The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-07-13
What the Duluth City
Officer Proposes.
LAW SHOULD COVER COUNTY.
An live stis alton Into the Child Work
ing Statute; Measure 10 Violated
Most Sham efuiiy.

st. Paul, July 9-The state labor de-
partment has just received an interest
ing report from H. C. Withrow, truant
officer of Duluth, in regard to Juvenile
delinquents, and the form of the report
has been indorsed by the department.
The department hopes that other truant
officers in the state will compile sta
Duluth official
A period of one year is covered in the
report and in that time the total number
of cases reported investigated is Ats. OF
this number forty five were delinquent
on charges of petit larceny, twenty-five
were habitual truants and eight We're
incorrigible.
| The officer remarks in his report,
which is accepted as being true in the
case of most truant officers experiences
in the state:
Il am quite sure that the court and
police officers will bear me out in the
statement that 80 per cent of the habit
ual truants will sooner or later commit
larceny, unless checked.
| In my opinion the compulsory edu-
cation law and also the law which pro-
hibits selling, giving or furnishing tobac.
co to minors, should be amended so that
the Judge of the Juvenile court would
have jurisdiction under their provisions;
and the Colorado delinquent parent law
should be enacted in this state
IAN abuse law is the labor certificate
act. / am satisfied that parents have re-
ceived labor certificates for their chill
dren who could, with little privation,
have done without them. | believe that
when parents or a child apply for la
Dor permit school release should be
given and parents and child required to
report to board of review, composed of
three members, who should either be the
| Judge of the juvenile court, or Justice
of the peace, members of the school
board, truant officer, county superin-
tendent of schools or professor of a
| school; this board to hold sessions in the
| village, town or city once week. 1t
/ is almost impossible to revoke labor
certificate when once issued; but if when
the school release is given, the parents
are required to appear before the board
at a given time, there will be an oppor-
tunity for the truant office to investi-
gate as to the ACCESSIBILITY of granting
the permit, ascertaining the wages of
the father and other members of the
family, whether they rent or own their
property, the size of the family, age,
general health of the children, etc.
II favor law creating truant Off
Ger in every county in the state. They
are fully as important as a county sup
erintendent of schools. In fact, in sparse
ly settled counties | see no reason why
the superintendent of schools should not
be the truant officer. OF course, hav-
ing a truant officer in every COMPRESSION
al district as recommended by w. H.
| Williams, state labor commissioner
would be better than none; but | would
much prefer to see a truant officer in
every county in the state, and a par
entail school or home in every congress
sional district in the state. The tru-
ant officer could also act as probation
officer
| IF such law is good for three coun-
ties in the state it should be good for
every county. And if the boys and girls
in the three counties should be released
on parole then the boys and girls in
other counties should be treated like
wise"
| The remedies as proposed are indoors
ed in the main by the department of la
bor. The department has been attempt
ing to minimize child labor, and this,
it is urged, will be best accomplished by
Safeguarding the child in the school.
The labor department invites truant Of
ficers to submit their findings to the de-
partment as valuable data upon which
to base their Investigations into the
problems of child labor.
|