Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1912-08-02
CHILDREN ON BLOCK !
HIGHEST BIDDER GETS THEM IN
A BAvARlAN MARKET.
Farmers Lease Offspring Of Poor Peas
ants for Hard Work on Farm
During the Summer
Months.

Berl!n.-The annual child market"
In Friederichshaven, in Bavaria, has
Just been held. Boys and girls-little
white slaves they are-were leased
out for the summer. The scenes
around the market place resembled
page from Uncle Toms Cabin"
III give $50 marks for HIM"
Il bid 1851"
900 bid"
"210 bid"
1925 bid"
The competition was keen, for the
boy was sturdy-looking lad. Despite
his poverty-stricken appearance, he
seemed to be stronger and healthier
than many Of the other children.
Around him swarmed a score of peas
ant farmers scanning the child as
they would the points of horse.
There was little sentiment in their de-
meanor. 1t was business" They
were buying him, to be exact, 'leas-
ing" the boy. They expected to make
profit" on their investment, hence
they did not want boy who possibly
would be i'll and could not work hard.
He was knocked down" at 240 marks.
or $50. The next boy was younger;
he lacked the robustness of the 9th
er lad; he was pale. thin and did not
look as If he ever had a full meal.
He went at $50.
The Austrian steamer Maria The
resa had brought 1875 boys and thirty
girls, ranging in ages from eleven to
sixteen years, across the Boden sea.
They were Quartered at the Golden
Wheel hotel, an appropriate place for
this childrens lottery. Orphans, half
orphans and children Of poor peasants
in the Austrian Tyrol region, who
thereby profit a little, are turned over
to the Tyrolean Children's society
which in turn leases them out for the
summer months.
More than 500 peasant farmers
from Wurtemburg, Baden, HohenZol-
lern and the Bavarian region along
the Boden sea, We're on hand to bid"
for these youthful wage slaves. Com
petition was keen The demand this
year was greater than the supply. and
prices considerably higher than last
spring We're offered for the labor of
the children for the summer. The
children had nothing to say about
their fate, whether they liked the
looks of the lessee" or not. The
market" was held under the auspices
of Rev Mr.. Balm of the Tyrolean
Children's society, who had charge of
them for the society.
From daylight to dark and after the
children labor, which in South Ger
many means about II or 1S hours
daily. 1t is only natural that the
''lessees'" y chief interest IS to get as
much out OF them as possible. What
the fate of some of the children is. is
indicated by the Tyrolean Grenz-
boten, a paper which has started an
agitation against this child market" D."
1t says:
The children return to their
parents and homes October 2S, if they
do not fall a victim to the heavy la
Dor, long hours, intense longing for
father, mother and brothers and Sis
ters in the summer. and are buried
in the regions where they were
| leased
We ask, in what land or country
would the authorities permit such a
slave trade to exist? That many of
these children have a hard time OF it
under the strangers to whom they
have been leased is evident from the
fact that the Children's society has a
number of farmers on its blacklist to
whom they refuse TO lease children
again. But what good does that do
the little ones whom they have ruined
. physically and morally?'
The Morgenpost of Berlin also mar
vels that the authorities of Bavaria
Wurtemburg and Baden would toler-
ate dealing in little slaves"
uINEC In A ClIp'C Q0II EQ