The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-28
PROVISION MADE FOR. !. CH|LDREN'S BUREAU.
Uncle Sam to Assemble All
 Available Data
NEED KEENLY FELT
Will Be Devoted to Study and POpu- larizatiOn of the Needs of Chil- dren-Idea Originated by
 Miss Wald
By C. D. STEWART

l Washington, October Special J. During the last session of Congress there was bill passed establishing the ehildrens bureau in the department of commerce and labor; 1t is bill to which the democratic Congress points with considerable pride and for which they take credit as democratic achievement.
 The suggestion for the establishment l Of children's bureau was first made i by Miss Lillian w. wald. head of the Nurses settlement in New York. Her conception of federal bureau devoted 10 the study and populariza tion of the needs of children appealed not only to l q great number of the most authorita- tive individuals and organizations er- gagged in work for children. but also to the general public. which. through the work of the department of agriculture, was prepared for similar governmental service in the interest of children. A bill for the establishment of the bureau was introduced in Congress in the winter of 1905-6, through the ef- forts of the national child labor com mittee and many cooperating agencies. Although indorsed by the President and 1 by members of the cabinet. and warmly advocated by members Of both houses. tie bill failed to reach a vote In the Sixtieth Congress Gs0S-9) the bill was reintroduced; it received the approval of the regular committee to which it was referred, and was made the sub iect of a special message by the Presi- dent. but 1t again failed to reach a final vote. Tn the Sixty-first Congress l t1909-10) it had similar history. It re- nained for a democratic Congress-the sixty-second, to pass the bill which it did on April g, 1912.
 The act establishing the bureau pro- l vides that it shall investigate and re- port upon all matters pertaining to the
 welfare of children and child life among all classes of our people, and shall especially investigate the ques- l tion of infant mortality the birth rate. orphanages, juvenile courts, desertion, l dangerous occupations, accidents and diseases of children, employment and Legislation affecting children In tho several states and territories
 Whether the republic shall live or 1 die depends upon the children" and 1t l was the intention of Congress to estab- l fish this bureau as an aid to the sev- eral states in the general promotion Of
 the welfare of the children The Sen ate committee on education and labor in making it's report declared
 The bill as drawn and recommended | fer passage confines the operation Of the bureau primarily to the question of ] investigation and of reporting same, 1 the design and purpose being to fur i. .nish informa ton in this general way 1 from all parts of the country to the I respective states to enable them to deal | int 1ts nd taf l. l cally and uniformly with the subject. l The bill is not designed to encroach 1 upon the rights nor relieve the states l from the duty of dealing with this subject, but to furnish the information to enable them to deal more success
 fully with it." It was the opinion of the committee that the duty devolved l primarily upon the states to legislate | upon this important subject, and the 1 states can more effectively deal with | it. But it seemed to the committee that there was duty upon the hart of 1 the national government to aid in get | ting information and data with view of assisting in the work, and that the national government could get such in- formation and data more effectively | than the respective states.
 The first work of the new bureau will be to bring together the existing 1 material on the subject within its scope | 1 oe the field and avoid duplicating work which has already been done either by l public or private agencies.
 l The United States governmen nj through various bureaus has already col- 1 lected much statistical material re- l lating to children, but if is scattered l through many publications and has never been brought together and cor related by persons interested primarily | ip children The bureau will proceed 1 to bring this material together and. l using if as a basis, will issue con-
 venient handbooks of statistics of chill 1 Gren, so that the important data which l the government has compiled may be
 readily available for all agencies en- i ga ged in work for children.
 l Current literature, both in this coun- fry and abroad. is rich in material re- ,ating to children. The office of H. I brarian reader has therefore been es- tatlished, requiring the services of one ] " ho is not only n trained and experi- enced libra rian. but is also thoroughly familiar with the principle foreign lan- ! euages and trained In sociology and l economies, SO that it will be possible
 to select translate if necessary and
 Tfepare for immediate use the signifi- can't material published on child prob l lens.
 The law obviously intends that the i bureau shall become a clearing house
 for information regarding actual or | pending legislation in the several states l regarding I children. This Legislation
 should be digested in these cases in l which the work has not already been i done by some other government bureau or by some private agency. The neces- ! sity for digests is obvious, in view Of the important part played by the law
 iii many of the problems of child well i fare.
 1 It is clearly recognized that the pro ] rramme thus mapped out is a mere be- l ginning and that the field of the bu- d reau is far wider than these first plans would indicate, but it will be come time l before the bureau can do mors- than en- fdeayor to carry out this progra mme. 1 Suggestions for further work twill. l However te carefully considered at any l fime and are invited
 i It must be born in mind that the bu- reau has no power to do administra- i tive work. It cannot make any regu- ilations concerning children nor create 1 any institutions for them It's duty IS solely to study and report upon condi- tione affecting the welfare of children. 1 It will endeavor to secure pertinent | facts and to present them promptly and clearly for use and popular distri- hutton. It's effectiveness must depend upon the use made of these facts by the people of the United States.
 And at that it is a great work, and the state legislatures and officials