New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-03-23
Two Million Child Workers in This Country
Are Waiting for Legislative Aid and Help
Problem Is Made Up of Blood and Sweat and Tears-Im
possible to Put All Heplessness and Despair
Into Figures

I
der IA, forbids night work for child
| rem under Is. prescribes an eight-hour
day, demands educational qualifica-
tiens equal to five yearly grades, doc
umentary proof of age and the keen
ing of employment certificates on
file
And there is the Palmer Owen bill.
which has passed the house but not
the senate, but which win be pushed
again until it becomes a law and
makes impossible the interstate trans
portatlon of the products of child
labor Arizona alone has passed the
former law. In other states the age
limit varies from twelve to fourteen
put there are many outrageous ey-
emptlons, and in some cases an etire
lack OF proper inspection and law en-
forcement
South Exempts "Child of Dependents
Parents
Charles l.. Clute; a reliable an
thority, has stated that two-thirds of
the states have no effective enforce
ment of child labor laws, and that MOI
more than ten have even a fair svs-
tenn of factory inspection. .'Tbe
southern states exempt the child If
dependent parents others demand no
proof of age" said Mr.. Creel in this
regard. In Rhode Island working
certificates are not kept on file. with
the result that one certificate issued
to boy of fourteen may do duty for
host of younger brothers. cousins
and friends. And there are dozens
OF other ways in which the law is yio-
lated.
According to government report.
there are more than 10000 children
between ten and fifteen years of age
in the cotton mills today, workina,
from six in the morning until six ar
night, or from six at night to six in
the morning. There are cases where
they work seventeen hours at
stretch two or three times a week
At Any Rate, There Was the Uplirt!
I'm one town, where scores of mere
children worked for twelve hours I'M
der the most enevating conditions.
the management made a speciality of
mower culture, and was eloquent in
describing the uplift it expected from
its petunias and geraniums
I'm the silk mills little girls re-
ceive four cents an hour for toll
and blinds their eyes until they can
hardly see In the canneries mere
tots snip beans az cent pound
from 4:3o a. m. to 10 p. M. Their
fingers are swollen and shapeless
and they often fall asleep while
working and tumble from their
seats. Children of six and eight
husk corn and cap cans forty a min
ute for nine hours day. At oyster
shucking an Industrious child can
earn twenty cents a day. Work
often starts at 8 o'clock in the
morning.
well, I could go on giving you in
stances indefinitely" Mr. Creel con-
tinued. I'm our book we have tried TO
show the narrowing, devastating eff
fects of these conditions. Children are
worn out bodily and mentally before
they have attained their full growth.
and these stunted and dazed wrecks in
turn produce weaklings, and so on for
generation after generation.
Child Bondage Depresses Adult Wage.
1.-The child in industry depresses the
adult wage. This is one of the most
pernicious effects Of the system. No
child gets a mans wage, though it
may be doing a mans work and de-
priving him of his chance to do it.
Fathers of families are often unable
to find employment, While their child
rem are forced to work, or else they
can command only as much as the
child.
Il believe that equal suffrage Will
help great deal in lettering these
conditions" Mr.. Creel concluded.
women have not been petrified by
the conduct of affairs as men have.
They apply the mother heart to So
cial questions instead of the bust |
ness head, and l hope they will al
ways continue to do so. For I !
cannot emphasize too strongly my
belief that high emotionalism is
needed in dealing with questions OF |
human life and happiness