Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-23
CHURCHES TO RAISE
VOICE IN DEMAND OF
CHILD LABOR LAW
Clergymen Will Show Ne
cessity for More Humane
State Legislation at Many
Services omorrow.

The churches of Pc llsylvanla are COM
ing to the front in the battle of progress
sive child labor legiGlation in this State,
and are falling behind Governor Brum-
baugh in his work for a better and more
adequate child labor law in place of the
present one, which church workers, social
workers and economists consider to be a
! disgrace to the name and dignity of the
keystone State.
Accordingly Child Labor Day will be
observed in the churches of the city and
the State on far larger scale than ever
before tomorrow. The clergymen OF
Pennsylvania will raise their voice in
mighty protest against the merclless and
inhuman exploitation of children in Penn
sylvania at tomorrow's services.
For eight years the National Child La
bor Committee has asked the clergymen
of the country to take a hand in the mat
ter. The response has been good and has
been growing in strength and volume each
year Tomorrow's celebration will re-
sound with the mightiest call yet issued
by the church against the social vice of
child labor.
The speakers at tomorrow's services
will dwell not only upon child labor con-
dltions and the necessity of child labor
reform in this State, but also upon the
national Palmer-Owen child labor bill.
Great interest Is being manifested in this
widespread demand that Federal as well
as State legislation on the matter be taken
up. The fate of the bill, said Congress-
man A. Mitchell Palmer, who is taking
charge of the measure In the House. de-
pends entirely upon how the people will
impress the Importance upon their Con-
gressmen.
Speaking of the Importance and signI-
hcance of tomorrow's services, Paul
M. Furman, secretary of the Pennsylva-
mia Child Labor Association, said today:
Pennsylvania has already adopted the
H-year limit for factories and the 16-
year limit for underground work in
mines, contained in the provisions OF the
Palmer-Owen bill, but this State still
permits children under 16 to work in coal
breakers and 1t has not yet adopted the
S-hour day for children nor prohibited
night work to children under 16 in all
factories. In Pennsylvania children work
10 hours day, and boys, in continuous
industries like the glass Industries, are
permitted to work on the night shift.
If the Palmer-Owen bill becomes a law
this year these provisions, which are not
as yet in effect in Pennsylvania, will be-
come operative in this State automat-
ically, and the argument put forth by
some unscrupulous employers that COM
petition in other States prevents them
from improving Pennsylvania's law will
fall to the ground.
1.-THE association feels that State legis-
lation is necessary to control forms of
employment that cannot be regulated by
Federal action. The mint messenger
service and street trading two of the
most vicious phases Of the child labor
problem in this State. come only under
the jurisdiction of the State. Eight States
already prohibit boys under 81 TO engage
in the night messenger service and IA
States have an 1s-year limit, while IS
States include various provisions for the
regulation for street trade. This State
still remains the black spot on the map
of humane legislation for the protection
of the health and morals of our young.
1t is time that this black spot be re-
moved, and we call upon the clergymen
of this State to help us in this great
work of making Pennsylvania not only
the greatest industrial State. but also
the most humane State in the Union"