The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1920-01-10
CHILD LABOR AND THE
WAR.
U. S. Department of Labor.
childrea's Bureau.
Washington.

How the barriers against child
labor were let down during the wa
is among the subjects dealt with il
the Seventh Annual Report of th'
Chief Of the Children's Bureau of tn,
lU. S. Department Of Labor.
Even before the entry Of the Unit
ed States into the war American
children went to work in increasing
numbers to help IN contracts placed
with American manufacturers by the
belligerent nations. After we were
at war, "a mistaken sense of patriot
ism and the many opportunities for
employment at an abnormaIly high
wage combined to draw permanently
into industry large numbers of boys
and girls. many of whom under nor
NAL conditions would have continued
in school for several years"
The Federal Child Labor law which
had gone into effect on Sept. 1, 1917
prohibited the employment of chill,
dren under 10 in mines and quarries
and of children under IA in factories
limited the working day to 8 hours
for children under 10 employed in
factories, and prohibited work for
them between p. m. and 7 a. m.
But tbs law was declared uneonsti-
tudonal by the Supreme Court on
june 3. 1918
The immediate effect of the SUI
preme Court decision in states where
the state child labor standards were
lower than those imposed by the Fed
eral law was the prompt restoration
of the longer working day for chill
dren under 10 and an increase in the
number of working children. In a
number of states there was an appre-
cable increase in the violation of
state laws. For example, in one
state, the inspectors of the Children's
Bureau found that ~ out of So fac
tories visited after the Federal law
had been declared unconstitutional
were violating the state law by en-
ploying children under II. Four
hundred and thirty such children
were employed, while in 20 factories
visited when the Federal law was in
force, only o5 such children under "A
had been found at work. In one
state where the minimum age for
employment in canneries was four
teen years, 721 children under that
age, including so who were not, yet
10 years old, were found at work in
canneries in the summer of 1913
1t was in recognition of the seri-
business of this increasing employ
ment Of young children that the War
Labor Policies Board voted that
compliance with the standards of the
former Federal child labor law should
be required of establishments en-
gagged on Government war contracts
made after the date of the decision.
In consequence Of a number of
complaints received by the Bureau
regarding illegal employment of chill
dren in shipbuilding plants. a special
investigation of this industry was
made by the Bureau in cooperation
with the Emergency Fleet Corpora
ton IN the winter and early spring
of 1919. Practically all the important
plants on the Atlantic
Coast. Gull of Mexico, and the Great
Lakes were inspected, and there
were found to be numerous viola
tons Of state and Federal laws. Even
more serious, however, was the en-
ployment of children in hazardous
occupations which in prewar times
had been confined to older boys and |
men.
In order to counterfeit the effects
Of the wartime employment of chill
dren and to discourage such employ
nent in the future, many communi-
lies undertook Back-to-School and
Stay-in-School campaigns during 1913
ind 1919 under the impetus of Chill
iren's Year. Some work to keep
in school and out of indus
ny has been undertaken in the ma
ority of the states. This work has
included agitation for better enforce
nent of school attendance laws;
more attendance officers; more
chool-houses; more and better teach
rs with higher salaries; a longer
chool term; better child labor laws;
nd provision for advising children
n choice of occupation and assisting
hem in finding suitable employment
BIZ these and similar means many
tates hope to reduce the illiteraeyl
which is so aiarmingiy prevalent es-
'eeially in rural districts Of the Unit
d Estates and which is 50 great a
tumbling block to Americanization;
nd to protect children against the
azards Of too early employment.
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