The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-11-20

asked that $50 be allowed for gray
cling and repairing the state road
which runs past the J. l.. Johnson
slough in that township. The
amount was allowed, and Mr.. Silkey
was instructed to proceed with the
work.
From thursdays Daily.
Minnesota has comparatively little
child labor. according to the United
States census OF 1910. This is not
surprising, owing to the fact that
Minnesota is largely an agricultural
state and has already passed some
excellent laws to protect her chill
dren. says an expert in these mat
| tiers.
No child under fourteen may work
in factories, mines or In construc-
| ton or engineering work at any
time, or I'm any business or service
whatever during the school term. No
| child under sixteen may work dur
ing the school term without a certifl-
cate issued by the school authorities
showing that the child had passed
certain requirements. No child under
sixteen may be employed in certain
dangerous trades for more than
eight hours a day or between z
y. m. and Z a. m. No child under
eighteen may be employed In &C.
equations dangerous to morals or in
the night messenger service. No fe-
male under twenty-one may be en-
ployed as a messenger ut any time.
These are good regulations and Min
nesota should be proud of them.
What the Law Lacks.
Yet in comparison with other
states. manufacturing and agricuitu-
raj alike, there are certain things
Minnesota's child labor law lacks.
In the first place. Minnesota, n min
ing state. allows children under six
teen to work in the mines. Progress
sive child labor laws everywhere rec
ognize the special dangers OF mines
and Quarries by prohibiting work in
them to children under sixteen. Ohio,
New York. Colorado. Illinois, Nevada,
and others,-even southern states
such as Tennessee, Kentucky. and
Maryland,-have such laws. The uni
form child labor law. approved by
the American Bar association. and
the Palmer-owen bill now before
congress both contain clauses which
prohibit the employment OF chill
dren under fourteen i'm mines.
II Is not enough for Minnesota to
say: Few children are employed i'm
our mines" She must see to 1t that
children cannot be employed in her
mines. She must look to the future
and be sure that she will never know
the day when. like West Virginia
she must hear the world saying. Five
boys fourteen years old, killed in
one mine in one day" Since there
are few children I'm her Mines
according to the census.-it will not
be hard for her to pass the sixteen
year limit and assure her children
safety from mine accidents.
z: -st Trades Not Regulated.
Mmnesota's second weakness in her
child labor law Is her lack of regula-
tion of street trades. Bootblacks,
newsboys, vendors, and errand boys
of all kinds may be OF any age
according to the state law. What is,
boys and girls Of any age may spend
all their vacations selling papers,
chewing-gum, or backing boots and
the Minnesota law has nothing to say.
They may learn all the vices of the
street: they may gamble; they may
smoke. They say learn more of real
life" than you and I know, and still
the law has nothing TO say. They
learn no lasting trade. and their
earnings are slight. Yet the law In
Minnesota, as yet, considers them
unworthy Of mention.
Kentucky has just this year passed
law prohibiting street-trading to
boys under fourteen girls under
eighteen I'm all first, second, or third
class cities. Massachusetts prohibits
street trading for boys under twelve
and girls under eighteen In cities
OF $4,000 or more. New York for
bids the sale OF newspapers by boys
under twelve and girls under sixteen
consin prohibits all street trading to
girls under eighteen and forbids boys
under twelve to sell papers or boys
under fourteen to engage i'm other
street trades, in first class cities.
With the more progressive states
legislating carefully as to street
trades what is Minnesota going to do
about Il? viii she lag behind. or
will she remember that she has al
ways TODD for good child labor laws,
and AXE the necessary steps TO
make her care for her children rank
with the best In the country?