Evening star., 1915-01-24

visiting practically every state in the
Union, gives the following Interesting
survey Of conditions as he has found
them:
The child laborer pays dearly for
his earnings. The factory child, the
miner. the cash girl. the street worker
each meets danger that is peculiar
to the job and from which only the ex-
ceptional child escapes. Children can
not escape the deadening effects of long
hours, monotonous toll. lack of proper
recreation, loss of education and vi
cious surroundings.
the meager wages he earns, and there
are nearly 100000 children under six
teen years of age, thus paying the
price. of whom more than half are
hours day. Mill and factory proc
esses involve the muscles in endless
repetition of few motions and are far
away from the varied activities craVed
repeated fatigue there results, accord
ing to physicians. a weakening and an
ultimate degeneration of the muscles
and the general health.
I'm every occupation there is poss1-
bility of accident to the worker, and
the child has been found to be three
times a. liable to accident as the result.
This ratio of hazard is quoted by the
United States Industrial commission.
Many boys have lost limb or been
manned for life in a box factory or
cotton mill. More serious hazard
threatens the boy who works in coal
breakers or in mines underground.
Most of the boys underground are
door tenders, and of this the federal
bureau of labor says:
1.-The loss of life in proportion to
the number employed must be consid-
show a higher death rate due to fatal
accidents than this group of either
very young or very old men,
THAT boys doing work in mines in
volve their fellows in danger was IL
lustrated by the Cherry mine disaster
contributed to the loss of 259 lives.
'"The highest cost is paid by children
in occupations from which physical
dangers are absent. The child on the
from undirected variety in the midst Of
temptation. Nearly two-thirds of the
offenses before the juvenile courts are
committed by working children. Far
brought in for second and third Of
fenses
These statements in the federal re-
port on juvenile delinquency are borne
national child labor committee. Street
trading is pernicious. 1t affords every
opportunity for the commencement of
a criminal career and tends to lead the
children to habits of begging, gam
bling and sleeping out.
The child who works cannot have
adequate schooling, even IL his work Is
done only outside of school hours. But
many in the cotton mills, in shrimp and
oyster canneries and in other occupa-
tions scattered throughout states with
poor child labor laws are deprived OF
schooling. Their work does not take
the place of school. and they. too, often
grow up illiterate, inefficient and ulti-
mately unemployed because their use
fulness was ruined by premature work.
statistics prove that the employer
of children forces all wages down to
the level of the child's wage. When
women and children are brought in to
whole family together earns. on an
average, no more than the father
would earn if they were not allowed to
enter the field against him.
i 4
Higher wages pay, for the poorly
paid worker turns out low-grade
product. Efficiency of labor, less labor
cost and increased power to compete
are found where wages are higher. A
telegraph office in Alabama. which
holds the record for efficiency south
of the Ohio river, refuses to employ
young children, although there Is moth
ing in the child labor laws to prevent.
A Connecticut manufacturer abolished
children from his factory six years
ago, prompted by sentiment; bat he
finds that children over sixteen a~e 4
better investment. They do more work.