VE extra hours she received .
iSa many Of the children thus employed Annie
F3ogarda IS an italian and twelve years old In
october when she left school she was IN the first
in he
papers give her age fifteen years She came
from italy with her parents three years ago Dur
ing November Annie worked in one Of the confec-
tionery factories from 50 i! me InoIins HllH G
at night. with oae-half hour lnteIFrllsson III me
middle Of the DAY. Her wage OF S3 Il week was a
}--i-s yvae not high Her father Is a shoemaker
and her mother makes artificial flowers at nome
money in short time as possible and 70 return
Italy soon their fortune had Ie4cne ne s5ie
nav 5e q accomplished in the next three years
the men by ten 10 one. and each woman works with
York where the demand for young girls al any
season OF the year Is greater than al me paper
box factories during the season When D94es 9 & are
made for the holding OF LhTlstIlds gllLs ~ se
son is short, lasting generally from SIX Weeks 70
girls without certllcales llstliig t, ares tsT
not be discovered me eLIpoyer "t3n t I'd Il e M M a.
1nnt made bv him to discover the age OF the
t9ig T9yt,eg the present investigation into
have been found under age ard working on TaiSe
facture In these factories during the busy seaz'n
lie hours were from 7:3o q. until or p M
with one-Ealf hour for luncheon.
teacher II. on@ of the large charity schools
~ me citv told the story Of child whom sae
hsd missed from school She discovered the child
working III factory nearby. She sent numerous
MESA ges 10 the child's parents asking 10 haze htr
return 10 school but received no response Until te
of5ciaI trllancy card was received This bT01sht
a. mother nroTnptIy 10 the schoolhouse- mere
,,oIr daughter the teacher asked. The mother
rsriv vas f'she IL dead" The teacher assured the
mother she knew this was not true Fne moIher
-a Sy,ed eagerly the first excuse thar occurred 10
- ard o,rklv repfied 'tShf doesn't live with me-
s,. l3ves with her aunt in Brooklyn" As this ez-
TJena ffou was not accepted, and the mothers re-
eolrces exhausted, the cnlId was ISlurnsa lo
-. IL...EE M