The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-13
CHILDREN WHO WORK
Years Progress Recorded By the National Child Labor
 Committee
BY OWEN R. LOVEJOY.

A years work in dealing with children lrwho work for a livelihood has just been lrounded out by the spring meeting of lthe trustees of the national child labor committee.
 It has been a year of legislative changes with Pennsylvania, as usual, one of the lcenters of combat. Year after year sagainst indifference of the citizens hos Utility of the factory inspection depart Iunent, and opposition of powerful inter- tests, the friends of the children have sought to secure laws to exclude them lfrom mines and factories For several years these efforts have met with fall mre or when laws have been enacted they have proven so defective in certain technical features as to meet their death at the hands of the courts. This year the general child labor law and the min ling law were radically changed, the most Important gain being a provision requir ing adequate proof of age of children seeking employment and the issuance or certificates by the school authorities.
 A vigorous effort was made to eliminate might 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.
 This influence of special industries ap- peared also in other legislative campaigns. In Michigan the law restricting night work permits the exemption of canning factories, telegraph companes-and as messengers in the United States postal service. Delaware eXempts from the pro- hibition of night work factories engaged in canning fruits and vegetables and bas- ket factories presumably because of the perishable nature of their product.
 In New York it was hoped that the rev citations made two years ago of condi- tions In many canning factories and sheds would result in legislation protecting lit tie children from such exploitat tion. It was found impossible, however, to con- bat successfully the powerful influence of the canners and for another year children of very tender years will continue un- der the unsanitary and excessively exact ing conditions prevailing in many of these establishments. But in New York two important laws were enacted, one in- cooperating a specified list of dangerous occupations forbidden to children under Is years of age, the other strengthening the hands of the commissioner of labor in prosecuting violators of the mercantile employers law
 To the list of states forbdding employ ment at night of children under 16 years of age the new laws add Delaware Kan sas, North Dakota and Oklahoma.
 Michigan extends protection against night work to girls under IS years of age, and limits the hours of work to 54 in a week for all women and for males under IS, requires more rigid proof of age of children 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 stricter limitation of hours. It was upon the effort to correct fatal defects as to proof of age in the Penn sylvania law that general interest cen tered. The same was true in Iowa, where experience has shown the impossibility of enforcing the law in defualt 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 a dead letter, gives promise of becoming effective through an amend nent providing for the employment of two factory inspectors. Already the com- missioner of agriculture and industries has issued a series of blank forms for the use of these inspectors and announces his determination to that the law is enforced. He interprets the law au- thor1zing ,his inspectors to report all chil-