New-York tribune., 1905-02-10

The Child Labor Committee yesterday replied TO
the statement of State Labor Commissioner Nc
Mackin, printed, in part, in yesterdays Tribune
The committees statement follows. in part;
When. the Commissioner says it is a libel upon
State charge that child slavery exists with
answer that pictures will not lie. Such are the
facts
In reply to the statement Of the Commissioner
that New-York IS freer from child labor than any
other industrial State in the Union the Commis- C
Ing the number of child workers in textile estab-
there are fewer children in one particular indus
try IN one State than IN another Is no Jgstea0n aro1
child LABOR than other States When ne compares @
she sSod a% for IN with the
which in many PLACES has no ed law Whatever t % aho
spTdity
Child Labor Committee has had two prominent @
men call upon him. one to protest against the
protect the metal poishers. and the other to pro-
test against the Commissioners work in relation
The metal polishing trade is dangerous one;
try are not able to obtain insurance on their lives
because Of the hazardous nature Of the trade The
to carry away the dust, and; in this manner pre-
lives by being forced to breathe the dust Yet this
man said that. despite continuous effort or his
believed that not less than rs per cent of the shops
in New-York City were at present violating it,
According to his last report usOS). page 9. he
failed to obtain compliance with the law in about
ten thousand cases: and having failed to get COM
piance in these ten thousand cases. he prosecuted
exactly 119. In only about thousand instances
during this year, according to the Commissioners
report. did his inspectors make reinspection to
see If his orders had been complied with.
It Is well that the Commissioner has shifted his
ground in regard to child labor in the canning in
dustry. month ago his reply to charges
this ground very different from the reply
given. He now says his inspectors were in New
York City at the time these industries running
full blast and that he had of knowing
that the law was being violated in this industry.
1t would have taken just of the thirty-seven
inspectors from his special work in New-YOrk City
to have enforced this law in these towns. Even
striking than this is the statement of our
own investigator that inspector had but a short
time previous to his visit been the mill and that
his comment upon the extensive violation Of this
law was that those children deuced hard to
count" So, it appears. that at least one OF his
inspectors knew of the violation In this industry
The Chelsea jute mills of the cases of
violation which his department did not sustain and
yet there are and have been during his entire ad-
ministration violations in that factory. Take, for
instance, the statement OF the Commissioner that
many of these children are protected by afidayfts
and therefore technically obeying the law. false
affidavit is not compliance with the law and the
tute mills are liable to punishment for every child
hodlng false athdavit. The Annie Ventre case,
which this committee, in cooperation with the
Department of Education. brought into the courts
proves this concuEiVely, and the opinion lately
given by Attorney General Mayer fully supports
Child Labor Committee. - ~
The Commissioner denies the charge of the COM
mlttee that he arrested and endeavored to convict
curing 1893 ten different manufacturers in New
york City for failure to provide fire escapes If
any one doubts this statement of the committee he
may turn to Table detail account of prosecution
Ior Tor 1893 The cases there treated in detail and
MI MN prove, prove me statement Of the committee But
ihe important point which the committee makes in
us charges against the Commissioner in regard to
Ihe BrookIyn hre in which seven people met their
sgatn' sag is not mentioned There had not been
administration OF Commissioner McMackinNn fact
since 1888 The Commissioner admits that he held
HLlss5I responsible for fire escapes in the CITY Of
New-York until at least July. 1908. -'' -