Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1918-11-15
CHILD LABOR EXPLOITATION
INCREASES

Washington. - Investigations con-
Quoted by the children's bureau of the
department of labor show a great in
crease in the employment of children
since the federal child labor law was
declared unconstitutional by the
United States supreme court. This
law prohibited the transportation in
interstate commerce of commodities
made by children under IA years in
factories and under 16 years in mines
and. quarries. 1t also provided that
children between IA and 16 years
should not be employed more than
eight hours day, six days week
and not before a. m. or after
p. m.
The children's bureau states that
since the federal law has been set
aside the. long work day for children
has again been established. In North
Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
an 11-hour day and the 60-hour week
are now general. In the former state
children from 5 to Ia years were
found employed more than eight hours
a day.
"The limitation of the hours of
work is more generally objected to
than the age limit" the children's
bureau reports. Careful studies
made here and in England indicate
that the long day which is no longer
considered economical for the adult
worker, is peculiarly dangerous for
children. The chief medical officer
of the board of education in London
finds that of all the undesirable
(working) conditions (for children)
the most radical and persistent is
that of long hours. 1t is a remarka-
BILE and significant fact that all
through the history of child labor the
dominant evil is not accidents, or
poisoning, or defornities, or specific
disease-but the stress and fatigue
of the immature body due to long or
unsuitable hours of occupation"
To abolish the child labor evil the
A. F. of L. and other organizations
and individuals are urging the pas
sage of a federal law that will place
a tax on the products of child labor.
The attorney general, secretary of
the treasury and the secretary of la
Dor shall constitute board to make
rules and regulations for the valuing
of such articles and commodities for
the purpose of the tax and for carry
ing out the provisions of the proposed
law.
In order to prevent fraud upon the
revenue by evading the tax the sec
retary of labor or any person author
lied by him, shall have authority to
enter and inspect at any time any
mine, quarry, mill, factory or other
manufacturing establishment.
Friends of this proposed legislation
believe it will remove objections
raised by the United States supreme
court when it invalidated the federal
child labor law. In that case the
court held that congress can not pro-
hibit the interstate commerce trans
portation of a thing not intrinsically
evil, as lottery tickets, ETC., and that
the commerce power of congress is
one of regulation and that exclusion
of a thing harmless per Sc goes be-
yond regulation.
Opponents of child labor are acting
on the assumption that while the
United States supreme court has
denied congress the right to prohibit
the interstate transportation of child
labor products, the right to regulate
such products has been conceded.
The plan now is to impose tax on
these products and make them de-
cidedly Improbable.
1t has been suggested that the pro-
posed act be attached as "rider" to
the big war revenue bill, which has
passed the house, and is now pending
in the senate.