The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-31
CHILD LABOR IN VERMONT
Report of Harry L. Piper Who Has
investigated Conditions.

Rutland, Oct. 29.-Harry L. Piper
of Westminster, who has been max
ing study of conditions throughout
Vermont under the direction of the
national child labor committee, made
public his report here today. He
gives a brief statement of the num-
Der of children found in various en-
pigments in about. 20 towns in the
State. On the whole the report speaks
well for conditions in Vermont, only
small amount of the youthful labor
reported being of an intentional ma
ture. Fully 80 per cent of the chill
dren found employed in violation OF
the law were working in ignorance of
the law on their own part or on the
part OF their employers, or through
Misrepresentation of their ages.
Boys were 5ound in violation of the
law, as bell boys in hotels, in nearly
all the large towns. The chief OBJ
lection to this form of employment is
the late hours. The same objection
applies to the boys found working il
legally in bowling alleys and as tele-
graph messengers. Comment was
made on the fact that mems clubs
and Y. NJ. c. AS violated the law
as regards pin boys in bowling alleys
just as freely as do the public bowl
ing alleys.
In regard to child labor, which is
legal under the present laws, Mr.
Piper spoke of children working in
stores as especially needing protec-
ton. In many cases boys who go to
school are working an average of six
hours a day outside of their hours in
school, and from IL to Is hours on
Saturdays. Another legal form of
child labor which he condemned
strongly was the employment of boys
from II to 16 years old as ushers in
the moving picture theatres. AS a
rule these boys were not doing good
work in school and their eyesight
was being spoiled
A large part of the inv estigation
was given 20 conoltions IN the small
rural communities. 1t was shown
that in a large number of the small
towns less than so per cent. of the
boys remained in school until they
were 16 years old or until they had
received the education required by
statute. Most of these boys were at
work OH the farms. Many who are
enrolled in school attend so irregu-
larry that their progress is much
slower than II should be, and they
reach the age when they can legally
leave school without having reached
more than sixth grade standing.
They work at home on the farms
when there is anything to do and 60
to school when there is not. This ap-
plies to boys down to IL years old
OF the $4,000 children In the State
between the ages of eight and l6.
nearly 10000 are in the rural com
munites. This indicates the magni.
tude of the rural problem and the
necessity OF more adequate mode of
meeting It,
In conducting the Investigation il
was found that nearly all the mill
owners and superintendent were ig-
norant OF the exact provisions of the
present law though all thought they
knew something about il. In general
the enforcement of the child labor
law, as well as the compulsory edu-
cation law, is left in the hands of the
schooi department The permit sys-
tenn OF allowing children to 90 to
work is used in very lax manner.
A uniform system of giving and
recording permits to work is one of
the great needs, especially in the
smaller places.