Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-12-13
CHILD LABOR IN THE souru.

I CHILD LABOR IN THE SOUTH.
| The North Is now beginning TO I'M.
derstand that tho stories regarding
| the abuse OF child labor in the South
| have been greatly exaggerated. ard
In many Instances made ont OF the
| whole cloth for the purpose of inlur-
Ing and hampcriDg the progress OF
the textile Industry OF this section oil
! tho country. Female writer's. cyl.
IDENTIFY employed by New ENGLAND
manufacturers, have boen nont South
To pain5 horrible conditions IN South.
crn cotton mills and the character
Of their work MS It appeared In North.
esn magazines showed that they had
clear ideSi of what was expected of
them by those who paid them.
MFR. August Kohn. whosc reliability
and accuracy is youchcd for by the
authorities and pross of South Caro-.
lina, has made an exhaustive report
on the cotton mills OF that State. He
shows BY actual count that there are
aS.S6o operatives employed in the
South Carolina cotton mills ana among
them Only 1876 children Under twolvn
years OF nga. or only Ii per cent.
of the NIL workers OF tho State. Mr..
kolln states that his Investigation as.
tabiished tho fact that In no cases do
mil managers encourage child labor.
but an far ~ possible exclude II no:
only for humane reasons. but because
II IS not satisfactory.
W. Il. Curtis reports in the Chicago
ltccortl'ilerald that men aud women
are now in the Southern states .nvcg.
tigatnS tho question for tho DEPART
incnt OF Commerce and Labor. Mill
owners at Charlotte, n. c., tell him
that tho whole subject has been
greatly exaggerated as to It's .exten,
and iniquily. In north Carolina en-.
ployment under thirteen Ia forbidden.
In all tho cotton mllls south of tho
Potomac there are about 125, 900 oper.
a,ivcs. OF whom between and G Der
cent. or from 600 Otto 1000 are chill.
dren, nearly equally divided az to sex.
Tho work OF the boys. to gather tho
oohb.ns. Is light and dono Mt inter.
walls. The work OF tho girls, 10 piece
the threads, Is harder. and calls FOR
continuous work twelve hours Il day
with iorty-tive minutes at noon for
lunch, The pay is from G5 cents TO 81
Il day The boys get from 30 10 IS
cents.
Mr.. Curtis found. as did Mr.. Kohn.
TINT mono OF tho mill owners desired
to employ children who were loss
than sixteen years old, because such
labor could not DO made profitable.
Mr. Curtis also discovered that the
cotton Manufacturers Association OF
mo South had dealt with tho child
labor problem by advocating n com.
pu.sory education law which koeps
the children out OF tho mills, and In
many of tho towing tho milla pdye
money to supplement- tho school tax
80 that tho usual school term OF four
months has boon extended 10 eiaht
Tho compulsory education law
serves tho double purpose OF rcouIr-
mE the children TO receive tho needed
schooling and OF preventing parents
from forcing them into tho mills. a
practice which was much Observed in
mo mill districts and which threat.
ened 10 develop into a serious OWL
As Il result OF the work OF honest In.
yestigators II Is cncouri ging to motto
mat tho other sections of tho country
are having their Dyes opened to tho
fact that the situation in tho South
Is not so black ns II has been painted.
New Orleans States.