The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-11-29
bIB|ES At WORK
| IN CANNER|ES' /
,,auI Condition Of Little Children
Who Are Forced to Toll In
New York Packing
Pants
1vE YEARS OF AGE
Youngsters start al Four a. m. and
slave Until 1000 =. m. Un-
till Their Hands arc
Numb.
I'VE YEARS OF AGE

5IJnited Press Leased Wire Service
| NEW YORK, Nov. 80. Drastic pro
.hIbjtory laws, which will do away with
the employment Of babies in the can
'neries of New York state; with the
working of women in iron boundaries,
land with the general abuses in con-
|nection with the employment of wo-
Imen and children, will be the first
legislation considered by the in-com-
ling state legislature Robert F. Wag-
|ner democratic leader Of the state
[senate. and chairman OF the commits
|slop which has been Investigating fac
|tory and working conditions through
but the state, declared today that his
committee will have its report ready
soon after the legislature meets on
January1, and that It will offer i'm.
portant remedial legislation.
| One Of the laws will be along the
bne suggested by Miss Mary Cham
berlain, the young college graduate
who has been Investigating the can
|neries Of the state for the benefit OF
the commission, that the canneries be
brought under the supervision OF the
state department of labor. If this is
Hone, employees can be worked only
Sixty hours a week. In addition to
Miss Chamberlain, 1t developed today
that other investigators have been
working as day laborers IN the can
Eeres and their stories. sti1i to be
k1ld, will corroborate that Of the
foung woman. Miss Chamberlain has
positively sworn that children of from
ben to sixteen years have been work
ed from four in the morning until
eighs Or ten at NIGHT and that in GER
Jain other canneries other children,
title babies as young as five years,
haye been worked shipping beans in
fefance Of the agricultural law.
Not only are girls and women un-
Rer-paid Miss Chamberlain has sworn
put they are at times and in certain
localities, subjected TO insult and in.
fienities by male employees.
The woman investigator, who grad
nated from yassar, worked as day
aborer in canneries at Holly, South
Dayton and Albion, and In the capa.
Pity Of seeking employment observed
Conditions at Hamburg, Eden Centre,
Silver Greek, Farnham and Fredonia
Ehe carefully KEEP. q detailed record
pf her observations and submitted II
Eo the investigating commission. One
flgnificant entry from this diary
Rroused the commission as nothing
Use brought before It. II was as fol
lows:
August 20, little Jack, aged -, was
Up from three O'Clock in the morning
ewas shipping beans from 4.30 un
h 10 p. M, with only one half hour
tor dinner and few minutes for sup
er. He said: NV fingers are broke.
ie went to bed last night at IL anc
30. up at 3. He said he was 'awfu
Pred, but his mother made hin
york He tried to go home severa
lines. His hands were swollen HI!
lister aged 10 could hardly keep hel
yes open and her mother scoldet
her constantly. Jack made s1.40 dur
ing the period from a. M, until i
m. He said that he couldn't keel
Any of Is. Jack said work like thi'
Eas nothing to peas, when his mothe'
end sister came home every night a
Pne and two in the morning and the!