Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-11-08
State Officer Charges Vicla-
ton Of Child Labor Law.
BOYS WORK AT SHlPYARD
Five Persons Summoned to Court as
Result of investigation Here by
Inspector Ciinedinst and Organizer
Dayldson-Other Similar offenses.

street, ard MIR. and Mrs. John T..
Martin. OF TIA Thirty-third street, ana
John Hare and his wife, negroes, OF
3fOG Chestnut avenue, were summon
ed yesterday evening to appear in the
police court this morning to answer
1.-The charge of violating the State child
labor law. enacfed by the last State
legislature. II is alleged that the par
ents have been allowing their chill
dren. who are under the age or -FOUR
teen years, to work in the plant OF
the Newport News Shipbuilding x
Dry Dock Company in violation OF the
law. The penalty prescribed for the
offense is fine of not less than $50
nor more than 500.
The warrants ON which the accused
were summoned to court were sworn
out yesterday before Justice OF the
Peace B. b. Semmes at the instigation
OF ]. B. Clinedinst, labor inspector OF
the State department OF LABOR. MT
Clinedinst and Emmett L. DAVIDSON.
district organizer for the American
of Labor. have been here for the past
week investigating alleged VIOLATIONS
of the child labor law.
Saws False Information Was Given.
Under this law the employment OF
children under the age of fourteen
years is prohibited. The inspector
charges that TO eyade this law and
secure employment for the children.
the parentsswho have been summoned
to court have furnished the employ
ment agent at the shipyard a written
statement that the children were more
than fourteen years of age.
INSPECTOR Clinedinst says that he
has secured evidence that there are
more than fifty boys working In the
shipyard who are under the age oil
fourteen years and in every instance
the children have been employed on
the false statement of their parents
or guardians that they are more than
fourteen years old. In eight cases he
has learned. he says. that although
they had notes from their parents that
they were more than fourteen years
old. the employment clerk at the ship
ward refused to allow the boys to APP
ply for work because he did not be-
lieve that the statements OF their par
ents as to their age were correct.
Not Officials. Not Involved.
The shipyard officials are In no wise
involved in the cases, ii is sara, be-
cause in every case where a boy mas
been employed ahey have the written
statements of the boys parents or
guardian that the youngster is more
than fourteen years OF age.
After the cases of the parents
summoned yesterday have been dis
posed of this morning, 1t 3 expected
that more warrants will be sworn out
by the State labor inspector against
parents whose children are employed
at the yard.
First of Such Gases Here.
These are the first warrants issued
here under the new child labor NV
and the cases this morning probably
will attract much attention. J. b.
Clinedinst and A. G. Koontz, formerly
president of the Central Labor Union,
will be the chief witness for the state.
Before appealing to the local au-
thorities. Mr.. Clinedinst secured all
OF the necessary evidence against the
parents against whom warrants have
been issued. He then wrote Com
monwealths Attorney Berkeley calling
his attention to the cases in question
CAPTAIN Berkeley turned the letters
over to Chief OF Police Mitchell with
the request that warrants be issued
to cover the cases laid out by the In
spector.