Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-11-12
Europeans EVADE
CHILD LABOR UNS
Repul ave CONDITIONS FOUND
IN OLD WORLD FACTORIES
AND WORK SHOPS.
TRAP DOORS TO sEcRETE
CHILDREN FROM INSPECTORS
Child Workers ia Belgium Not Paid
at All and Wages in Other Countries
Very small-laws Poorly Enforced
Austrjan Youths Begin Work When
Emerging From eabyheed.

Emsrains From eabyheod.
washington, Nov. 12.-Sensattonel
charges of repulsive conditions In child
labor in continental Europe are made
in a special report published in the lat
est issue of the bulletin Of the United
States bureau Of labor. The report
which covers more than 400 pages OF
the bulletin. was made by DR.. G. w. A.
veditz, a professor Of sociology In
George washington University who
made a special investigation In Aus
tria. Belgium, France, Germany, SWae-
xerland and Italy. The investigator
gathered all his data from official rec
Ords and sources Of information.
Child labor in Belgium not paid at
oil: children in Austria beginning
work before years of age; child lab
orers in France drilled to disappear
thru trap doors at the approach or IN
spectors, and a general Indifferent en-
forcement Of the child labor laws thru
which employers find it more profitable
to pay the nominal fines imposed than
TO obey the regulations are some OF the
conditions described in the report.
Laws Poorly Enforced.
The general conclusion is that child
labor laws abroad are In many essen
t1al respects poorly enforced, that the
penalties imposed for violations are
ridiculously small and OF practically no
deterrent value. The report gives data
indicating that in most Of these coun-
tries it would be physical impossible
ity for the inspectors to do more than
a fractional part Of their work or to do
that part thoroughly; and that the
courts are astoundingly lenient with
offenders against labor laws.
In Austria, only one-fourth OF the
child workers are employed in estab-
lishments that are inspected annually
The force Is SO inadequate that 1t
would take fifty-nine years to vtsi:
once every establishment subject to the
labor laws. The majority OF the small
er concerns ara never visited. Child
labor In Austria 10 not regulated In
workshops. in household industries or
In commercial establishments. Hence
the factory laws, SO far as they have
reduced child labor at all. have simply
driven it out Of the factories into the
homes of the workers, into small work
shops and into establishments lying
Beain Work at 8 Years.
A recent official investigation dis
closed the fact that about half Of the
children began work before they were
years Of age, while a very large
number began before they were years
old. Their compensation varied all the
way from food and certain articles OF
clothing, to $14 a year for those in
agricultural occupations. A large pro-
portion received wages Of so cents to
$3.50 month. Those employed in sa-
looms and bowling alleys usually aver
age cents an hour plus free beer,
sometimes left over by guests.
Loopholss in Laws.
In Belgium much Of the recently en-
acted labor legislation is attributed
10 political coalition of the Catholics
and the socialists. The Belgium child
labor law provides that ignorance Of
the law is sufficient defense Of proved
violations.
Many violations entirely escape de-
lection the report says. The bulk OF
those visited are visited only once Il
year. Only a fractional part Of the
cases Of detected violations are brought
TO trial and in these cases the fines i'm
posed average about one dollar. Spe-
cific instances are quoted in which en-
ployers frankly declare it to be much
cheaper to violate the law and pay the
fine than to comply with it.
Wage q Msre Pittancs.
One-fourth Of the child laborers In
Belgium under 16 years Of age either
get no money wages at all or earn less
than 10 cents a day; more than one
hal. Of them receive between 10 and
20 cents day: and less than one-fifth
receive 80 cents or more. Large num-
bers Of children under Is years and
women are employed In the manufac-
ture Of sexual appliances.
In France. the investigator says. the
enactment Of new labor laws has pro-
ceeded much more rapidly than pro-
visions for their enforcement. II every
establishment subject to the laws
were to be inspected once year that
would mean each inspector would have
to visit 1866 concerns.
At the end Of 1908 there were still
173.13e establishments subject to the
law that had never been visited even
once by an inspector. In fact, in 1908
alone 383,S73 establishments were not
visited.
French Evads Law.
Altho the French law provides that
working children must be subjected to
a physical examination in the work they
do 10 apt to prove injurious to their
health or their physical development.
the provision Is admitted by the in
spectors to be wholly illusory Some Of
the glass works go so far as to drill
their child laborers in quickly disap-
pearing thru trap doors to avoid detec-
ton, and the employers offer prizes for
the children most agile in that per-
formance. Among the most frequent
and most fragrant violators Of the rules
governing child labor are religious and
charitable institutions such as orphans
ages, says the report, in which the
children usually get no wagessfor their
labor. are worked overtime and under
conditions violating not only the law
but the ordinary rules hygiene. and in