Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-11-10
"CHlLD LABOR LEGISLATION
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often parents are irresponsible, ignor-
ant, or lazy and do not hesitate to make
| false representations concerning the
ages OF their children. Two collateral
| lines of evidence have proven them
selves useful In testing the trustworthi-
ness OF parental representations and
the authenticity of records cited, name :
| ly the medical profession and the schoo'
| authorities; hence there should be pro-
vision for recourse to the physician
certificate where needed and to the
school authorities as vouchers for the
facts bearing on age and education of
children in question
THE inspector becomes useful only
as he teaches parents and employers
that the law Is to be obeyed promptly
and persstently by bringing suit for
all violations of the law. Employers
seldom care to violate the law IL we'll
guarded because 1t Is uneconomcal
for them to engage In contests, espe-
cially In view of the fact that child
labor Is usually moi. as cheap as the
more efficient labor OF more mature
,laborers. Manufacturers and other ems
ployers OF children have repeatedly
told me that they do not regard the
labor of children economical or pro-
ductive under the nge of fourteen on
fifteen up to sixteen. and that they
would welcome such u law to be freed
from the Importantly of well meaning
A.. .t,t..
THE EDUCATIONAL TEST
"The regulation of child labor In
factories, mines, an,] workshops should
by all means be co-ordinated with n
system OF compulsory education ana
wherever possible az industrial educa-
ton. Happily In Iowa the conditions
for such ordination are at hand.
The educational test should be quail
tatlve and not expressed merely In Il
requirement of ability to read and
write. Common arithmetic UP to and
including fractions would make n
suitable additional subject for testing
the attainment of an elementary eiu-
cation. A child of fourteen should at
least be held to the educational Mt
tainments of a normal, healthy, intel
ligent regularly attending child of
twelve years OF age. on penalty of be-
ing held to further course of instruc-
ton perhaps in an evening school after
work has begun. Above all, wherever
possible, increasing, attention should be
given to developing opportunities for
Industrial education.
III. THE MOVEMENT FOR A CHILD
LABOR Law IN OUR OWN
STATE.
",Ehe claim that Iowa needs child
labor law Is generally met by the
claim that the conditions OF industry
In our commonw ealth have not yet
evolved to the point where any prof.
tective Legislation for children Is de-
manded. doubt whether this would
be made as often as 1t Is IL all those
opposing or those indifferent to legis-
lation of this type should really take
the trouble to firld out what is really
going on in their midst, In their own
cities or town. Not that think that
our condition Is In any sense appalling.
i merely believe that there is some call
for such law now, and that 1t Is even
more needed at once as a preventive
check upon the development of evils
that are sure to come In an exaggerat-
ed form Ii NO present attention is given
to this problem while we are still COM
paratively uninc,lmbered with the SER
fous industrial evils that go with a
complex social development.
"Of existing child labor legislation
In Iowa there Is not much to say. Tho
only formal provision regulative of
child labor by statute Is that which
IT, al, Avak ~ To-,
coal mines under the age of twelve
years. On this subject the law reads
as follows: He (the owner or person
In charge of any mine) shall not allow
a hoy under twelve years OF age to
work in the mines, and, when In doubt
regarding the age of one seeking en-
ployment, shall, before engaging him.
obtain the affidavit OF the applicants
parent or guardian in regard thereto"
Code, Section 24S9.
"Children also have the benefit OF
the law respecting the guarding OF
machinery in dangerous occupations
I'm the statute wthich' provides that
"Children under sixteen years of age
shall not be permitted to operate or
assist in operating dangerous macg1in-
cry of any kind goth g. A. s. F. 212,
sec. 2.
This paucity of statutory provis-
ions reglllative Of child labor in the
commonwealth Of Iowa has led the
friends of child labor legislation to
draw graphic contrasts between the
state of the law on this subject in Iowa
and in countries Of backward civili-
cation like Russia. Russia does make
some provision for the regulation OF
child labor in factories. But Of course
this contrast, even If true On this par
ticular, as 1t is, cannot be made to i'm
ply, nor is 1T meant to imply, that in
dustrial conditions in Iowa are as hard
as they are In Russia. The high
standard OF life, the general distribu-
ton Of comfort, and the humane spirit
of the population of our commonwealth
have been for the most part sufficient
to give comparatively decent protect
ion to the health of our children. But
our pioneer and agricultural conditions
are vanishing IL not vanishing, they
are at least in process of replacement
by those evils which we associate with
the development OF industrial centers.
While Iowa has no large cities of the
order. it does have a
Mammoth Sale Of