Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-02-21
BE EvERIDCE is NOT
CORRECT SAYS BRYANT
Continued from page 1.)

Jersey this particular factory has filed
with the department of labor nearly
400 papers of the character referred
to, each of which, before acceptance,
has been closely scrutinized and an
investigation made in all cases where
there has been even an appearance of
irregularity. l, therefore, feel JUS
tilted in saying that children under
fourteen years of age are not employ
ed there.
None Under Eighteen Years.
''This is another quotation in Sen
ator Beveridge's speech referring to
the same class: In the coolest even
ings of winter little Marie and hun
dreds of other little girls must go
out from the superheated rooms into
the bitter cold in just that condi-
ton dripping wet) Careful in
vestigation by this department shows
that only comparatively few females
(not hundreds of young girls) work
barefooted on the brick floors, the
majority being women of mature
age. In the judgment of one of our
most careful inspectors none of the
girls so employed was under eighteen
years of age"
Senator Beveridge, after reading
an extract stating that in New Jersey
and Pennsylvania hundreds of chill
dren between the ages of ten and
twelve had been seen in the factories
belonging to the cigar trust, some OF
which were known as 'kindergartens'
on account of the large number OF
small children employed in them,
said he would show that the state
laws are not enforced, and that chill
dren as young as three years of age
are required to work nearly all day
and at night as late as 10 o'clock.
These statements / also believe
are misleading in so far as they refer
to New Jersey. The larger cigar fac
tories of this state are among the
establishments observing the require
ments of the law relative to the filing
| of proofs of age for all children en-
ployed under sixteen years OF age,
and in my judgment 1t is only in $50
lated cases where this is done, that
employment is given to a child below
the age of fourteen.
Case of Mary Jaeger.
Senator Beveridge cited the case
of Mary Jaeger, three-year-old girl,
of Paterson, submitting an affidavit
of Miss Elizabeth B. Butler, of Plain
field, executive secretary of the Con-
sumer's League of New Jersey, to the
effect that the child worked from
eight to ten hours day assisting her
mother in making garters. Mr.. Bev-
eridge asked: If the law could not
| be enforced against people in as hum
BILE circumstances as those, can we
| think it would be enforced against
against the great glass mills that
have great walls about them?
"The facts in this case as stated
were that the mother worked in her
own room with her child as an assist
ant. Pitiful as such a condition of
affairs may seem, | know of no state
law which was violated and there
fore, take exception to the conclusion
drawn by Senator Beveridge that be-
cause the state does not go into the
private home, to alleviate conditions
of extreme poverty 1t fears to enforce
| the law against powerful manufact-
uring interests. So far as my connec-
tion with the Department of Labor
has been concerned no business inter-
est in this state has been successful
in bringing any influence to bear to
prevent the enforcement of the law.
The Jaeger ose is one of number
of instances cited by Senator Bever-
idge in New Jersey which, while pre-
senting an unfortunate condition of
affairs do not Justify the impression
he conveys that the New Jersey laws
are being violated or that there Is
laxity in their enforcement.
Various references are made to
conditions In the glass districts
These, however, are too general in
characted to admit of either explana-
| tion or specific denial. l fell justi-
fed, however, in saying that there is
| less child labor in the glass factories
of New Jersey today than for mum
ber of years. statement which Is
substantiated by the federal statistics
of manufactures taken in 1905"
|