Evening journal., 1914-02-04
CHILD LABOR
LAW PROBLEMS
Provisions Affecting Children
Give Inspector Gibbons
Some Trouble
Law KEEPS ALL
CHILDREN FROM SALOONS

SAAAAOAAN NUM- OhGOVNO
William j. Gibbons. factory inspec-
tor, is having troubles Of his own in
tho enforcement Of the child labor
law. A number Of small points in the
law are arising which cause consid-
orable thought and difficulty to fn-
terpret IN tho manner in which they
were intended 70 DO Interpreted. Sec
ton % OF the act IS causing the in
spector 20 do some thinking that in
justice 80 not done to some children.
This section provides that no chill
dren under 16 years OF age, shall be
permitted to work IN, about or In
connection with any establishment or
occupation mentioned in section 2.
before the hour OF Z o'clock In the
morning or after 6 o'clock IN the
evening.
This provision is original with the
Delaware law. Inspector Gibbons has
studied the laws OF other States. in
GLIDING Massachusetts aud MARYLAND.
but has failed to fnd any clause I'm
them which names the hours IN which
the children shall work. Mr.. Glib
hons holds that 1t IS unjust to state
just what hours child may work
In a day While he believes In. and
heartily approves the provisions In
the same section which limit a child's
labor TO 81 hours a week. he does
not think the law should state within
just what hours they should labor.
Section OF the act, which is affect
ed by this section fixing the hours of
emplyment; mills, factories. work
shops, mercantile or mechanical es-
adjustments, tenement houses, manu-
factories, Offices, office buildings. res
taurants, boarding houses, bakeries,
barber shops, hotels, bootblack stands,
public stables, garages, laundries, brick
or lumber yards. or as a driver. or
In the construction and repairing OF
buildings or in the transmission OF
| messages
The question that arises IN Mr.. Glib
bons' mind is whether or not the term
mercantile" can be construed to in
clude milk establishments where 10
is necessary for boys to serve milk
before a. m. While strict interp-
rotation of the law might include milk
dealers yet Inspector Gibbons had de-
cided that Insofar as he can Sc 1t will
not be a violation Of the law for
any boy over IA years of age TO serve
milk IN the morning. Boys under IA
years cannot do so. as the law forbids
them from driving a team
The inspector also thinks IL unfair
for the law to discriminate between
boys which is done inasmuch as news
boys are permitted to work after 6 D.
y. m, whereas the boys that come un-
der the occupations contained In see
tlon cannot do So Mr.. Gibbons
stated that he did not believe it, more
demoralizing for boy to deliver med
icine from a drug store TO some home
in which there was illness, OF some
other like occupation after o'clock
in the evening than Il was for boys to
sell newspapers along the coast" af-
ter that hour.
Another point that has Occasioned
the inspector considerable bother is
embodied In section o. This section
Is similar to section T. OF the Mary
land law, with the exception that the
word time" In the last paragraph of
the section In the Maryland law has
been changed TO read days" in the
Delaware law
This word is used I'm the section
ia connection with the attendance OF
the child TO the public schools. the
Maryland law stating the time" the
child is In school, while the Delaware
law says the days" he is In school
Mr. Gibbons says that he will in
terpret the word days" in this Sec
tion to mean the school day. or, to he
exact the length Of time the child
passes within the school each day. He
stated that he had interviewed several
of the legislators upon this question,
and that he construed from their
statements that Il was their intent
to specify the exact time the child
spends In school.
Mr. Gibbons said few persons were
familiar with the section of the law
which empowers the State Board of
Health to amend the laws
He mentioned that under section of
the act this board has the authority
10 amend any of the provisions of the
act should they deem the occupation
mentioned in such provision sufficient
ly dangerous to the lives or limbs OF
the children to justify the board Ia
place that certain occupation should
/, not already be forbidden by law
under the ban. This applies to any oc-
cupation, even that of newspaper. In
other words, should the State Board
: of Health determine that selling news
papers Is dangerous 10 the lives or
I limbs of the children the board can
pass law restraining the children
from engaging in that occupation.
/ The inspector has, for some time.
been taking mp a small section OF the
act and explaining its provisions for
the enlightenment of the persons af-
fected by It, Today he takes up the
occupations OF bootblacks. barber
shops and bakeries No child. boy or
girl. will be permitted to work IN any
of these places who is under IA years
OF age. They can work only six days
a week. not over 81 hours during the
week and cannot work before a. m,
or after 6 p. m. The inspector will
he glad to answer any questions on
this subject.
The inspector mentioned that the
law prohibited any person under 81
years of age to enter a bar room for
| any person whatever. and he would
construe this to include boys deliver
ing papers. serving milk and other
| commodities. In other words the in
spector will prohibit any boy under
p entering a bar room for any pur-
pose whatsoever.