Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-01-13
employers Of
child LABOR
GET Warming
State Commission Discovers
That Many Certificates
Issued Are Inadequate
Give NO PROTECTION
against Damage SUITS

To safeguard employers Of child labor
against damage suits and other conse
quences which may attend irregularities
and deficiencies in the matter of issuing
certificates to child workers while Will
liam j. Gibbons, recently deposed, was
State Inspector. the Delaware Child
Labor Commission, through Charles w.
Bush, its secretary, today sent identical
letters TO the Joseph Bancroft Sons
Company, the f. l. DUPONT de Memoirs
Company. the Harlan and HOllingsworth
Company. the Delaware Hosiery Com
panv. Hammond and Hammond, the
Malleablc Iron Works and f. Blumen-
thai and Company. Other similar letters
of warning will be sent Out to employers
as rapidly as the commissions investi-
cation of the records, now under way,
reveal irregularities in the matter Of
issuing certificates. The text of the let
ter sent out today Is as follows;
"rhe files of employment certificates
from the former Child Labor Inspector 3
Office were removed TO the High School
Yesterday afternoon, and Professor Scott
authorized Nh Edwards, the new in
ppector. to tabulate them.
"rhis tabulation viii take a week or
SO. As result of what was done yes
terday on it. the following letter was
directed by the chairman of the Child
Labor Commission 90 be sent to various
firms;
"'The Child Labor Commission finds
that the employment certificate OF
------, recorded as in your EN-
ploy. is not adequate for tie reason
/ that the affidavit of the parent OF guard
ian was not taken and filed as required
/ bv Section 10 of the Child Labor Law.
"1n order to make the certificate
valid land thus protect your firm II
case of accident if the child should b
claimed to be under legal agel will you
kindly see that - brings OF
sends the parent or guardian to the Of
ice of the superintendent of school il
the High School Building as soon as pos
sible, so that their affidavit may b
taken.
"'The Commission regrets that yol
should be put to this trouble, but de
sires to fully secure you against possibl
loss.
"'Charles W. Bush,
Secretary of the Commission"
II is announced that the object o
this letter is to enable the manufac
turers to remedy an imperfection Il
the certificates which would other
wise make them of no use as lega
} proof of age in a damage suit or acc
dent The temporary Child Labo
Commission which framed the la
promised the employers of Whining
: ton that the certificate should be
valid one as 70 age, and the law is S
. framed. but its provisions have seen
9 ingly been entirely overlooked by III
| former inspector.
y The new inspector and the superb
u tendent of schools, working togethe
< will now bring the employment ce
tificates to the completeness require
by the law, and henceforth, every en-
ployer in Wilmington will be pr'
y tected fully by the certificate.
y The members of the commissiC
/, also are eager that all employers
1, child labor shall take or send the &c
y tificates to Superintendent of Schoo
T.. Scott, Wilmington High School Bull
- ing, that the matter of their adequa'
~ as legal safeguards to employers m;
10 be passed upon, and, where needle
corrections made.
AS the matter stands now, it is sal
many employers would find the &c
tificates no defense if the children
=, their employ were injured and daI
n age suits should result It is the pu
II pose of the commission to give DO
the children and their employers Z
full protection of the Child Lab,
ar law.
If Section 10 OF the law contains {
following with respect to the issui
ho of employment certificates:
oe Section 10. The person authoriz
nd to issue an employment certified
~. shall not issue such certificate un
I'd he has received, examined, approx
m and filed the following papers, dU
va executed. viz:
oh 81. The school record Of such oh
as properly filled out and signed, as pl
vided in this act.
ga 80. A certificate signed by ply
Un clan appointed by the public sch,
in board or committee of the distr
ed wherein said child resides, statl
Ike Maaa~Ma~~-ar-a-u---a--aa