Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-04
CHILD LABOR IN IOWA
Important Bill Being Perfected
Will Urge Legislature to
Pass a Law
LITTLE OPPOSITION EXPECTED
The Federation Of Women's Clubs Is
Working in Cooperation With the
Federation of Labor. State Labor
yBureau and the State Teachers AS
= ociation-Provision Of the Bill.

!, = oeiation-Provision Of the Bill.
/ Special to Times Republican.
| Des Mones, Dec. A committee
of the federation of women's clubs at
the head OF which is Mrs. w. H. Bailey.
of this city, president of the state
federation is engaged in perfecting the
bill which is to be urged upon the
| Legislature next winter for a child la
Dor law in Iowa Mrs. Bailey is en-
thusiastic in this work, as are all the
members OF the women's federation,
and they believe that by working in
cooperation with the federation of la
Dor and the state labor bureau and TIL.
state teachers association. they will
be able to make start in the right di-
rection The subject is a new one"
said Mrs. Bailey, "and therefore 1t may
be difficult to get the legislature to act
quickly. We have not had such a
great number OF factories and places
where children are employed and the
problems which confront us have no:
appeared conspicuously before. But 1t
Is never too early to begin the right way
and we propose that Iowa shall start
right and early on this kind Of legisla-
ton The bill will probably be in
troduced by members from this county.
Tor by the persons who are chairmel
| OF the labor committees OF the two
houses. 1t will receive the solid sup
port of the women's clubs and labor
organizations. There will be the usual
opposition from interested parties, but
the outlook now Is that the bill will
get thru with little trouble.
| The bill as prepared declares that no
child under IA years and no child un-
der 16 who Is less than SO inches high
or OF so pounds weight shall be enl-
ployed in any mine, quarry. manu-
featuring establishment. factory, mill,
! wcrssalioP or mercantile establishment,
and no such child shall be employed ia
! any work performed with or without
wages or other consideration during
the hours when the public schools OF
the school corporation in which he re-
sides are in session unless he has with
in the last l2 months attended pub
| lie or parochial school for the period
provided by law. This Is the basis
of the entire law. 1t is provided, also
| that no such child shall be employed
before 6 a. m. or after Z p. m, nor more
than hours in any one day nor mora
| than As hours in any one week. No
child under 16 years shall be employed
| in dangerous work, or In which the
health of the child is endangered or
| his morals debased or in any place
where intoxicating liquors are sold or
given away. No female child under
l16 years shall be employed In any
capacity where such employment com
pels her to stand constantly. No child
under 16 shall be employed in night
work. Evidence Of the dangerous char
acter OF the employment may be By
notice from board OF health or from
the state labor commissioner. The
presence of child in mine or manu-
featuring establishment shall be deem
ed prima facia evidence that the child
lis there under employment. There
shall be provision for lists OF persons
employed Of school age and provision
for age and school certificates. There
is provision for the issuance Of certi-
ficates by the school superintendents
and all other necessary details to make
the law effective and at the same time
provide for no infrlngements of the
rights Of employers who desire to obey
the law.
The bill Is patterned after the Mas
sachuSetts law with some notifications
suggested by the Illinois law. 1t will
be submitted to Judge Deemer, of the
supreme court, who as member OF the
state conference of charities and cor
rections is interested In the subject.
and to others interested. II is in exact
line with the wishes of Labor Commits
sioner Brigham and Deputy Commits
sioner Holder and President Trick OF
the state federation of labor They have
given assurance to the women that they
will cooperate heartily with them In
urging that Iowa shall adopt such 4
law at once. The bill may be little too
radical and the legislature may smooth
down some of the harsh places, but
otherwise it Is regarded by all who
have discussed 1t as a splendid meas
ure.
The new rules of the supreme court
are not exactly what was expected, as
relates to the terms of court. The law
as passed at the last session providing
for practically continuous sessions of
the court made provisions for three
regular terms, and for no adjourn
ment for more than month save In
IN the midsummer: and a good many
lawyers got the idea that the court
would be sitting SO that they could get
IL case before the court any month no
matter from which district 1t came.
But the court has provided that the
districts be divided UP into four parts
by the clerks and the dockets be made
out so that there shall be three dock
cts each year. and litigants must await
their turn by months. A case from the, 4
nine eteenth district, for instance, placed
on the docket now for the first term of
1904. could not be reached until the
middle of next April. The case must
be made up and papers all ready fif-
teen days before the beginning of the
term. no matter In which period the
case comes on the docket. The rules
apparently contemplate that the court