French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1919-01-30
NEW CHILD LABOR LAW.

the times than the ineffective mea.
sure which now encumbers the page2
| OF our statute books The State
should be frank with the public ant
fair 10 the children whose interests il
| is duty bound to protect. Advocates
! OF effective child labor legislation
have grown impatient with the hab1;
our state authorities long since con-
! tracted Of temPorizing with the ques-
! ton OF working small children teo
! and eleven hours a day in Industrial
enterprises. We ought to have q law,
! that can be made effective, Or opel:
wide the doors for the exploitation CT
! child Hfe III the mad rush to coin dol
! lars. Much the parger percentage OF
the employers of children are humane,
but there are derelicts in every trade,
profession and calling, and it is Tx,
latter class who disregard the law ana
cause the innocent to suffer with the
guilty"
The enactment Of laws for the GUT
dance and protection of any class Of
CiCizens is a serious matter, and should
not be treated lightly. Presumably,
it is not the purpose Of our General
Assemblies to pass laws without rea-
sonable assurance Of their enforce
ment, but the present child labor law
sO-called, has not been enforced for
want of machinery. That which is as
sumed to be eVerybody's business is
seldom taken seriously by anyone
And this is probably the reason roT
the laxity that has characterized the
feeble efforts towards the enforcc-
ment Of the special acts intended to
protect women and children.
Nearly twenty years ago the General
Assembly of North Carolina placed
itself on record against the practice
OF working small children in indus
trial plants, but failed to provide
means through which it's views could
be enforced, and children have been
working right along all these years.
Every attempt to strengthen the child
labor law has been vigorously CDD0s-
ed by the employers Of children who
have journeyed to Raleigh every TWO
years to ask for more time in which to
work out a solution OF the matter
themselves. We do not question the
sincerity Of these men in the prom
Uses they have made to correct the
evil of child labor. They must have
realized by this time, however, that
it is beyond Their power of control to
prevent Violations OF the law outside
OF their own premises.
We must face the stubborn fact that
under the legal age are being
in the industries of the State
Federal inspectors last year found d
number OF violations OF the National
child labor that would have been pro-
secuted had the act continued etfec-
tive Shall North Carolina remain in
active and permit the Federal Govern
ment to again become the guardian of
her children? An amendment to the
revenue bill, which recently passed
the conference committee Of both
branches OF Congress, imposes a tax
of ten per cent upon the products of
every manufacturing establishment in
which children are employed longer
than eight hours per day, and under
fourteen years OF age. When this
becomes operative, we will
have Federal inspectors with us again
unless the State takes the matter Of
law enforcement in it's own hands.
The Government who investigated
child labor conditions last year re-
ported that they found children from
six to fourteen years of age working
in the factories over eight hours day.
This is shown in the summaries of liz
made during the summer
and fall of the year 1913.
Male and female adults in the
trades and professions, in the shops
and governmental departments, be- !
hind the counters and on the house
tops, have long since won the fight |
for the basic eight-hour day, and de-
cline to work minute longer. Shall
he great State of North Carolina per-
NIT her helpless little children to la
Dor longer hours than their fathers
Ind grown-up brothers? For weeks
Turing the winter months of the year
children in the industries Of this State
never see the sun rise or set. They
begin with the dawn and work until
lark. Will anyone claim that this Is
wing the children square deal?
The act OF 1913, requiring separate
oilets for male and female workers,
nd the provision of chapter S57, PUB
lc Laws of 1909, requiring employers
0 provide seats for female employees,
'ught to be strengthened with ma
h1nery that will guarantee reason
BILE effectiveness. The machinery
ocA 1