Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-12-01

~~~A5AuAAAs oASO, III hummer OF II
. lspectors is reported as inadequate
and inspectors complain that the fine
, Imposed for violation of law are altc
, tgether too low to produce porper de
terrent effect, particularly in view o
the numberless devices employed b,
certain manufacturers to- circumven
the law.
In France the age at which indus
triaH employment may legally begin i.
1S, but the school requirements arr
Satisfied and physicians certificate
lof physical fitness can be secured
employment may begin at IL. In &C.
Equations regarded as dangerous, in.
FURIOUS, or unhealthful, employment
under Is years is prohibited, or even
-|presence in certain classes of fac
tories. The hours of labor are limit
led to 10 per day. Night work between
the hours of 9 and 5 is prohibited for
Jail children under 10.
In France the official statistics show
that the number of inspectors has in
creased oyer 80 per cent during the
lpast Is years, while the number of
establishments inspected has doubled
land the number of persons employed
therein has increased IS per cent. At
the end of 1908 there were still $4,000
establishments, subject to inspection,
Many of the visited establishments
had not been inspected for two or
three years, for in 1908 the officials
were able to inspect only 10000 es-
adjustments, each departmental in
spector visiting during that year at,
least once an average of over 1900
concerns.
| Certain provisions of the French
law, like that of medical examina-
ton of children, believed by the in
spectors to be engaged in occupations
injurious to physical development, are
considered by most of the inspectors
to- be somewhat illusory. Much the
same thing is true of the provision
that all child laborers must have an
age certificate. Frequently the certi-
ticates are altered or carelessly made
out, or actually forged. This has been
the case to a notable extent in connec-
ton with the large numbers of italian
children imported into France by
padrones for distribution among glass
works and tile yards of France, as
we'll as for employment in hootblack--
ing and chimney sweeping. This sys-
tenn of importation became so serious
as to lead to International negotia-
tons between Italy and France with
a view to its curtailment.
The French inspectors complain of
leniency in Furnishing violations of
the law, just as in other countries
covered by this study. The inspectors
report great resourcefulness, both on
the part of employers and children, in
escaping detection. To stimulate the
agility of children in disappearing
when the inspectors visit their works
some glass manufacturers have offer
ed przes for the children who could
hide themselves most quickly at a
given signal,
The German child-labor law permits
industrial employment to begin at IA
years, although work not exceeding 6
hours per day may begin at Is if the
required school attendance has been
completed. For occupations consider
ed as dangerous or injurious, the en-
ployment of children is prohibited, or
lis permitted only under special regu-
Ilations. For children under y16 years
the hours of work arealimited to 10,
and night work is prohibited between
the hours of $3.50 and $50.
In many respects the most radical
departure in child-labor legislation on
the Continent is found in the German
child-labor law Of 1908, which at
tempts to regulate the employment Of
children in their own homes and I'M
der the direction Of their parents.
This law owes its enactment largely
to the systematic investigation in
augurated by national organization
of school teachers who became con-
WINGED that the factory laws had in
many instances driven the child Ia
borers out of the factories into home
Industries and into non-industrial pur-
suits not reached by previous legisla-