The Washington herald., 1918-07-31
CHILD'S LABOR
STATUS IN D. G.
UNPARALLELED
Overpaid, Are Tempted to
Refuse Further Attend
ance at Schools.
BOYS GET MEMS WAGE
Parents Encourage Youth
to Procure High-Pay
Employment.
BOYS GET MEMS WAGE


Dor problem Of its own, according to
Mrs. Edna K. Bushee, executive sec
retary Of the Juvenile Protective As
sociation, and DR.. Joseph A. Murphy,
medical inspector Of the public
schools.
Their conclusion Is that: Precedents
set by underpaid, underfed.' under
sized children in Southern cotton mills
will lbe Of small avail in solving the
Washington problem.
For the point that is worrying peo-
pie interested in the welfare of the
juvenile here Is, not that they are
being underpaid, but that they are
beng overpaid.
An unusually large number OF chill
dren are working in Washington 1T
present both for the government and
private business. The large number
employed Is the only parallel that
can be drawn between the Washing
ton children working and those in the
cotton mills, for here they are being
paid large salaries. considering their
age. The danger lies in the large
amount of sepnding money left in
childish hands and the temptation Of
dispensing with further education.
For working conditions are good,
the hours are not long, and in most
cases, from the standpoint OF health.
there can be made no just criticism.
Crisis as to Schools.
The crisis will be reached upon
the opening OF schools. 1t is to be
expected that of the 4,o36 children
IA years of age to whom permits
to work were issued will refuse to
continue their education.
The permits issued to children
this year have been five times that
of the number issued during the
preceding school year. During July,
there have been $50 permits issued.
June was a record breaker with
1853.
Refusal OF children to continue
with their school work is, of course,
traced directly to the indifference
of parents and their inability to
withstand the nagging and teasing
of their children.
Public opinion must be aroused
to this danger before fall" said
Mrs. Edna K. Bushee, of the Juven-
lie Protective Association, whose
headquarters are in the Juvenile
Court.
There are many children who
are earning abnormal salaries, and
who are taking the positions form
erly occupied by men and women.
This tends to unbalance them, for
they are children in judgment as
we'll as in years. They have not
had to go through the preliminary
stages to reach these positions that
nj hf
to go through. Therefore they lose
their sense of values.
Boys Earn Mems Salaries.
There are many boys of Is and
Is who are making salaries that In
former years a strong man with q
family to support would have been
more than glad to have receive. |
have one case especially in mind. 1t
is the case of a boy who is max
ing $65 a month in the service of
the government. He is an unusual
type lin that, of the money left after
he has given three or four dollars
week to his parents and bought
his clothes, he puts the rest in the
bank.
How many children have Jug
ment enough to manage s65 a
month? Is it not dangerous for a
young boy to have so much money
to spend as he pleases?
Unless the parents are in desti-
tute circumstances, they reprone to
require but little money for board
from their young children. They
seem ashamed to take the money.
But 1t would be for the children's
own good If they were made to give
up a good portion of what has been
earned"
Permits More Numerous.
There has been a great increase in
the permits granted to children h.
tween the ages Of II and IL Whine
the children over IA need merely 10
pass physical examination before the
medical inspector of the public
schools. DR.. Joseph A. Murphy. 10
get a permit to work, the 12-year-oId
children have to get the permit, ac-
companied by their parents, from the
Juvenile Court.
The greatly increased cost Of living
has been assigned as the cause for
TINS increase In the number of permits
issued by the Juvenile Court.
THE present child labor law Is ve,.v
InerA
is provision against children from M
to IS working, there are no penalties
attached to violations of the law
There is also a provision that no child
shall work after 10 o'clock at night.
vet this is done frequently. Also.
there are children selling things who
have not a badge as required by law"
Plan Legislation.
DR.. Murphy is a member of the
committee of the Children's Year COM
mitee which is working for better
legislation on this subject. Mrs.
Louis Brownlow, wife of the commits
sioner, is chairman Of this sub-coIn-
mittee. They had a meeting last
night to plan legislation dealing with
the subject by fall.
DR.. Murphy assigned three reasons
for the present situation in regard 10
child labor.
THE greatly increased cost of living
Is one cause" he said.
"The. drafting of so many men into
the army. leaving many positions open
roNTtNtYrp ~, 49, -