Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-12
Put to Work in Austria Before
Six Years of AGE.
ARE NOT PAID IN BELGIUM
Laws Which Do Not Regulate Are
Evaded or Not Enforced.
CONDITIONS BAD EVERYWHERE
Little Ones Taught in France to
Disappear Through Trapdoors
When Inspector Comes.

A report dealing with child labor in
Europe, covering more than 4O0 pages of
the bureau of labor bulletin, has been
made by DR.. c. w. A. Veditz, a professor
of sociology in George Washington Uni
versity. who made special investigation
in Austria, Belgian, France, Germany,
Switzerland and Italy. The investie ator
gathered all his data from official records
and sources of information.
Conditions Complained Of.
Child labor In Belgium, not paid at all:
children in Austria. beginning work be-
for six years of age: child laborers in
France, drilled TO sappear through trap
doors at the approach Of insp, ctors. and
general Indifferent enforcement Of the
child labor laws through which employers
find it more profitable to pay the nominal
fines imposed than to ob;y the regula-
lions, are some of the conditions described
in the report.
The general conclusion is that child Ia
Dor laws abroad are in many essential
resp cts poorly enforced, and that the
penalties imposed for violations are ridic-
ulously small and of practically no deter
rent vaiue. The report gives data indi-
eating that in most Of these countries
1t would be physical impossibility for
the inspectors to do more than a frac-
tional part of their work or to do that
part thoroughly, and that the s. are
astound.ngly lenient with Offenders againsl
labor laws.
Child Labor in Homes.
In Austria only one-fourth of the child
| workers are employed in establishments
that are inspected annually. The force is
| SO inadequate that it would take fifty
nine years to visit once every establ, sh.
ment subject to the labor laws. The ma
| Jority of the smaller concerns are never
visited.
Child labor in Austria is not regulated
in workshops, in household indus. ries or
| In commercial establishments. Hence the
factory laws, tar as they have re-
duced child labor at all, have simply
driven 1t out of the factories into the
homes OF the workers, into small work.
| shops and into establishments lying out
| side the scope of the labor laws
A recent official invest CATION disclosed
| that about half the children began work
before they were eight years Of age,
while large number began before they
| were six years old. Their compensation
| lain articles of clothing to S14 year for
| those In agricultural occupations.
n large proport on received wages of
| 80 cents to $3.50 a month Those en-
| piOyGu III SALOONS ana DOWNING alleys
usually average cents an hour plus free
| beer, sometimes left over by guests.
Ignorance of Law Defense.
| The Belgium child labor law provides
that ignorance Of the law is a sufficient
defense of proved violations. Many viola
! ions entirely escape detection, the re-
port says. The bulk of those Visited are
| listed only once q year.
Only a fractional part of the cases of
| detected violations are brought to trial,
and In these cases the. fines imposed
average about 81. Specific instances are
quoted in which employers frankly de.
care it to &c much cheaper to viola .e
the law and pay the fine .han to comply
with it.
One-fourth Of the child laborers in Bel
GUM under sixteen years OF age either
get no money wages at ali or earn less
than 10 cents day; more than one-half
Of them receive between 10 and % cents
| a Jay, and less than one-fifth receive 30
cents or more.
In France, the investigator says. the
enactment of new labor laws has pro-
ceeded much more rapidly than provi-
siOns for their enforcement If every
establishment subject to the laws were
to be inspected once a year that would
mean each inspector would have to visit
4,2o5 concerns.