The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-27
CONFERENCE OF
CHARITIES ENDS
Meeting Leads to Cleaning Up
of st. Louis Slums
WAGE SCALES RAISED
Robert C. Chaplin Speaks on Nation
Wide Awakening on the Subject
of Raising Wages In Many
Leading Industries

st. Louis, May 26.-The twenty-seventh
annual conference of Charities and Cor
rections closed here tonight with dis
cusslon on lawbreakers.
Maj. R. w. McClaughey, warden of
the federal prison at Fort Leavenworth,
Kas., spoke on the reformatory methods
he employs in the penal institution, and
DR.. Catherine Dement, Davis, superintend-
ent of the New York state reformatory
for women, made her report.
As the result of the report of visit
ing committee of the conference on the
condition of the Sums of st. Louis
Mayor Kreismann today ordered whole
sale cleaning up of the tenement dis
trict.
That a nation wide movement for the
raising of wage scales in many industries
has set in and that there has been a
quickening of the conscience of the aver
age American citizen in relation to the
problems arising out of underpaid labor
was brought out by Prof. Robert c.
Chaplin of the department of economics,
Beloit college. Beloit. Wis.
He presented the results of a study Of
wage scales and family budgets made
among the coal miners of Illinois, the
meat packing industry of Chicago. the
boot and shoe industry of Massachu-
sets, the teamsters of New York, the
iron and steel workers of Pennsylvania,
and submitted evidence to prove that
the medan wage of $40 to s12 a week for
all the factory industries in the country
as stated by the census bureau. is not a
living wage In cities like New York,
Pittsburg and Chicago. save for sin
gle man.
Such wages do not permit men to sup
port families In comfort. He showed that
in the Industries and localities where
these wages prevail, there are always
found the natural concomitant of over
growing in tenements or the crowdiny
of homes with dodgers, dependence upon
the earnings of mother and children and
recurring debt and restitution.
The legal control of midwives by the
states in which they live and practice
was urged by Miss Carolyn c. Van Blair
com of New York.
"Midwives, the majority of whom are
unframed, unlicensed and unregistered
said Miss Van Blarcom. preside over
large proportion of births occurring in
large cities. They should either be elm
mated or educated and supervised as in
European countries Midwives could be
controlled and the standard raised in this
country by having existing schools of
midwifery taken under the control OF
the state boards of regents, the stand
ards of these schools being established
and maintained by these boards A d.
ploma from such a school would entitls
the holder to a certificate from the board
of health in the locality where she wished
to practice this board OF health having
power and authority to critically super
wise the work. home and equipment OF
such midwife, and to revoke her license
for sufficient reasons. To accomplish
these ends. wide publicity to the move
ment for the prevention of blindness must
be given, assistance through legislation,
concerted action Of doctors and laymen.
and educational work of such a nature
and extent that the public will appre-
c,ate the gravity of the situation. and
mothers know that sore eyes are not
natural. will not heal of themselves. and
that infantile blindness Is not result OF
Divine dispensation."
Tn an address on the prevention of
Blindness" DIR. NJ, H. Post of st. Louis
announced that there are $4,000 blind peo-
pie in the United States. 5000 OF whom
are those said to be blind from olrtn.
practically all of these said Or. POST
were infected at the time OF their BIRTH
owing to the negligence of the physician.
midwife or nurse. All OF these cases
could have been prevented by very
simple expedient."
! He urged the better training of physi-
clans and nurses, the compulsory regis
tration of midwives, and the education OF
the general public in relation to prevent
able blindness and its causes He gave
as a reason the fact that the blind are
largely dependent and instead of con-
tributing to the wealth OF the communi-
ty, they are. with Few exceptions' =
drain on its resources