Bridgeton pioneer., 1907-02-07
STATISTICS ON
LABORING CHILDREN

Washington, Feb. 5.-There are
1,750, 178 children in the United States
between the ages of ten and fifteen,
VINO, according to the Census Bureau,
are wageearners. OF this number
1,054, 446 are working on farms. per-
forming duties which are net regarded
as harmful.
Of the real child slaves there are
688, 207, and these are EMPLOYED in
trade and transportation, in mechanical
and manufacturing pursuits, and in
domestic and personal service.
In the employment of child labor.
pennsylvania, to her discredit, stands
up near the top of the list. OF the
children employed, "a, 209, or IA per
cent, were engaged in mining and
quarrying Or this number "a, l05
were male and 104 females
approximately seven out of every
eight children reported as mine and
quarry workers were employed as coal
miners
Although the employment OF chill
dren in mines and uuarries was not
confined to any particular State or
geographical division of the United
States, as might be expected, it was
OF greatest importance in Pennsyl.
vania. IN which state the production
of anthracite coal is concentrated.
The cotton mills furnish employ
mant to children to a greater extent
than any other manufacturing or me-
chanlcal industry. In 1900 the num-
Der of cotton mill operatives, ten to
fifteen years of age, was Al, 427, and
they formed Is per cent. of the total
number of persons over ten years of
age engaged in that occupation.
The occupation of the textile worker,
or the needle trade. furnished employ
ment to 35,070 children between ten
and fifteen years of age, of whom 5, 1856
were boys and 80, 934 were girls.
OF the II. 622 messengers and errand
and office boys in the United States 81
per cent. we're districts and telegraph
messengers and errand boys, 23. per
cent. were office boys and 14.7 per
cent. were bundle and cash boys or
girls. Nine-renths of the children en-
pioyed in such service are boys. The
employment of children in silk mills
is concentrated to a marked degree in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the two
leading State in the manufacture of
silk and silk goods. The number of
children employed as operatives in
such mills in New jersey was less
than onehalf of the number employed
in Pennsylvania.
OF the 40. 99S glassworkers, 5, 365, or
1917 per cent, were from ten to fifteen
years of age. Illinois reported the
larger proportion of such children,
and Pennsylvania the next largest
proportion. Each of the states re-
ported mere than per cent. of child
glassworkers, with the exception of
New Jersey. for which State the per-
centage was 1.6.
In connection with this bulletin
statistics were specially compiled from
the twelfth census schedules, giving
data for %, 657 bread winners ten 70
fourteen years of age, and, for fami-
lies in vhioh these child bread win
ners lived. This total includes s, OS9
cotton mill operatives living in Fall
River, Mass and Warwick, R. l.,
in certain selected areas of North
Carolina and South Carolina and the
entire state of Georgia; $3.50 messen-
gers and errand and office bows in
Boston, New York and Chicago; 2, 3S1
coal mine workers in Luzerne county.
Pa, 3,756 dressmakers, seamstresses
and tailoresses IN New York city and
Ohicago; 800 tobacco and cigar fac
tory operatives in Philadelphia, Pa,
and Richmond, Va. l,759 silk mill
operatives in Paterson N j., and
Lackawanna and Luzerne counties,
Pa 244 glassworkers in selected areas
of Pennsylvania and S9S children en-
ployed in all occupations in the Dis
trict of Columbia.