The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-05
WILL PROBE COTTON
MILL CONDITIONS
North Carolina Judges Are LOOKING
Into Matter of Child
Labor.
SOME OPPOSE INSPECTION
But Better Conditions win BE De-
manded In Few Textile Plants In
Which Child Labor Law Is Vio-
lated.

Especial to The Richmond virginian.)
Raleigh, N. c., June Judges OF the
superior courts In several counties OF
North Carolina are charging the grand
juries with special reference to investi-
CATION of the management OF cotton
mills and other textile manufacturing
establishments in their respective coun-
ties wherein minors are employed
Among these was the charge OF Judge
Frank Daniels. who Is presiding over
the June term of Wake superior Court
in Raleigh this week
In his charge Judge Daniels referred
particularly to the allegations that are
being made in certain quarters to the
effect that the child labor laws are be-
Ing violated by many of the textile
mills, especially with reference to the
working of children under the age
limit required by the present statute
on the subject. He told the grand jury
that greed was at the bottom OF the
exploitation OF small children in mills:
that there are mills In this State where
IL is done (few, he hoped), and that
such plants should not only be subject
to inspection. but should be investi-
! gated by grand iuries and the violations
of the child labor law vigorously pros
| ecuted by the solicitors of the various
| judicial districts of the State.
Cause of Child Labor Agitation.
The primary cause of the present
agitation of the child labor problem.
which has several times of late been
the hottest bone of contention between
the "agitators'' and the textile man
ufacturers of this State is to be found
in the defeat of the bill, presented at
the recent session of the Legislature,
which provides for the creation OF a
mill inspector and made provision for
the machinery with which the work
could be carried on. A like measure
has met a similar fate at nearly every
session Of the North Carolina General
Assembly for a number of years.
Mills Oppose Inspection.
The defeat of the measure hae been
due to the active. not to say violent.
opposition of the mill owners, who
come here with representatives and
fight all such bills to the death. while
they are before the legislative commit
tees. The influence Of the State tex
/ tile organization Is invoked and used
| In their work.
| Yet the statement has been made
that most OF the best mills would
| have no objection to inspection of their
plants and would not seriously care IL
| the law Was changed as contemplated
| by the recently defeated bill.
| As the old law stands, effective in
| spection is practically impossible. The
State Labor Commissioner, while given
! authority, has been denied time and
again the means and machinery for
carrying on the work, his request for
| an assistant to do this special char
acter of work having been refused. OF
course il Is impossible for him to do
| IL personally and attend to the other
duties of his office.
Good mu6 Naa SGsfIs
Under the existing law, which has
been on the statute books several years
with no serious attemps at enforce
| ment. It Is made the duty of grand
| juries and the prosecuting attorneys OF