The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-12
CHILD LABOR IN N. c.
Facts Told in Interview
With Assistant Labor Commits
SiOner.
Especial to The Messenger.)

Raleigh, N. c., January tn
the course of the interview with
Assistant Labor Commissioner William
E. Faison regarding labor of children
interesting information was obtained.
Up to 1902 the annual reports on labor
in mills in this state gave the number
Of children under IA years of age, and
for 1901 this was 1896, Of which number
of course a large proportion were under
IL years. That year a majority Of the
mill owners signed an agreement with
the legislature which was spread upon
the journals, this being that they would
employ no children under II years Of
6 The report Of the labor commits
sioner for 1902 gave for the first time
the number of children under II years
of age, this being stated a. 929. This
shows that young children had rapidly
been dropped by the mills, under the
agreement between the state and the
mill owners. Yet many mills violated
that agreement and this brought about
the act Of 1903. which forbade h en-
ployment Of any one under Il years of
age in mills. The new law. really the
first labor regulation law ever enacted
in North Carolina. became effective
January LIST Of this year and Mr.. Fai-
son says he has no doubt that It is be
ing properly obeyed. Nearly all the
mills, he says, employed children under
IL, but he added that 1t must be taken
into consideration that in not q few
cases children of that 6 get into mills
by going with their mothers n sisters
and helping the latter. but are not on
the "a rolls. Mill owners viii have
to be strict to detect this class Of chill
dren. Mr.. Faison said: II am sure
the disposition Of tine great majority
Of the large mills is to keep out the
children. That has been the DISPOSE
ton for some time. Cases present
themselves sometimes which are spe-
cial. Here is on e, for example. The
owner of two mills writes this depart
ment that 6 or 8 children under II years
of age have been working in the mills
and that their parents declare they can
not make q living unless these children
work. He wants to know what can be
done about it, as he will not vio'ate
the law. Hours in mills are being in
a number Of cases voluntarily shorten
ed. The other day a mill owner told me
he had reduced the days work from
Ii to 10 hours. Yet h employees. i'm
mediately asked for an increase in
wages. 1 find h a a demand for an In
crease of pay always accompanies the
shortening OF hours. No eason ia Civ
en- for this. Here at Raleigh. for ex-
ample the Typographical Union had
for many years worked the ten hours
per day and wages were fourteen dol
lars a week, while now that the time Is
being cut to eight hours a day the a
has been raised on demand to $1s.
OF course a reduction OF hours 70 itself
virtually a reduction of pay" Speaking
Of the number Of cotton, wooden and
knitting silk mills in operation in the
state Mr.. Faison said 1t was 20 In
1909 and is now 800. The number OF new
mills chartered in 1908 was rs. The
increase in the plants OF old mills is
one Of the special features. additions
having been both numerous and ex-
tensive. There were in 1902 OF spindles
1,743, 431; looms IS, sol, and knitting ma
chimes 1921. Now the number OF spin
dies has far passed the million mark
Two OF the largest mills in the state are
! now nearing completion. these being
the whitlock at Greensboro. owned by
the Cones. and the Erwin No. y at
| Duke. Harnett county. owned by the
Dukes