The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-05-30
LONG HOURS FOR SHUCKERS.

Mere Pittance-Lack of Laws or
Inadequate Enforcement Responsible.
Parents Indifferent
A vivid account of child labor In
southern oyster and shrimp canneries
an industry with which it is not
usually associated in the public mind
Is given by Lewis w. Hine In the Sur
yey. In some states legislation is now
pending to eliminate this exploitation
of children Others already have laws.
but without adequate enforcement.
Mr.. Hine says:
1.-THE wages of these workers vary
according to their locality and the kind
of season they find The work on the
shrimp is better paid than oyster
shucking, but it Is much more irregu
lar. On the latter families frequently
earn $40 and SO or $50 a week SO
when there are several children and
the work Is steady there is a great
temptation to make them all help.
children of seven years earn about
% cents day and at eight and ten
years often 80 cents a day or more.
At twelve and fourteen years they fre-
quently earn as high as q dollar a day,
and this is adult pay. The fastest adult
shucker seldom earns much more than
a dollar n day after years of expert
ence. What, then, is the outlook for
children beginning this industry?
"'What is your name, little girlY
"'Dunno.'
"'How old are your
"Dunno.'
"'How many pots do you shuck In a
dayp
"'Dunno.'
"And the pity of it is that they do
not know.
what then do they know? Enough
TO stand patiently with the rest picking
up one hard, dirty cluster of shells,
deftly prying them open, dropping the
meat into the pot, and then go through
this process with another and another
until after many minutes the pot Is
full-a relief, for they carry it over to
the weigher and rest, doing nothing for
a minute and walk back, such q change
from the dreary standing, reaching
prying and dropping, minute upon
minute hour upon hour, day upon day
month after month, or, perchance, for
ro ri fv hn t0h
shrimp, and then the hours of work
are shorter but the shrimp are icy cold
and the blood in ones fingers congeals,
and the fingers become sc sore that
she welcomes the oysters again.
Are you surprised then to find that
many children seem dumb and cannot
understand our language?
Come out with me to one of these
cannelies at o'clock some morning
Here is the crude. shedlike building,
with long dock at which the oyster
boats unload their cargoes. Near the
dock is the ever present shell pile, a
monument Of mute testimony to thv
patient toll Of little fingers. 1t is cold
damp, dark The whistle blew some
time ago, and the young workers slip
ped into their meager garments,
snatched a bite to eat and hurried to
the shucking shed. The padrone told
me 'ef dey don't git up ! go and git
'em upr' Boys and girls, six, seven
and eight years of age, take their
places with the adults and work all
day.
1.-THE cars are ready for them with
their loads Of dirty, rough clusters Of
shells, and as these shells accumulate
under foot in irregular piles they soon
make the mere matter Of standing one
of physical stain. Notice the uncertain
footing and the dilapidated footwear
of that little girl, and opposite Is one
with cloth fingers to protect herself
from the jagged shells They call them
finger stalls Their fingers are often
sore in spite of this precaution.
Now, we all know that the amount
OF work these little ones can do is not
much, and yet l have been surprised
and Mortified at the number of hours a
day six or seven year old will stay at
work, and this with the willing and
eager consent of the parents. 'Freck-
led Bill bright lad of five years,
told me that he worked, and his moth
er added reproachfully:
"'He kin make 10 cents any day he
wants to work, but he won't do 1t
steady
Hundreds OF these children from four
to twelve years Of age are regularly
employed, often as helpers, for the
greater part Of the six months II 1t is a
good season. At three and four years
of age they .s'ay around and help lit
tie, 1earnin' de trade At five and
six years of age they work more regu-
larly, and at seven and eight years
they put In long hours every working
day. This is the regular program for
these children day after day, week aft
er week, for the six months OF their
alleged outing down south"