The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-18
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FOR IMPROVEMENT

An analysis of the Florida child la
Dor law, Of special interest just now
because of the coming session of the
state legislature. and comparison of
the state law with the federal child
labor law has just been issued by DR..
William Alderman, of Pensacola,
chairman of the Florida Child Labor
committee, who with the National
Child Labor committee has been con-
sidering improvements in the Florida
law to be introduced in this years
legislature. The federal law, acordc-
ing TO this analysis, prohibits inter
state commerce in goods which are
products of
/. Any mill, factory, cannery, or
workshop in which children under ID
are employed; 2, and mine or quarry
in which children under Is are en-
ployed; 8, any mill, factory, eannery
or workshop in which children be-
tween Il and Is work more than 8
hours in any one day or more than 8
days in any one week; or A, any mill,
factory, cannery or workshop in which
children between Id and 16 work be-
tween the hours of Z p. m. and 6 a. m.
The Florida law differs from it in
these respects:
/. The 14-year limit does not ap-
ply to canneries; 2, there is no 16-year
limit for mines and quarries; 8, chill
dren under 16 are allowed to work
9-hour day, and 54-hour week, instead
of the 8-hour day and 48-hour week;
and 4, the night work limits for chill
dren under 16 are p. m. to 5 a. m,
instead of Z p. m. to a. M, as in the
federal law.
In order to simplify the enforce
ment of both state and federal laws
and protect local manufacturers from
the danger of violating the federal
law because they happen to be living
up to state and not federal standards,
the National Child Labor committee is
urging all states that have not stand
ards equal to the federal ones to
amend their laws to correspond with
the federal one as soon as possible.
Therefore it is suggested that Florida
add canneries to the list of occupa-
tions prohibited to children under IA,
enact 16-year limit for mines and
quarries, enact the 8-hour instead of
9-hour day for children between Ia
and 16 in factories, mills, canneries
and workshops, and change the night
work prohibition for children between
ID and 16 to correspond with the fed
eral law. Then any Florida manufac-
turer, who lives up to his state law
will be sure that he can ship his goods
In interstate commerce in perfect
safety because his state law and the
federal law are the same. Florida
will be less affected by the federal
law than some other Southern states
but her law is not quite up to the fed
eral standard as this analysis shows.
Besides legislation for manufacture
ing establishments, and mines and
quarries, however, the Florida and
National Child Labor committee urge
better regulations of other strictly
local problems. Instead of the present
educational requirement for work
permits which says that the child
must not be able to read and write
and do arithmetic to fractions, it is
hoped that Florida will require every
child who goes to work to have COM
pleted the sixth grade, which is the
generally accepted educational stand
ard throughout the country. In this
connection the child labor committees
call attention to the fact that Florida
is one of the We states that have not
yet adopted statewide compulsory
education law: Mississippi has no
compulsory education law; Florida,
Arkansas, South Carolina and vir-
ginia have only local option.