New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1914-03-21
CHILDREN AT WORK COSTLY TO
THE COUNTRY.
HOW MUCH DO WE CARE'
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHILD
LABOR AT NEW ORLEANS.

"A procession Of all the child work
or. in thin country, passing before you
ON. a minute, day and night, would last
Eve wears" So said Lewis w. Hinc
At the Tenth National Conference on
Child Labor, which closed its sessions
yesterday at New Orleans. He was
showing the pictures of some few o.
the children in that procession, and
demonstrating the high cost Of child
labor to the child, to industry, and to
society.
"And when do you play7" Pauline
Newman told how she had asked :
child Of twelve in . Connecticut mill
town this question. "Hs looked at me
with his lustreless eyes and said with
surprise, PLAY never play And
remembered the day when I first went
to work in . factory in New York.
was not quite fourteen. The factory
overlooked the park, and I could hea,
the voices Of children out there. went
to the window to watch them. There
were some younger than I, some older,
and oh! how I wanted to 60 out and
play with them. But had not been
at the window more than half min
ute when . hand was laid on my shout
der. "Child, the factory Is not the
place to dream That moment taught
me what child labor means. And when
yor rob . child Of his childhood, you
have deprived him of something he can
never, 70 long - he may live, nevc,
have again.
1--WE must cut child labor out of the
vicious circle-poverty, child labor, in
Temperance, disease, crime, etc. Child
labor Is the only link in the chain
which it is possible for the American
people to break tomorrow, If they wish
to do 30. / do not claim that the aboli-
tion Of child labor will destroy the
vicious circle, but it will reduce it; il
will give US q people better able 10
break the other links in the chain. II
al these things are true, IS we believe
they are, and if we area intelligent
people, why does child labor continue?'
As If in answer to this question OF
Owen r. Lovejoy, secretary of the Ma.
tional Child Labor Committee, some
stories had been told by Mrs. Florence
Kelley, stories from her own experience
"In Maine where spend my summers
have neighbor who lives in a boat
five miles from shore. He dares not
come to land, because he knows tina,
the agents Of the Federal Government!
would send him to prison. Several
years ago he stole 1860 scallops, a
prievous offense fbs which a fine Of
$3.50 was imposed. He can never pay
the fine, 50 he Is . man without a coun-
try. But in the same village there is q
fish cannery where young children worx
every day undisturbed, although the
State of Maine has said that no child
under fourteen years may be employed
But the factory inspector is far away
in Augusta; the nearest justice of the
peace is thirty miles away, and roads
are bad; and the people, who care very
much If their scallops are stolen, do not
mind If their children ere ruined.
Twenty years ago, when I was a
factory inspector in Illinois, went to
packing house one prostratingly hol
day and saw one Of the boys who opened
and shut the doors Of the cooling room.
One minute he was outside in the di.
rect rays Of the sun; the next he waa
inside where the icicles never melt. !
Vas told that the company had three
times - many boys on their pay rolls
- they needed for this job, because two
out OF three of them were always sick
At the same plant I saw the agents 81
the United States inspecting with I
miscroscope the meat that was to Be
aen< - Ee~m.ow - e.-s -. \,
Federal Government was paying more
tor the inspection Of meat in that sin
gle plant than the State or Illinois had
appropriated for the inspection Of ali the
places where children were employed
throughout the State.
I'VE care more for our food than
we do for our children. We pass Stats
laws, but " do not respect them q
having real authority, and we do no,
provide the means 20 enforce them. y