Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-08-27
Child Labor LGws and
Workmen's Compensation

Child Labor-At the last session of
the Pennsylvania Legislature an ear
nest effort was made by Republican
members to have enacted a bill regu-
lating the employment of miners be-
tween the ages of Ia and 16 years.
This bill would have reduced the
hours of employment and would have
prohibited the employment of all who
weer not certified by the school board
physicians as physically qualified. 1t
also advanced the educational require
ments and increased the restrictions
and safeguards of employment. This
meritorious measure was defeated for
partisan purposes by those who pre-
ferred to prevent any improvement of
the existing law rather than permit
the Republican party the credit for
making such advanced legislation pos
sible.
We recognize that no child should
be permitted to labor under conditions
which will injure his usefulness as a
future adult citizen. We believe the
time has arrived when the child labor
laws of the State should be rewritten
and more fully correlated. We be-
lieve that all children between the
ages of IA and 16 years who are en-
ployed at labor should not only re-
ceive permits from the superintend-
ents of schools and be subject to the
supervision of these officials, but
should also be examined as to their
fitness for the work in question by
competent physicians. We believe that
the hours of child labor, the condi-
tions of work and educational prepa-
ration are all subjects of the greatest
solicitude to the people of the Com
monwealth and should be carefully
arranged by judicious legislation.
Workman's Compensation
We favor the passage of such a
workman's compensation law as will
secure to injured workmen, or those
dependent upon them, just and ade-
quate compensation for injury re-
oeived in the course of employment,
without regard to the solvency or in
solvency of the employer and be just
and fair to both employe and en-
ployer, with such safeguards to small
employers of labor as will protect
them against undue burdens, and with
such liberal provisions for individual,
State, mutual and stock company in
surance as will afford the fullest OPP
portunity for protection at reasonable
rates, excepting, however. from the
operation of said law those engaged
in agricultural pursuits and domestic
services.
Pennsylvania State College
We commend the support by the
State of the State College and con-
gratulate it upon the effective work 1t
is doing in the lines of agricultural,
mechanical and scientific education.
Women's Labor Law
/ The law regulating the employment
of women which was enacted at the
last session of the Legislature in the
form advocated by the Republican
party. has now been in effect for a
sufficient time to test its merits 1t
has met with general approval and
has received special commendation
from those engaged in social work We
recognize that the Commonwealth. for
its own preservation, has had to pro-
tect woman from injurious conditions
of labor so that they will not be inn
paired for their functions of mother
hood. We believe that while the new
women's labor law in a large meas
ure accomplishes this purpose, we
should constantly keep under careful
observation the subject of women s
employment and make such modifica-
tions by Legislature as may appear
necessary.
Corporation Taxes
We favor such changes in the laws
relating to taxation of corporations
| as will eaualize their burdens and be