Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-09
working constantly to protect little folks
from undue hardship.

from UNDUE nardSh1p.
.sE
Eleven states have recently passed laws
prohibiting children under sixteen being
employed in the
Laws Regulating mines. Som
Children in Mines. sss un,, a.
which children may be kept from engag-
ing in employment that is dangerous or
injurious to health. Ohio prohibits dip
ping, drying or packing matches, the
manufacture and packing Of explosives.
and for girls under sixteen years of age
the manufacture and packing Of tobac-
CO. South Dakota prohibits employment
under fifteen in factories, hotels. laun-
dries, elevators or theaters Thirteen
states prohibit employment under four
teen years in stores. factories, bowling
alleys. bakeries and theaters.
The work of the messengers and the
newsbeys is also being taken up by the
national child labor committee 1t has
been found that the duties Of messenger
boys take them to questionable places at
night and expose them to temptations I'M
suited to tender years. Investigations
by the committee prove that the large
majority of calls made for messengers
after 10 o'clock at night are to the re-
sorts Of the underworld. Some of the
states. notably Pennsylvania. have lately
passed laws prohibiting any minor from
being sent to an immoral resort, but these
are not as actively enforced as they
should be.
The committee urged the issuing of
permit to newsboys and bootblacks, and
others engaged in street trades. This
should not be granted in school hours to
boys under sixteen, or to boys under
twelve outside of school hours. and
special cooperation with the compulsory
education department should secure the
enforcement of these regulations. In
New York and other cities in which the
newsboys license has been tried it has
been received with favor by the boys
the when its privileses and bene-
of the Curbstone wear their badges as
proudly as medals of honor and generally
can be relied upon to assist the child
labor committee in the enforcement Of
all their regulations.
The employment of children in theaters
Of the child
Children in. Theaters labor COM
Is Also Being Tabooed f. ia some. me.
times difficult to supply, childrens parts.
A popular play with a strong juvenile
part was stopped in Boston this winter
on the ground that the child in question
was under the age required by law for
employment in theaters. A young lady
in the company made up as child and
the play went on successfully, proving
that young children are not essential
upon the stage.
The provision for children of dependent
-
the child labor committee. This matter
must be, of course, equally under the
consideration of the organized charity
associa tons, which in every instance are
closely in sympathy with the work of
the child labor committee.
There is no law so hard to enforce or
so much opposed by SO many classes OF
people as that governing child labor.
Even the children he law would protect
are often anxious to break it, and aid
their parents in any deception practfced
for this purpose. Parents will oppose
the passage of a child labor law because
they desire the income earned by the
children. Employers fight 1t because
child labor is in some respects cheaper
than adults and secures them larger
profits from their business.
The worst phase of the question is the
encoura cement of perjury on the part of
children and parents, and only the most
continued vigilance on the part of the
child labor inspectors and more stringent
laws regarding age registration will
overcome it. Employers of child labor
wink at age discrepancies and accept
without question certificates registering
a much higher age than the children
presenting them could possibly possess.
The children themselves, being eager to
earn money. will readily swear that they
are several years older. though they WILL
of course, break down under stiff ques-
toning
Tomorrow-THE EFFICIENCY EN-
GINEER.