The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-27
WOULD REGULATE CHILDREN'S WORK
 ON WAR GARDENS
National Child Labor Com mittee Sees Possibili-
 ity of New Evils.

erica to serve in war time in the pro- duction of foodstuffs under supervi- l sion of educational directors and at the same time safeguard the children against overWOrk and general neg lect," the National Child Labor com mittee has sent letter and 1eaflet [ outlining a workable plan to every | state, county, and city school super | .intendent, the secretaries of agricul- 1 ture and labor, the commissioner of ] education, the chief of the Children's i bureau, members of the council for 1 national defense, and others interest i ed The plans calls for the co-opera- 1 tion of teachers, scout masters, and playground directors. The plan di- vides children into two classes, those 1
 IA years old and over, who may be
 hired out or sent in groups to work | in farm districts, and those under IA, i
 who would be 8 burden to the far
 mers but may be used in their home 1 towns under supervision. For em- l ploying the younger children, towns
 are advised to form a Summer Agri-
 cultural Faculty composed of teach | 1 CTS, scout masters, and others, get the 1 use of vacant lots and raise a small
 sum to have them ploughed, and se-
 cure a special resolution from the To- cal. school board providing that chill
 dren enrolled for this supervised ag-
 ricultural work and performing it
 regularly may be credited with it in
 lieu. of regular school, attendance ] from June 1 to October 1. "But allow
 no general exemption says the leaf
 let, :. that will turn children out of
 school without providing both occu patton and supervision" The chill i dren thus enrolled are then to be set 1 to work to raise foodstuffs appropri-
 ate to the soil and location under di- recuon of the Simmer Agricultural
 Faculty who will appreciate the
 limits of a child's strength and will not allow him to be overworked.' For older children, it is suggested that
 since Ito send any children to farms
 without knowing the actual need for 1 them, or without regulation would be
 wasteful and hindrance to the far mers who do not want horde of l inexperienced laborers on their hands, each state should create a
 committee of school officials to con
 fer with the state agricultural de-
 partment and farmers organizations, meet whatever need there is of child l labor and draft regulations for it. The suggested regulations are that l children IA and over, only, be per l mitted to work for farmers other
 than their own parents, since, as the National Child Labor committee
 states, the farmers themselves repeat
 edly say that children younger than IA or 15-year-olds are no use to l them; that such children be excused
 from school for farm work between
 June 1 and October I; that no, chill I dren so excused be permitted to4work l | Y119 11oy o. 1 =, Ho sH Ia week; that children shall be so ex-
 cused only on the issuance of spe- cial permit, by the state committee | of school officials or persons author l
 ized by, them, stating that the child l l has been examined by a physician
 and found physically fit for work, | and is to be employed on a farm l
 known to be suitable place. The | i committee of school officials is to be | 1 responsible for the enforcement of 1
 such regulations and for the super
 vision of the transportation, housing
 and feeding of the children. AS to
 the housing it is suggested that the children live in camps, under super
 vision of scout masters, playground l directors, or school officers, from l which they may be sent in gangs each day to the farms or fields where they
 are needed, and to which they may be I returned at night, thus keeping their T living conditions under control, and
 relieving the farmers of the responsi- bllity of housing them. England is l already wishing she had not used her
 children so recklessly at the begin l ming of the war. Let America learn by England's experience,'' says the
 leaflet in explanation of the need of
 regulation. In the letter accompany= ing the leaflet it is stated that ''the policy of recruiting agricultural and
 factory workers from school children | II to 3 years old, adopted in Great Britain at the beginning of. the war,
 already stands revealed as short
 sighted. and standards too recklessly set aside are now being restored. We \ believe the plan outlined will not only
 utilize properly the human resources of the country and enable the chill
 dren to do their bit, but will regulate their work for the best interests of themselves and their employers, and
 at the same time help supply the country with food. It can be carried
 out upon sufficient local initiative
 and will bear abundant fruit without
 any hazard to the future of the Re-
 public"