The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-11
JOHN WRITES ON
 CHILD LABOR LAW Explains Provisions of Act Re-
 gently Passed HOW COMPROMISE IS MADE Erroneous Statements Have Caused Considerable Misunderstanding
 Throughout the State as to
 Purposes of the Act.
HOW COMPROMISE IS MADE

Col Sam Will John, member of the leg
 slature from Jefferson county, who work as chairman of the judiciary com mttee of the house has aroused commen- dation all over the state, has written ;he following in explanation of the new child labor law:
 To the Editor of The Age Herald.
 There seems to be so much misunder- standing Of the real features of the lcgls- lation upon the subject of employing children to labor in manufacturing es- taLlishments, that I am moved to give your readers a correct outline of the sta ute recently enacted on that subject.
 The present law apparently fixes twelve years the minimum age of employment. but contains an exception in favor of children of widowed mother or fged or disabled father dependent upon the child. or the child Is an orphan" and fixes an absolute minimum age of ten years, but does not provide an inspector nor af- ford any means of enforcing the law, or detecting violations thereof-hence t has been dead letter from its approval, nrd many children have been worke1 who were under ten years of age, for seventy TWO hours a week.
 Soon after the legislature met in Jan uary last two bills on this subject w,te introduced one by MT. Kirby, which was very little if any improvement on the old statute. and was drawn in the interest of the mill owners. It met prompt death. as 1t deserved in committee.
 The other bill had been drawn under the direction of the committee who were ad vooating law that would afford adequa te protection to young children against the sordid greed of mill owners.
 This bill was known as the Pitts blll' because 1t was introduced by Mir. William l.. Pitts of Perry. who was an arden. advocate of any measure that would pro- tect the young children.
 Unfortunately this bill coEtained a eim- liar provision exempting o'phan children and children of widows and indlgent iath- CTS This provision would always provide a oophole through which vioators eoulG and would easily escape.
 At it's first hearing the committee struck out this obnoxious provision. which in ad- dltion to furnishing means of escape, was wrong In principle, in that fl relieved so- ciety at large of It's proper burden of car- Ing for it's dependent members and shift ed this burden to the shoulders of young children.
 No such rrovislon is in the statute on- acted at the present session of the 'eEls- ature, which of itself marks a distinct advance to the child and favors the easy enforcement of the law.
 The friends of child labor legislation de- sired to keep all children under fourteen years of age out of factories, but l soon saw that this age would never he adopted by the committee, nor by the leg s,ature, and striving to get the best for the chil- dren. l accepted a compromise py fixing the minimum age at twelve for boys and fourteen for girls. and held on to thls fill few hours before the bill passed the house. when seeing that I could not sue ceed in getting those ages. I yielded and the minimum age was fixed at twelve years for all children.
 No child between twelve and sixteen years of age can be employed, i1less the child has attended school for eight weeks a year, six of which must 'e consecutive.
 No child under sixteen years of age can be detained in or worked in or allowel 10 be Tn factory between the hours ol o'clock D. m. and o'clock q. m, nor shall any chill between tie ages of 16 and IS years Of age be worked m or de- tained in a mill between these hours for more thar eight hours in one night; and nc child call be worked loEser than sixty hours in week
 Before any child under eighteen years or age can be employed at all. the em- ployer must require the parent or person standing in parental relation to the child to present an affidavit, showing the date