Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-12-02
CH|lOREN'S LAWS OF 1915
Congress and As Legislatures
Enact Protective Measures.
Notable Advances Recorded IN "i"-
bnmn, Florida. Knnsns, New Jcr-
sey and Wyoming, According
to Report of u. $. Bureau

Forty.fye state and Territorial Legls-
latures and the Congress OF the United
States in 1915 passed laws affecting chil-
dren. according to the United states chill
drens bureau which has just completed
it's survey of such legislation during the
current yenr Special reference is made
ia the IMPRESSIVE bulk of children's laws
and to the number of commissions APP
pointed to study and prepare for future
legislation.
Arkansas Florida and Utah have com
missions to report on the needs OF tho
feeble minded: New Jersey, commission
to prepare a state program fer the re-
organization of public care of detectives.
denendents, and deinqucnts Missouri
and New Hampshire. commissions on the
needs of the blind; Delaware, n commits
sion on vocational cducation Idaho.
commission to report on the reed for
minimum wage law: Florida and Indiana.
commissions on the need for mothers
pensions and California. a commission
to study social insurance.
Tho bureau says that the appointment
OF these commissions indicates n grow
ing realization that benevolent intent can
not safely be accepted as a substitute for
social betterment The subjects to which
study is directed are all of immediate
concern to children. and the States are
thus fairly committed to n policy OF Sc
lccting and harmonizing provisions which
leads plainly toward the collection and
codifying of all laws relating TO children.
AS showing the great amount of chill
dren's legislation the bureau says that
IL .;eio,
for dependent children; Is have improved
their treatment of Juvenile delinquents;
l6 have strengthened their child labor
! law: n have concerned themselves with
the needs of the mentally defective or
/ feeble minded: three States and the Dis
trct of Columbia We're added to those
specifically permitting the use of public
school buildings as social centers and nine
amended or for the first time passed a
playground law; and four States passed
a model vital statistics law in which the
children's bureau is Interested because it
considers complete birth registration of
fundamental importance to child welfare
work.
few of the a. States made notable
advances. Alabama. for example. whose
Legislature meets only once in four years,
enacted a new ch1ld LABOR law, cOmpul-
sorry school attendance law an excellent
descrtion and on-support law and a State
wide juvenile court law. Florida re.
modelled its treatment of juvenile dein-
quents, recognized the principle of COM
pusory school attendance passed the
model vital statistics law. and appointed
two of the State commissions already
referred to. Kansas established an in
dustral commission to regulate hours
wages and conditions of work for womer
and minors and a division of child by
gene in the StSate board of health; 1t ais.
enacted n playground law and mothers
pension law. New Jersey and Wyominl
passed comprehensive acts relating to tn,
care of dependent children and Pennsyl
vania carefully drafted laws relating T.
child labor and vocational education.
The childrens bureau has included ir
its review the outlying Territories of the
I nted States and reports that Alaska has
forbidden the employment of boys unde,
16 underground in mines: Hawaii has pass
cd curfew law for girls under 16 in Hon
olulu the Philippines have provided fol-
dental clinics in the schools and created
a public welfare board to establish and
maintain social centers: and Porto Rice
has passed a modern juvenile court law.