Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-02

| the Sardine business can complain
| with the exception of the first part
! the first section which should be 81
| amended as not to include the general
statute with retard to the child labor
| The two propositions are entirely diff
| ferent, the matter of overtime and the
matter of children working in factories
| 1t is absurd to think that that industry
will go out of existence or even bt
| seriously injured by applying to 1t the
same child labor laws that We apply
| to the cotton industry and the wooler
| industry. Two years ago some of u:
! sought to have the general child labor
law applied to the sardine industry
| and gentlemen representing those in
| dustrleS came before the labor com
mittee and said that they would be
| obliged to shut up their factories and
go out of business, retire altogether
| if the children were prevented from
| working for them. The Legislature be-
lieved them and did exempt from tue
child labor law the factories handling
perishable products Since that time
an investigation of that matter has
been made throughout the bureau of
labor and industrial statistics. Miss
Eva ShorGy of Bridgton, made a trip
through the sardine country, visited
all the factories and presented an elab-
crate report with which I presume
many members of this House are IA
miliar. I read that report with care
and with interest There were some
points upon which 1 believe Miss
Shorey to have been more or less mis-
led, but this occurs in her report, ''That
not over 200 children under IA years
of age are employed in all the sardine
factories in Washington county" Now,
If that be true. and that was the evil
dence presented to her by the sardine
men themselves when they took her
through their factories and presented
everything to her as we'll as they could
so that her report would not shock the
State, for that was written in answer
to a magazine article by a Chicago
writer who had investigated conditions
somewhat down there-if that be true
that only 200 children under IA years
of age are employed in the so odd sar-
dine factories of Maine, then it is alb
surd to say that we should exempt
these factories from the ordinary child
labor law. I supposed there were more,
but I am willing to take the figures
from the official report made in the in
terests Of the sardine men if it was
made in the interest of anybody.
I know something about the condi-
tions down there. I knew that in the
courts Of Washington for the last Is
years and that is as long as l have
practiced law, SO I cannot go back of
that in my recollection, at every term
. L.. 9
a dozen little boys coming up from
the sardine shop accused of all kinds
of crime and they have been sent out
on probation and have come back
again accused of crime until they have
been sent either to the reform school
or to the State prison. We have de-
veloped a criminal class down there
| among as good set of people as God
ever made simply because the prac-
tice has grown up in that industry Of
setting boys and girls to work as
soon as they are old enough or big
enough to handle q cutting knife, 60
ing into the factories on regular hours,
day time and night time, because
when the fish come in they have to
be handled as soon as they can, and
it has brought about a condition Of
affairs down there that certainly is de-
ploraDle. No man realizes that and
no man sympathiZes with it more than
| the gentleman from EaStport who oc-
cupieS a seat in this House. 1 have
believed it to be largely because these
children, instead of having their reg
ular schooling in the schools of East
| port, were working to earn a few doll
| lars in the sardine factories often
times to support worthless parents
| Down there on the coast the conditions
differ from anywhere else in Maine.
When the factories open in the spring
| the people from Machais and other in
| land towns go to the coast and live in
camps near the sardine factories, so
that they may work around there dur
| ing the season, taking their wives and
children and taking a little camp for
| a dollar a two month near the fac
| tory and getting in their summers
work and then going back home when
winter comes along. The camps are
owned by the owners of the factory
and it is a fact that man who comes
to rent one and has no children is told
that there is no place for him to rent
a camp in town. They want the chill
uIcI, tIey want the largest family
| they can get and they put them into
the smallest camp they have because
| it is the cheapest kind of help. If they
adopt this entire amendment and say
to those people down there. 1--WE will
keep the little children from going
| into the factories and from losing their
youth and from being deprived of the
joys Of boyhood and girlhood," it would
be a right step. 1 hope that the House
will either adopt the minority report
or that it will lay the matter on the
table long enough to have it slightly
amended and then adopted
Mr.. BUItSE of Pittsfeld. Mr..
Speaker, I sec this law applies to a
| chapter which we have not looked I'D,
but l presume it applies to all canning
factories in the entire State
Mr.. PATTAt|GALL, 1t does.
Mr.. PIKE of PASSPORT: Mr.. Speak
Ier. pending the acceptance of either
| report. I move that the matter be laid
upon the table.
The motion was lost
The SPEAKER: The question now
| recurs the motion of the gentleman
| from Auburn, Mr.. Beals, to substitute
Jrn ri