The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1909-03-11
THE CHILD LABOR BILL.

FA# "
toll, the senate killed the Chile
Labor bill. introduced by Mr..
Hinsdale, of the House. This is
as it should be. Not because the
intentions of the measure were
incorrect. but because of the
shape in which the bill come ur
for its final reading.
Without going into the cues,
ton of the proper age at which
children may work in factories,
none of the bills proposed, MOI
the Child Labor act of 1907, as
we take 1T, gets at the heart OF
the situation. The act of 1907
(leaving out, as we have said,
the question of the proper age al
which children may work in fac.
tories, is good, as far as it goes.
But it falls far short of covering
the condition at which it was
aimed, though we doubt not il
was the best that could be had al
the time of it's enactment. II
provides that latter 1907 nc
child under IL years of age shall
be employed or work in a factory
except in apprenticeship capacity,
and only then after having at
tended school four months in the
preceding twelve; and that no
boy or girl under fourteen shall
work in a factory between the
hours of 8 o'clock o. m. and 5
o'clock, a. M; the parent or
guardian of children of doubtful
qualification is required to furn-
ish written statement as to the
competency of the child, under
the law.
But, as we have said before,
this does not effectually cover
the case. Neither did the bill
killed in the senate. There is,
it is true, a provision for the
punishment of the parent or
guardian making false statement
concerning the child's age, etc,
but no means for ascertaining
the truth or falsity of the state
ment are furnished or suggested
by the law; the conclusion left to
be drawn being that the punish
ment provided will be sufficient
to prevent either parent or mill
operator taking advantage of the
spirit of the act. Conditions
since the passage of the bill
$500 have been especially con-
duciye to the easy carrying out
of its provisions, and it may be
fairly assumed that violations
have been few; but what would
have been the case had the per-
iod been one of especial activity
in the mill and factory business
of the State? Wages would have
been good, demand for labor
great, and the temptation on the
part of parents and guardians to
exaggerate statements given en-
ployers, and temptation on the
part of manufacturers and super
intendents to at least be lax in
the scrutiny of the statements so
furnished would have been more
or less intense. Therefore, a
concern insisting on absolute con-
formity with the law would be
at a disadvantage, being not only
deprived of the requirement of
the labor of children Of question
able age, but Of the labor of par
ents of such children, because
such parents would flock to local
tiles where such strict conditions
did not prevail.
We are of the opinion that
most of the mill owners and man
ufacturers are honest and fair
minded men, and in considera-
ton of what their developments
and investments have done and
are'doing for the country. are en-
titled to a fair, deal; and we do
not believe that they want or
would ask for more; still, there
are those who do not belong to
this class, and the former are
made to suffer at the hands of
the latter, and are placed in a
position where to violate the law
is an ever-present temptation.
It is a great pity that we could
not have had a bill thoroughly
covering the child labor phase of
the aemiI1-factory question, with
disable vagrancy provisions aimed
at the worthless loafers who live
off their chi1dren's labor, and
with the means for ascertaining
the conformity or nonconformity
provided, instead of having what
may be consided to be an effort
in the right direction mutilated
beyond recognition, and finally
murdered in the hands of its (so-
called friends.
Referring to rhe defeat of the
Hinsdale bill, the News and OBJ
server truthfully says:
TO the utter surprise of every
body the Senate last night de-
feated the child labor bill law af-
ter having, on the previous night
passed it.on the secondlreading by
a substantial majority. The bill,
a most moderate and conserva-
tive one, was a compromise meas
$50 oo.ooJ ,1poo h1yaMr HipSdoIo