Evening journal., 1915-10-07
Child Labor Law Inspector
Suggests Changes in Law

sary for them to be employed after 81
o'clock IN the evening. These boys,
some of whom are working in the shops
of their parents or relatives. are regular
attendants at the public schools, and
from reports of the teachers are doing
we'll If compelled by the law to give
up this line Of work, the ones who are
able to secure working papers will be
obliged to give up their school work and
seek other fields of labor, for their par
ents say they are not able TO clothe them
properly for school without the assist
ance given by the boys.
"ln Section 10 of the act il Is pro-
vided that in case no documentary
proof Of age of any kind can be pro.
duced' an application for a physical Ger
tihcate may be made and after a lapse
Of thirty days, during which time an
examination is(to be made for facts tol
prove age the issuing officer may direct
the child to appear for a physical oN-
animation before the inspector and-ifI
in his opinion the child is twelve orI
fourteen years of age, as the case might
be, it is accepted as sufficient proof of
age. The practice had been for the GER
tifcate to be brought to the office of
the inspector directly after the applica-
| tion has been made and after making
an examination for some kind of proof
which rarely develops, the child is taken
10 the city physician, and, if found to-
be mp to certain physical standards the
certificate is approved rwenty-tmee
of these certificates have been approved
and from the increasing number OF such
applications we have about reached the
conclusion that some different method
will have to be devised or the child be
required 10 wait until such time as
some proof is produced We are very
much afraid that employment certifi.
Gates have been issued that should not
have been due to this method of pro-
cedure
while keeping in close touch with
the school authorities as far as pos
sible and particularly in the city OF
Wilmington by looking up children
under fourteen years OF age. who are
the ones that come under the compul-
sorry school act. to see If they are be-
ing illegally employed and compell-
ing those over fourteen. If found
working, to produce employment GER
titicates We have not as yet under
taken to comply with the provision OF
Section 80 that "he (the inspector)
shall report weekly to the school au-
thorities any cases of children under
sixteen years OF age discharged for
illegal employment" We have been
unable TO see Of what use this infor-
nation could be to the school authori-
ties. And right here we are confront
ed with problem that merits the at
tention and thought of all social well
fare workers. When the children
have reached the age at which an en-
ployment certificate may be obtained
the tendency Is to secure the same.
After working at some non-produc-
tive occupation for a short time the
child tires and quits the job. They
are then out OF school with no way
to get them back and can be found
lounging on the street corners and
on the public thoroughfares day and
, night, drifting towards the inevitable
something worse. We would venture
to say that more than a hundred re.
turned employment certificates are
now in the files at the High School
Office.
"A casual survey Of our daily in
spection cards discloses that an aver
age of little over a hundred inspec
tions a month has been maintained
, during the six months, but the amount
of labor involved in carrying on q
I work of this nature falls far short
, of being expressed in the number oi
, inspections made When we recall the
Office and clerical work that has beer
: done, the conferences that have beer
necessary, the interviews granted and
; inquiries answered, together with ths
Investigations that must be made tC
intalligently administer the office, We
/, wonder that we have been able tC
make as many factory visitations as
we have. Every section of the State
has been visited where there was an,
I likelihood of need of our attention
and arrangements have been complet
I ed for the issuing of certificates a
Z all points in the three counties wher,
, thought needed.
"As a sequence to the trip made b.
: the commission in the early part o
]. September it has been suggested tina
L a conference be held some time lat'
: in the winter to be attended by rep
4 resentatives of the Gamers, the Stat'
e inspectors and the commission tina
Z some plan may be developed for thu
{ betterment of the conditions of thl
S women and children engaged in thu
] canning industry.
n I'VE would respectfully report hav
+ ing been as economical as possible II
n the expenditure of the contingen
e fund and submit the following state
a ment Of expenses:
Commission ..........S 1852
= Once ................ ooo.of
Inspectors ........... 124.1l
e S525.3O