Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-03-18
CHILD LABOR GETS
LONG HEARINGS
Discussed From All Angles in the
Hall of the House With
Governor Present

Child labor bills, of which there are
four in the legislature. got an airing
yesterday afternoon from all points
of the compass. The Senate and
House committees in charge held a
| joint hearing and gave the whole af
ternoon to it. Men and women from
all over the State argued the bills and
there was none of the excitement at
tending a discussion of the subject
such as characterized the hearings
last session and everything was pleas
ant until just before adjournment and
then it was very short. The commit
tee will consider the bills next week
and it is improbable that there will be
any further hearings, but people desir
! ing may file briefs.
The Reynolds bill, backed by the
Congress of Mothers received the most
support from the speakers. who
warmly advocated its features. The
Phipps bin came in for some praise
and the Cox bill received commenda-
| tion from some of the ladies.
Governor Brumbaugh set a prece-
dent by attending the hearing, but he
did not participate, contenting him
self with listening to the addresses
and not even commenting upon criti-
cisms levelled at the Cox bill, which
was presented at his instance.
Edwin r. Cox, chairman of the
House committee on manufactures,
presided and over twenty men and
women were heard. Several ladies
identified with child labor and other
ORGANIZATIONS made strong pleas for
protection of children during forma-
tive periods and manufacturers voiced
the possibility that children might be
dismissed from work If the restrictions
We're made too severe. This caused
Paul Furman, secretary of the Penn
sylvania Child Labor association,
which is backing one of the bills, to
declare at the close of the hearing
! that such would not be the case as it
had not occurred in Pennsylvania nor
in other States. Manufacturers en-
gagged in brief tilt with him.
Mrs. Frederic l.. Shoaff, of the Ma
tional Congress of Mothers, discussed
the dangers of idleness and contended
that too much law should not be
enacted, also remarking that existing
statutes permitted establishment of
| continuation schools. Joseph r.
Grundy, of Bristol, president of the
Pennsylvania Manufacturers Associa-
ton, the chief speaker of the day COM
mented upon the changed atmosphere
| regarding child labor as compared
with last session and asked why farm
! and domestic work was exempted
from certain bills. He said that il
certain provisions would be enacted
minors would likely be forced out of
textile industries. William Frew Long,
| Pittsburgh, president of the State
| Laundrymen' Association, said the
| Cox and Phipps bills would put 5000
girls out of employment and called
attention to the fact that a boy of
twelve was serving as page in the
| House of Representatives to-day. Mrs.
| Frank Myers Day and Mrs. Herman
| II. Birney, of Philadelphia, represent
| ing women's organizations, made pleas
| for the conservation of boys and girls
| in their youthful years. Representa-
tive James III. Maurer Reading and
! r.. A. Maginnis, Pottsville, made criti-
cisms of bills on behalf of labor organ
| iZations.
Manufacturers and people interested
in the various child labor organiza-
| tions pointed out various phases, one
speaker emphasizing the Importance
of factories in coal regions where
there are large families with numer-
Gus girls, while William S. Snyder,
counsel for telegraph companies de-
clared that 21 was too high a limit to
be placed on boys to be employed as
messengers at night. The manufac-
| turers objected strongly to provisions
that any one might enter suit for al
| legged violation of laws, contending
| that all such actions should come
through the State Department of Labor
and Industry. This brought up the
fact that the department has not
| enough inspectors now and speakers
declared that the number should be
| increased.
One of the most forceful speakers
was Eli Atwood, the Lebanon manu-
| facturer of chains, who declared that
| it did not hurt boys to work under
proper control and said that he had
gone to work at ten and it had not
stunted him. Mr.. Atwood said it
would be an outrage to place the bur-
den on mothers that would follow if
some of the bills went through.