The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1913-07-04
He Writes On
Child Labor.
Robert B. Oliver, of
Maryville, Gives His
Views in the Knit
Goods Bulletin


Maryville on the child labor prob
lem. Mr. Oliver is the proprietor
Of the Maryville Hosiery mills. In
his article he advocates good work
ing concitions and the enforcement
; OF child labor laws, etc., but he con,
demns professional agitators, etc
His article is as follows:
CHILD LABOR
No Doubt Mr.. Manufacturer. YOU
have been giving much of your time
to the reading of recent art icles in
the various dailies and rnals OF
our country on child labor. Some
of it is alright and some of it is,not.
Do you know that the newsboys
who sell daily papers on the streets
of all the large cities of our country
are the poorest paid and least cared
for labor in the United States today?
Do you know under what conditions
they work? Do you know to
number of hours they are compell-
ed to put in to earn the poorest sort
of living? II you don't just as k
one the next time you meet lin in
the morning at a m. on your
way to the station.
Robert Burns once said: How
dare you call me howlet faced, Y ou
ugly, growlin sceptre? My face
was but looking glass and there
We saw your picture" No one
knows more about the child labor
problem than the newspaper man
as his business is built on child lab
or as a foundation.
Ii the factories over the country
are not paving their help enough;
if the courts are not giving the lab
oring man justice; if the sweat 6
shops in our great cities are not {
ventilated. It's alright to investi- :
gate then, and they should be in. c
7estigated, but the investigation /
should not be conducted by Miss l
Ooolittle, of Dillsboro, who las t
)een left fortune bv some near p
I'm and wants to get in the lime t
ight; or by the o. U. Politician, "
'r. who is looking to be put back n
n office bv calamity howlers. But ST
et the investigasors be men and G
'omen who are not only good" o.
ut good for something, and have ol
ttained their place in life by the
Veat OF their brow; men who have
)me up step by step instead of the
Mushroom type Of man or woman. II
| spent few days in home re-
'ntly where children were brought a.,
D without work. We were seated
the dinner table and 1 compli- -.
ented very highly on the noodle
up; just across from me sat the i
dest daughter of rich man"
7ho some day wants to investigate :,
child labor problems), she said
her mother, Mamma, what is 9th
odle soup made Off" God have
srcy and pity on that girl. If IN ,
2 had been compelled to give ten :
ars of her life in a home where -
, had to assist with the work, !,
p make her own clothes and oc. - =
ionallY sit up with a sick friend :
or if she had gone to a s,h
'perly regulated and ventilated l
tory she would not seem 50 hope S. a
,ly ignorant to people who know. c
Another one, friend of mine Ca Mct
/ mans SOM who owns a flock Ia
automobiles, can't tell you how lot i
ch eighteen eggs would come to 1c
1-2c each. When presented lot il
b bill for gasoline and repairs II
one of his cars he cussed the re- lot il
. man out and said he did not w
1t to be embarrassed by having dist.
) presented him. If this boy
gore into a factory at the age
welve and worked six months
of the year we would have q RI
! who when he arrived at the ~
of twenty-one would be comp Ch
ont tn hia r,araptG hic oouptrv FL