Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-05-09

towns of the State is as follows:
Sanford to 81
Watervllle ..............l 10 IL
Lewiston ..................l 10 20
brunswick .................l 10 u
Augusta ...................l 10 y
Saco ............... .'''''i 10 20
Your attention is especially called
70 Biddeford, where the ratio is l to
90 and this does not include
the large number of children who re-
side in Biddeford and are employed
in Saco under work permits issued
by the superintendent Of schools Of
Biddeford These children are includ-
cd in the Saco list.
Biddcford and Saco together have
employed under work permits 2%S
children. This is about three-quar;er
part of the whole number employed
in all the industries of the State.
Biddeford he's about the same class
cf factory people as found working
in Lewiston where the ratio is | 10
2a7.
It will be noticed that Waterfalls
and Westbrook have one miner to II
adults.
1t should be remembered that few
Of the cities above mentioned employ
children from other towns in the vi
entity. For example, the textile mills
Of Watervile employ children under
work permits issued by the school
superintendent of Fairfield and
Winslow This condition, however,
does not hold true TO any great rx-
tent in Augusta where the ratio is
/ to 30.
The next speaker was Miss Grace
Abbott Of Washington. director Of the
Child Labor Division OF the United
States department of labor. She said
that n number Of years ago states
men were saying that factory WORK
could be done by The little ones ana
the thrift had its virtue. but now
they soc things from a different
standpoint. that it does not pay for
a child to work to take care Of HI;
parents. She spoke Of the Federal
Child Labor law being for the pur
pose OF seeing that certain minimum
standards are observed.
Miss Abbott said THAT a good Child
Labor law should have three tests.
the age. the educational and the
physical tests. The federal law has
only the age test and represents not
the standard that the community
represents as desirable. but rather q
i,,i OF n
standards cannot go. She said that
many felt that it was a most mop
fortune time for that law to go into
effect and some inquired if the law
was not going to he suspended dur
ing the period of the war. some Dco-
pie seeming to be eager to sacrifice
their children first. She pointed out
that we have the experience Of the
warning nations to go by and THAI
commissions in England and France
he'd discovered that the breaking
down Of standards had been great
mistake. And she pointed out that
President Wilson had said that there
was no necessity of sacrificing the
children now but it was up to the
people 10 see that the Child Lace"
law is enacted. She said that the chill
dren should be given fair chance
for they are the oncs who must tace
the national debts
Interesting Discussion
|. L. Allen, superintendent of schools
at BiddefOrd, stated that he was in
favor Of working age limit of ".
as the schools do not now get the
children from 81 to II who are not
able to read and write He said that
one Of the effects Of the law had necn
to reduce the number of mentally de
fcient children.
Pref. Warren L. Catlin of the Eco
tonics department of Bowdoin col
l1ge. brought up the matter of keep
ing the children busy during The
summer months by having them at
tend vocational schools. and Harold
a. Allan, agent for rural schools, stat
ed that the vocational school IDEA
must be faced in this State as else
where.
Supt. of Public SCHOOLS A. O
Thomas spoke Of the matter of ha"-
ing superintendent take up the quea-
ton and allowing the children who
were up i'll their work and We're need
ed. to work TWO or three weeks dur
ing crop time and having their teach
ers coach them in their studies at
the end OF that time.
There was a lively discussion Of
the articles in the report of the COM
mittee on resolutions, which was
presented by DR.. S. j. Beach of Au-
gusta. And there was a good deal of
argument upon the proposition of the
teaching Of sex hygiene in the puo-
lie schools.
The conference was finally adjourn
ed about l p. NJ.
Those in Attendance.
The following were in attendance
at the conference: A. A. Head OF
Watervile. Asst. State secretary Oh
Y. NJ. c. A.; p. l.. Aiken Of Bangor !
attorney: Mrs. James Lowell Dean,
president of the Waterviile Chiio
welfare League; DR.. Nora r. Brow,
chairman of the Waterville Chi'0
welfare Conference; Louis B. Farn
ham. principal Of Deering
school; William B. Jack, princlpaI
Portland High school: Proles