The San Francisco call., 1906-04-12
EXPERTS REPORT
ON VITAL TOPICS
Commonwealth Club Gives
Monthly Dinner at Palace
and Hears Papers Read
w. V. STAFFORD SPEAKS
Outlines Work Done by the
Child Labor Laws in Cali
fOrnia During Last Year

Topics Of vital interest were discussed
and valuable papers were read at the
monthly meeting and dinner Of the Com
monwealth Club at the Palace Hotel last
evening. The principal speaker was w.
V. Stafford, who told of the child labor
laws in California and other States.
Professor Allison Ware of the State
Normal School read paper discussing
the suggestions made by Professor D. s.
Snedden in his paper on appointment
and Tenure of Teachers in California. +"
Professors E. p. Cubberly and w. ]. Rolfe
of Stanford University and Professors
Harrington and Moore of the University
of California read short papers.
The principal speaker of the evening
was Commissioner of Labor w. w.
Stafford, who addressed the members
OF the club on Child LABOR in Cali
fornia." He told of the history of the
various child labor laws in California
and throughout the world. He showed
how many employers seek continually
to evade the statutes and how many
of them have been prosecuted. He
pointed with pride to the fact that
nearly all OF California,s boys and girls
under the age of a were receiving
good education in the schools. In
conclusion he pleaded for more parks
in which the youngsters might play. He
said, in part:
The thousands of children between the ages
of and IA that heretofore have been running
their health and neglecting their education in
the stores and factories now no longer
seen IN their customary places of employ
ment Where they have gone may be gath
cred from tie school records OF the dinerent
cities. The school attendance in San Fran
cisco alone has increased over 2000 and fully
J0O0 children in the State are now in the
schools that were formerly at work. BY TAX
ing the profit away that in the past has gone
10 the parents when their small children were
employed you have made these same parents
the most efficient abundance officers to be
found in the State 1t has been the policy
OF the Bureau of Labor to follow up every
child discharged on account of his youth and
see as far as possible that such child was
put into school. Not only have the young
children been taken from employment, but
er permitted to work excessively long hours,
sometimes twelve and fourteen hours per day,
allowed By the law The very small chill
dren al those under IA, except in vacations,
can no longer be required TO work after school.
but are now like any other young animal al
lowed 10 play during those hours. This re-
striction has been productive Of much COM
plant from certain well meaning individuals,
but I believe play is absolutely essential to
the proper development Of the child, and the
procession from the school to the workshop or
store there to stay in many instances, until
late at night. cannot but be productive of evil
results.
The consideration Of this latter phase OF the
child labor problem has brought TO my at
tentiOn one OF the crying shames OF our cit
les: the lack Of accessible Fairgrounds for
children. l say accessible advisedly, for
most cities have plenty of acreage given over
10 parks and breathing places. but IT is usu-
ally the that these parks are located IN
the neighbOrhood of the elegant residence sec
ton and distant from the modest dwellings
that house those who are poorer in this
worlds goods but generally richer in chill
dren In San Francisco. for example. the
two souare miles south OF Market street,
where live the mechanic. the clerk and the
laborer. and where children abound, has one
and a third blocks given over 20 parks and
while the two square miles con-
tanning the greatest wealth and the fewest
children has twenty-five blocks adorned with
parks and open squares.