Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-02-05

~1iiii6 TIE past week representatives OF
the Maine Department of Labor and In
a1stry have been on an inspecting tour
through York and Cumberland counties,
the principal part OF the work being done
IN York county. Conditions in general
We're found to be very satisfactory.
quite thorough investigation and in
spection was made of child labor cond
ions which have not been altogether
satisfactory in York county since the
new child labor law went into effect Sent.
of last year. A thorough examination
was made of the children holding work
premits in Sanford and in some cases the
work permits were revoked on account of
the minors not being able to comply with
the educational test.
1T will be remembered that the new law
requires that all work permits furnished
to minors between IA and 16 years of age
must be issued by the superintendent of
schools in the town in which the child
resides. The superintendent cannot issue
this work permit until he has received a
certified copy Of the town clerks record
or haptismal record or passport giving
the date Of birth The law prohibits any
in any manufacturing or mechanical es-
Establishment in the State of Maine any
time in the year. In many instances par
ents desire to have their children work
before they are II. but the fact that the
superintendent of schools cannot issue
the work permit until he has been fur
nished with a certified copy of the birth,
record. prohibits the child working OF
receiving the permit.
In many cases. however, the parents
falsify the certificate of age by erasing
the correct year in which the child was
born as furnished by the certified copy
of birth record and substituting year
which would make the child old enough
to pass tie educational test. After re-
ceiving numerous falsified certificates
from Sanford and issuing numerous
warnings. representatives of the depart
ment went to Sanford and made the fol-
lowing prosecutions
Warrants We're sworn out for Louis
Ilamondon. the father Of LAURA Pla--
mondon. This was one of the cases
where the certificate had been falsitied.
The child was born in 1902 and an erasure
was made sufficient to make it appear
that the child had been born in 1901 The
father was taken before Judge Tucker
Of the Sanford municipal court and fined
co and costs. Another warrant was Is
sued for Arthur Beauchesne, father of
Aldoea Beauchesne This case was also
in relation to classifying the certificate
and fine of $40 and costs was imposed
in this case. The warrants We're drawn
by authority Of Chapter 327 of the Public
Laws of 1915, which is the child labor
law.
State Labor Commissioner Roscoe A.
Eddy of Bar Harbor vino has returned
from the Sanford prosecutions which he
supervised in person. is sending out to all
of the manufacturers that employ child
labor a statement giving statistics Of the
number of minors employed for the
of December 1915 and January
1916. From a perusal of these figures
given below it will be noticed that Bid
during the past month. 1t would seem
only fair. says Commissioner Eddy, in
the case of Mr.. Allen. the new superin-
tendent of schools at Biddeford. to state
that he did not take up the work in that
city until the middle of January and that
many of these certificates had been is
sued before he was appointed.
Minors Under Work Permits.
Number of minors between the ages Of
IA and 16 years working under work per-
rnifS.