Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-12-01
Child-Labor Legislation In Europe ;.
z e e e q

4 . T
4 Child-labor legislation in six Euro
tpean countries Austria, Belgium
Franc, Germany, Italy and Switzer
Hands the subject of an article
lpirnted in Bulletin SO of the Bureau
lof Labor of the Department of Com
Imerce and Labor, All of these nations
have recognized the existence of q
ehild-labor problem and have attempt
led to solve it by means of legislation
Restricting the gainful employment OF
lchildren and by providing a corps OF
Ioficials whose special task it is to Sc.
tcure compliance with the terms of the
flaw. The experience of Germany and
Switzerland in this direction is pecu-
lliarly suggestive for the United States
because there, as in this country,
there is a division of legislative and
administrative powers between a cen
trial government and. the local govern
ment.
This article, the results ola study by
EDr. C. w. A. Veditz, is not confined
Ito a presentation of the details Of the
law concerning child labor, but dis
cusss as well the relation of the
school and labor laws the organiza-
ton and actual work of the labor In
Espectors and the present extent and
nature of the child labor in these
countries.o
In most of the countries included in
this study the limitations upon child
labor are not all found in legislative
tenactments. In many cases the laws
themselves constitute merely a frame
work, which is filled out by means of
numerous DEGREES, ordinances, police
regulations, and other legislative or
administrative measures. These mea-
sures sometimes constitute a relaxa-
ton of the rules laid down by the
statute when, for instance, the admin
listrativ authorities are given far
reaching power to set up exceptions"
! to and exemptions" from the opera
tions of the laws, and exercise this
Ipower in such manner and on such
a scale as partially to abrogate the
law. Sometimes, on the other hand,
administrative measures result in a
much stricter regulation of child Ia
Dor than appears on the face of the
law. =
lar age of factor employment for chill
dren at IA years, but children of IL
and 10 may be employed if such en-
ployment does not interfeer with
school, is not detrimental to health,
and does not exceed hours a day.
Below IL years no regular industrial
employment is permitted. In con-
Isidearble list of occupations regarded
as dangerous or injurious no employ
ment under IA is permitted, and in
many the employment of children of
IA and Is is much restricted. The
hours of labor for children under 16
must not exceed IL, though for few
industries IL hours are permitted.
Night work between. the hours of 8
and is prohibited for all children I'M
der 16, except that in Industrial with
special needs night work is permitted
for children of IA and 10.
The complaint is frequent in the
reports of the labor inspectors that
the staff of inspecors is insufficient
to carry out the laws with any degree
|of severity and that the increase in
the number Of inspectors has not kept
pace with the increase in the number
of establishments subject to inspec-
ion. Only one-fourth the children I'M
der 16 actually in industrial employ
ment have the benefit of an inspec-
tors visit during a single year. A
large number of establishments sub
ject to the law have never, according
to the reports, been, inspected even
once, and to inspect all of them with
the present staff would require n1ty-
nine years.
"A recent Austrian official investiga-
ton into the extent and nature OF
gainfulA employment among school
children under IA years of age in
dicates that in various parts of the
Empire the proportion Of these chill
dren regularly at work varies from 20
to nearly SO per cent. A large prQpor-
ton Of the working pupil are employ
ed in agriculture and domestic SER
vice, oftentimes at kinds of work
which requier more strength than chill
dren under Ia may reasonably be sup
posed to possess. Orphaned children
and illegitimate children furnish