The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-22
CHILD LABOR EVIL IS EXPOSED BY
 MRS. CARPENT TER
Addresses Welfare Club of Stratford At First Ses-
 sion This Year.

ssChi1d Labor in Connecticut'' was the subject of an interesting talk by Mrs. E. C. Carpenter yesterday after noon when the Stratford Child Well fare club met for the first time this season.
 The meeting was held in the class room of Miss Bertha Hinck1ey at Cen ter school Thirty members were present.
 A flower show was decided upon for some near date. Mrs. Thomas Taylor will be in charge of the ar engagements! A food sale will be held in connection with the exhibit.
 Mrs Carpenter, who has been in forming herself on conditions in this state with regard to child labor for several months. talked with convinc- ing ease and directness. Excerpts from her address follow:
 'In 1910, there were 1.990,225 chill dren under 16 employed in gainful occupation in the United States. It with greater force if I say that if these children were to march by this building in single file at the rate of one a minute, it would be four long years before the end of the line would be reached.
 In a state where children are well protected by labor laws, while a neighborfng state is not, a. great diff fcu1ty arises from the fact that the products of child labor may be ship ped into the state where children are not permitted to work under IA years of age. and wages are consequently higher, and these products may be sold at lower rates, because of, the cheaper labor, and thus interfere with the commerce of that state. The Palmer Owen bill was drawn up to put an end to this practice, and if made a law at Washington, would make it impossible for any state to export the product of child labor to other states. I would urge the mem bers of this club to write to the Con necticut senators and representatives and ask for their cooperation in get ting this bill passed.
 '*Conneticut has a very good law controlling child labor. In 1900 not a single state had law protecting children under IA with respect to la Dor, except in the case of mining. Agi- tation to abolish child labor was start ed in 1910, and now, in 1915, there are only four states in the Union that have not adopted the IA year linn it for child labor. The Connecticut law passed in 1911 is one of the best laws Covering this field and 1t is well enforced. It does not, however, take any account of children employed in agriculture or housework. The law
 
 of Education and it's agents and tenn. porarily appointed workers. Secre- tary Charles D. Hine has an assistant two clerks and six agents permanent ly engaged in this work. Children be- tween the ages of IA and 16 who wish to go to work must receive certificates from the Board of Education, which theoretically has a record of every child in the state up to the age of, 16- l say theoretically because the records do not extend to agricultural workers. A child who wishes to go to work must appear personally be- fore the agent of the State Board of Education, accompanied by one of it's parents, and give evidence to- prove that the age stated is correct that education has progressed as far as child is fit to go to work
 Mrs. Carpenter was here interrupted by member of the club who said that she had proof that there are children at work in factories in Stratford and Bridgeport that are not yet 14; and that. there were cases of a certificate that had been issued for one child be- ing passed on by that child to another member of the family to be used else- where. Mrs. Carpenter replied that such discoveries should be reported to the State Board of Education and that at the discretion of the board the en- ployer might be prosecuted by the state. It was brought out that while in some states education beyond the fifth grade is not required of children over 14, in Hartford the child must reach the ninth grade and in Stratford the sixth.
 It was decided to draw up petition to be sent to Washington, favoring the