The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-10
BAD MORALS DUE
TO CHILD LABOR.
Dr.. F. E. FrOnczak Arraigns En-.
plOyers Who Fail to Observe
Sanitary Rules.
THROWING TOGETHER OF MEN
AND GIRLS HAS BAD EFFECT
Union Representative Protests
Against Employment of Women
in Foundries.

Buffalo, n. Y, Dec. s.-The growth of
immortality among young girls, a yearly
increase in the number OF flegitimate
births and in the birth II sickly children
was laid directly at the door OF employers
OF child labor and employers of women,
who fail to provide sanitary workshops
for them, by DR.. Francis E. Fronczak,
commissioner Of health of Buffalo, who
testified to-day before the State Factory
Investigation Commission. DR.. Fronczak
said that employers who allowed children
and women to work for them under such
conditions should be indicted as criTni-
mails. DR.. Fronczak was questioned re-
garding the employment of women and
girls in canneries, packing houses, and
the core rooms of foundries. 1T is
blot on our civilization that conditions
such as exist in canning factories near
Buffalo are allowed to continue after
once being exposed" said DR.. FroncZak.
There we have the spectacle of chill
dren as young as four years old work
ing for from eight to ten or eleven
hours a day under conditions that are
far from sanitary. l have learned that
women have worked in these canneries
il9 hours in one week and in one spec!-
nc instance 1 know of a woman who
worked III hours and received only Sll.75.
4 woman working like that, twenty-one
OUT OF INenCN-IOuT NC n
physical wreck in two months"
Children Forced to Work.
These wages were so SMALL said the
witness. that the children were forced
into the canneries to add 81 or s. week
to the family's support for working
hours almost as long as those put in by
matured women. Surroundings in which
these slaves work." continued DR.. Fronc-
Yak ARE such as to breed immortality.
Often large numbers Of women. girls,
boys and men are housed together in
such a way that the familiarity of IN
tercourse soon leads to immortality. This
is largely to blame for the increased
number Of Legitimate births yearly and
the cause of the young girls going as
tray
Aside from the disagreeable surround
ings under which they work. DR.. Fronc-
Yak told the commission that If provided
with rubber boots TO keep their feet dry
and clothing TO keep the damp air from
penetrating to their skins, he saw no
objection to allowing those women who
could stand it, from working in the
packing houses. Testimony was to the
effect that no children are employed in
Buffalo packing houses.
The employment of women in the core
rooms of foundries next was taken up
foundrymen defended the employment Of
women, but members of trades unions
who appeared, favoring a bill making 1t
illegal to employ women in foundries,
objected 10 the work of women in these
places.
Would Bar Women.
W. L. Van Allen, a representative OF the
foundrymen's union declared that wom-
en- working in the foundries are forced
to carry heavy weights. This work
caused them to become stoop shouldered-
For this work women get 50 a week for
nine hours a day. 1t would cost $3.50 4
day to employ men at the same work.
Representatives of the cigarmakers'
unions also appeared to object to the
employment of children in cigar fac
tories They complain that children,
mostly girls, at twelve years old, are
set to work at feeding machines, and
for a week of so to 20 hours receive
only 81
Complaint was also made to the COM
mission that department stores are not
living up to the law in allowing women
employees to rest when opportunity per-
nlits. Chairs are provided in most
stores. it was testified. but employees
were not allowed to use them.
The commission leaves tonight for
Rochester. where tomorrow, it will
make a further investigation into con-
ditions in canning factories