The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-14

state forbade it, but as an experiment.
and from a business point Of view
after a test of three years he has de-
cided that it viii pay. He found that
children may be employed cheaper but
that they break more machinery and
that they are more expensive in the
long run. This manufacturer went be-
fore the legislature and is working for
the movement.
Work Accomplished.
The National Child Labor Commit
tee has been working for eight years
said the speaker. and during that time
has succeeded IN getting child labor
laws Of some kind In 20 states and Is
now conducting campaigns in rs.
Birmingham Meeting.
The Birmingham meeting, Mr.. Love
10y said, was the best one ever held.
He said there was some fear that It
would be poorly attended because once
before one In the south was not sue
cessfuI, but that the Birmingham
meeting was attended by more people
and more speakers Of national reputa-
ton than any In the history of the or
ganization. and that more light was
given on the subject than ever before.
The meeting was composed Of men of
every station In life and many new
members were added to the roll. Now
the membership is more than Ave
thousand, these members contributing
to the fund which makes the work
possible.
The Florida Law.
The speaker said he was with the
people to confer with them in regard
| to asking the legislature to pass a law
of this kind In Florida He said the
law as introduced in the last legisla-
ture was a good one but It was amend
ed beyond recognition He then told
about the children IN the vegetable
growing districts of Maryland who
were supposed to be in school after
the season, but instead were shipped
by boat to Florida to work In the sea-
port towns in the oyster industry and
other similar occupations.
Some one IN the audience asked
what would the widows now depend
ing upon the wages of children under
II years do IL law was passed IN
Florida. The speaker said there are
two answers to the question. The way
II OuBuI 10 DC dI6NOTSO, AO Sdlup .
that no species of animals can survive
for long at time II it feeds upon its
young, and that to widows who have
contributed wealth to a commonwealth
IN the form of human life, at the risk
Of their own, that the state should
pension them until the children are old
enough to adequately support her.
The other answer, and this is ths
method used in other places success
fully, is to raise a fund and pay the
children of widows as much as they
would earn at work to go to school.
The teacher reports to the committee
the number Of days attended and the
child is given a regular weekly pay
envelope. The speaker says that the
proportion which actually need help Is
much smaller than Is supposed and
that where the system is in vogue the
ones drawing pay from the committee
gradually decrease in number. DIR. g.
T. Hall, of the Pensacola Associated
Charities, was called upon to give
what proportion of those in Pensacola
who would need assistance II the rule
was applied here. He said that out of
/ the 500 families which would be af-
fected by such a law ne did not think
there would be more than two who
would need actual aid. Mr.. Lovejoy
said this was about in proportion to
other towns.
Fathers Not Working.
Another in the audience asked II 1t
was not a fact that many of the
fathers did not work where the chill
dren were at work. The speaker said
this was the rule and not the excep-
ton, that in many cases the fathers
were only dinner toters." Rev. Mr..
Sibley said that in two mills IN Geor-
gia with which his father was con-
nected these dinner toters" were very
numerous and caused much disturb
ance. The speaker gave to illustrate
this condition Of affairs that a lobby
of these dinner toters" was main
| tanned at a state legislature fighting
1.-THE movement to eliminate child Labor.
Children Belong in School.
One man in the audience asked If
the children were taken from the far
tories would the schools be sufficient
to take care of them? In most cases
| 1t would not, said the speaker, but the
schools were provided sooner or later
where child labor was not allowed. In
South Carolina. he said, there has been
4
an epidemic Of school building and
that more than $4,000 have been taken
out of the factories and sent TO school,
where formerly they never entered u
school building.
The Proposed Bill.
1 In answering a query as to what
would be the proposed Florida bill,
Mr.. Lovejoy said he hoped it would
provide an eight-hour clause as well
as that for an age limit of IA and 1e
for night work, and for the lighter
works a provision for a license to al :
low children as young as ten years 20
sell papers or do other light work after
school hours. This age limit win not
apply to agricultural work He said
the convicts were allowed to work only