The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-05
OWEN R. LovHJoY,

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 secretary National Child Labor Com
 xc1usdve Service The Survey Press 1a Burean)
 A years work in dealing with chill u1en who work for a livelihood has 1uet been rounded out by the spring nesting of the trustees of the National Enuo Labor committee.
 ii has been a year Of legislative cnapges with Pennsylvania, as usual, Qne Of the centres of combat Year Rfter year against indifference of the ppection department, and opposition of powerful interests the friends of the chAdreu have sought to secure laws to exclude them from mines and factor lea For several years these efforts have met with failure or when laws have been enacted they have proven 70 de4ective in certain technical fea- lures as to meet their death at the hands of the courts. This year the general child labor law and the min. ing law were radically changed, the most dmportant gain being a provision requiring adeQuate proof of age of ispuance of certificates by the school authorfties
 "A vigorous effort was made to elim- hate night work among children, but this was again defeated through the Influence of the glass manufacturers, who defeated bills to the same effect Tn Indiana, West Virginia and New
 This infauence Of special industries appeared also in other legislative cam pa1ens. In Michigan the law restrict Ing night work permits the exemption ofcanning factories. telegraph com ed Rtates Postal Service! Delaware exempts from the prohibition of night work factories engaged in canning frnits and vegetables and basket fac-
 
 fs1lable nature of their product
 In New York 1t was hoped that the revelations made two years ago of con- dft5ons in many canning factories and sheds would result in legislation pro tecting little children from such ex- plpftation. It was found impossible, | however. to combat, successfully the | powerful influence of the canners, and der years will continue under the un- sanitary and excessively fexacting con- ddtions prevailing in many of these es- fab1fshments. But in New York two | a specified list of danger-i ouS occupations forbidden to children under sixteen years of age, the other | Strengthening the hands of the Com-j missioner of Labor in prosecuting vio- | 1ators of the mercantile employers
 TO the list of states forbidding em- plpyment at night of children under
 
 add Delaware, Kansas. North Dakota and Oklahoma
 1[fchigan extends protection against night work to girls under eighteen work to fifty-four in week for all F Ep1nen and for males under eighteen, requires more rigid proof of age of children seeking employment, and albil- ity to read and write English.
 Experience is teaching that insist in& on efficient factory inspection and up weak laws to make them enforceable is quite as important as se- IiIn7tation of hours. It 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 fmpossibilitys of enforcing the law in default of age proof, and the new law has set up the standard provisions for proof of age. Tn South Carolina the law which has been practically a dead letter, gives promise of becoming effective through an amendment providing for the em- of two factory inspectors Already the Commissioner of Agricul- ture and Industries has issued a series of blank forms for the use Of these inspectors and announces his deter to see that the law is en-i forced. He interprets the law as au- his inspectors to report all children under the legal age found in factories during working hours as fur 1ishing prima facie evidence of illegal employment
 In Delaware quite as important as khe Limitation of hours and prohibition 3f night work already noted, are sec- lions giving the factory inspector au- Ehor1ty to enter and inspect the estab- ishments under his supervision and he provision requiring ability to read and write English before applicants may receive employment certificates |.