Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-11-27
10 HOUR DAY
FOR LITTLE TOT
Girl Exposes Unusual Con-
ditions in Cannerios.

$1,000
factory investigating commission heard
Miss Mary Elizabeth Chamberlain Of
New York city, asVassar college girl
Of the class Of 1909 tel of amazing
conditions In canning establishments
up the state. About thirty or more
owners Of the canneries heard her
dramatic recital.
The Gamer craned their neeks to get
a good look at Miss Chamberlain when
she calmly told how she had beer en-.
gagged by the factory commission as q
private detective and investigator to
make a personal tour of the canneries
n ascertain for the use of the com
mission If reports of h%ardships prac-
ticed upon children and Of fragrant VIC
lations of the la law are well found
ed.
Miss Chamberlain told the commits
sion that she went from one Gamer to
another looking for q Job" and of
working at various establishments. AT
one cannery. the witness said. the time.
keeper got fresh with her and in
suited her She gave the commission
the name and address of this man.
Has Diary of Experiences.
Miss Chamberlain had a diary OF her
experiences In the canning sheds and
factories. From p%ersons1 observation.
she said, she discovered that children
ranging in ages from -four years up had
been employed stripping" beans, husk-
Ing corr or sorting peas or beans. Miss
Chamberlain said the spectacle of
these little human machines, some of
them four or five and six years old and
some of them with their fingers wrap
ped up In bandages, the result Of hav-
ing them split In their work. was as
sad as 1t was shocking" During the
busy season in the canneries. Miss
Chamberlain said. the youngsters york
ed regularly from 4 a. m. until 10 p. N.
and sometimes until midnight, and she
ventured the suggestion that the people
of this state would be appalled, If they
were to see these children on cool
mornings wrapped up in blankets at
work In the canning sheds scarcely
awake.
Some of the children would fall
asleep. others would cry and want to
quit work, but | have seen them
whacked by their parents and com
PEELED to stay at their task. Happily
enough, these parents were not Ameri
cans. Most of the compulsory work
was at the hands Of foreigners. the
American mothers being more consider
ate Of their offspring.
Pulled Out of Bed.
zone little fellow. Little Jack | call
ed him. old me one morning he had
been pulled out of bed at 3 o'clock
and he had been up until u the night
before. Honest Miss Chamberlain
said he contide1 in her, "'it didn't
seem as II l was In bed a minute"
Little Jack" the witness said, had
worked II day from 4 a. m. until II
p. m. and had made S1.40. Miss Cham
berlain told the commission that the
owner of one cannery insisted chill
dren were not employed as early as
4 a. m. but that she Weakened in her
boarding place at 3 a, m. one morning
and discovered a parade of mothers
and children and baby carriages MAX
ing for the canner'es. Miss Cham
berlain said she dressed and followed
the procession and discovered her con.
cl -sions were well founded.
When the factory commission made
Its inspection of the ~canneries last
summer Miss Chamberlain said the
news of the visit of the investigators
went from one cannery to unotlle.
ahead of the commission. with the
result that 1.-The bosses hurried the kids
out Of the plants"
Miss Chamberlain said she slaveu
with othe- girls In the canneries for
10 cents an hour. often for fifteen or
sixteen hours a day. and lived in
crowded apartments with the cannery
toilers.