The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-08-06
THE CHILD WORKERS
What Has Been Done In Their
Behalf the Past Year,
MANY LEGISLATIVE CHANGES.
National Secretary Owen r. loVejoy
Sums Up the Progress Made In the
Various States to Tighten the Tasks
Of Youthful Toilers.

dPen who work for a llNellnOou mas
lust been rounded out by the spring
meeting Of the trustees of the national
child labor committee
1t has been year of legislative
changes. with Pennsylvania, as usual,
one of the centers Of combat. Year
after wear against Indifference of the
citizens, hostility of the factory In
spection department and opposition OF
powerful interests. the friends of the
children have s%ight to secure laws to
exclude them from mines and fac
tories.
For several years these efforts have
met with failure, or when laws have
been enacted they have proved so de-
! fective in certain technical features
as to meet their death at the hands or
the courts. This year the general
child labor law and the mining law
were radically changed, the most i'm
portant gain being provision requir-
Ing adequate proof Of age Of children
seeking employment and the issuance
of certificates by the school authori-
ties.
A vigorous effort was made to elm
mate night work among children, but
this was again defeated through the
influence of the glass manufacturers,
who defeated bills to the same effect
in Indiana, West Virginia and New
Jersey.
In New York II was hoped that the
revelations made two years ago of con
ditions in many canning factories and
sheds would result In legislation pro-
tecting little children from such ex-
ploitation. 1t was found impossible,
however, to combat successfully the
powerful influence of the Gamers, and
| for another year children of very ten
der years will continue under the In
sanitary and excessively exacting con
ditions prevailing in many of these es-
| adjustments.
But in New York two important
laws We're enacted, one Incorporating
specified list of dangerous occupa-
lions forbidden to children under six.
teen years of age, the other strength
ening the hands Of the commissioner
of labor In prosecuting violators Of. the
mercantile employers law.
TO the list of states forbidding en-
plOyment at night Of children under
sixteen years of age the new laws add
Delaware, Kansas, North Dakota and
| Oklahoma.
Michigan extends protection against
night work to girls under eighteen
years of age and limits the hours of
work to fifty-four In week for all wo-
men and for males under eighteen, re-
quires more rigid proof of age of chill
dren seeking employment and ability
to read and write English.
Experience is teaching that insisting
on efficient factory inspection and
patching up weak laws to make them
enforceable Is quite as important as
securing higher age limits and stricte4
limitation of hours. 1t was upon the
effort to correct fatal defects as to
proof Of age In the Pennsylvania law
that general interest centered. The
same was true In Iowa, where expert
ence has shown the impossibility Of
enforcing the law In default Of age
proof, and the new law has set up the
standard provisions for proof Of age.
In South Carolina the law, which
has been practically dead letter,
gives promise Of becoming effective
through an amendment providing for
the employment of two factory in
/ spectors. Already the commissioner
OF agriculture and industries has is-
sued series Of blank forms for the
use OF these inspectors and announces
Ills determination to see that the law
Is enforced. He interprets the law as
authorizing his inspectors to report all
children under the legal age found In
factories during working hours as fur
nishing prlma facie evidence Of illegal
employment.
A number Of changes have been
made in the regulation of the hours of
employment. Besides those already
mentioned, Kansas, Oklahoma and
North Dakota limit them to an eight
hour day and forty-eight hour week,
Maine to ten hour day and a fifty
four hour week for boys under six
teen and girls under eighteen and
Rhode Island to ftty-six hour week
for minors under sixteen years and all
women.
The new laws In North Dakota and
Oklahoma are among the most COM
plete yet enacted.
| The bill which Governor Haskell We.
toed year ago In Oklahoma was pass-
ed again by large majorities and re.
celVed his approval. Important changes
have been made also In Minnesota, and
bills are pending In Connecticut, Flori
da, Illinois and Wisconsin.
The most dlsheartening defeat was
In North Carolina, where an agree
lnent had been reached with the manu-
facturers on compromise bill which
was deliberately killed In the senate.
State committees affiliated with the
national committee have been formed
during the year in Minnesota, Kansas.
North Dakota, West Virginia, louisa.
M and Massachusetts. The finances
OF the committee are In excellent shane
the Increased budget Of the present
year having been met by the gener-
GUS support Of the 5000 or more per
sons who now cOnrtitute the member
ship Of the committee.
She Might Not Like II,
odd man Pilkinson candldly admits
mat bis wife made him what he is"
Yes. But / have noticed that he N
always careful to assure himself be-