The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-23
GERMANY RESTRICTS
LABOR OF CHILDREN.
Stringent Laws Now Secure Ed.
ucationaI Opportunities and
Leisure for the Young.

Regulation Of child LABOR mas proved
| q serious problem to the German gov
| eminent, as is shown in reports re-
Gently received by the state bureau OF
labor. These reports have been trans
| lated by Julius Moersch, statistician of
the department of factory inspection,
and in them is found much information
| that is interesting.
| The laws regulating the employment
Of children in manufacturing and me-
chanical industries throughout the Ger
| man empire were revised in 1891, and
| with beneficial effect, for the number
| of children employed in such industries
in 1890 was 1855, and was reduced to
11,212 in 1892 and 5,312 in 1896. In
| 1900 the number Of children employed
was 1854.
The effect Of this new law was with
in it's limitations very satisfactory;
yet 1t was found that it was not far
reaching enough, for 1t did not provide
for supervision over children of school
age employed in the so-called home
trades, in non-manufacturing estab-
lishments and those engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and on farms.
Half Million Employed.
The imperial government in 1898 or
dered an investigation into these con-
ditions, and a census Of establish
ments and children was taken which
showed that throughout the empire
532,283 children under fourteen years of
age were found employed in all sorts Of
employments outside of factories
Prussia alone had 269,59S shildren so
employed. Of this number, 50,163 were
In the Rhenish province and 1926 in
the province of Westphalia both Of
these provinces being prominent in
manufactures. For the Rhenish prov
1nce of Prussia the following detailed
report was made: 6,704 children en-
ployed in spinning and weaving (home
Industry, 6,804 carrying newspapers.
6,805 employed in bakeshops. delivering
bakery goods, 1862 running errands. l.
46S employed in bowling alleys, 1896
employed as help to laborers
Previous to this investigation the en-
actment of regulations for the en-
ployment of children In home trades
and manufacturing was left to the To-
ca police authorities, whose efforts
were wholly inadequate, and the inves-
legations resulted In the presentation
Of a new law by the imperial govern
ment to the reichstag. This law was
accepted and will take effect with the
beginning of the new year.
A law Of April 9, 1900, provided that
children of school age must not be en-
ployed In factories that use motive
power. But this prohibition has been
extended by the new regulations and
specifies that following trades and in
dustrtes: buildings under way Of con-
struction, brick yards, quarries mines,
slate works, stone and marbel works,
cement and pottery works. glass works,
lead and brass works, file works, es-
adjustments using mercury, abattoirs,=
dye works, junk sorting, tanneries,
slaughtering and meat packing estab-
lishments, chemical factories, bottling
works of alcoholic drinks, etc.
The employment Of children in the
aters and public shows also Is pro-
hibited, except where they are held in
the interest of education and art, and
in this case they must be under the
supervision of the local school author
tiles.
For industries permitted to employ
children and for home industries the
following regulations are specified:
Children must not be employed before
8 o'clock in the morning nor after 8
o'clock in the evening, and such en-
ployment is not permitted during the
forenoon sessions of the schools. The
employment must not be for more than
three hours, and children must have
at least two hours rest for dinner. Dur
ign vacation the time Of employment
may be extended to four hours each
day. Parents are not allowed to en-
ploy their own children in their home
trade or business other than in con-
formity with these regulations.
This new law affects all children I'M
der fourteen years of age, and such as
have passed this age limit but have
not passed through the school grades
as provided by thee EDUCATIONAL laws.
The employment of children for rum
ming errands and employment on Sun
day is also regulated by law.
Employers of children have to sup
ply themselves with an employment
permit for each individual child, and