Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-01
CH|[D-LABOR BILL !:
FOR D. c. OPPOSED
Arguments Against Curtis
Gard Measure Made Before
Senate Committee.

Opposition To the Curtis-fiard child
labor bill for the District Of Columbia
developed today at \ hearing on the
measure before the Senate District SUBJ
committee, to which 1t has been re-
ferred. Speaking for the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association. Charles
J. Columbus. secretary of the organiza-
ton. protested against tho enactment Of
the proposed law. declaring that in tho
opinion Of the ASSOCIATION it was not
needed. Columbus said that he he
lieved a wrong idea of child labor cons
ditons in the District had been given
and said that conditions here were much
better than they had been pictured
He presented TO fhe committee n
report of the committee on child
labor legislation adopted by the board
of governors. declaring The Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associate
ton unqualiiedly disapproves tho
above named bill"
Statement OF Conditions.
Mr.. Columbus told the committee
that:
Business in the District Of Colum-
bfa has never been user Of child
labor. We have always insisted that
every child should have al least an
eighth grade education. Any other
type of children are valuelCss in any
and all lines.
Put there is a decided onus placed
on the employer in the multiplicity
of reports and Investigations that hs
must make and tho responsibility
that he bears toward the enforcement
of the law. In this regard the onue.
IL any. should Ii" with the individual
offering for employment.
"As parent. I personally regard
this hill mo n tina
American home. IT is unfair to busi<
ness in the District of Columbia 10
pretend that business is so vile and
bad that it is responsible for the con.
ditionS alleged"
Certain features OF the bill were
criticised by Charles W. Claggett. n
member OF the committee of the
Chamber of Commerce. appointed to
study the child labor bill. and q. NJ.
Foote. opposed the provision which
would make it impossible to employ
messenger girls under twenty-ons
years of age.
Judge sellers Favors ChnnGe.
The proponents of the bill COM
pIeted their testimony before the OPP
position was heard. Judge Kathryn
Sellers. judge of the Juvenile Court
of the District. said that she was heart
lily in favor of additional child-labor leg
islation and that the present law was
ssHe utplpItu tic idSS
that many children between the ages
OF fourteen and sixteen are working
for the government in the District.
Il think that the government service
is bad thing for boys under six
teen to go into" said Judge Seller2
They earn too much money in the
positions given them. This is a bad
thing for them. A boy of fourteen
was brought into the Juvenile Court
the other day who had been picked
up and married by a girl of nineteen.
He worked for the government and
was getting a good salary in addf-
ton to the bonus. He was a regular
man.
The h9ys in the government serv-
ice are nut in the way Of too many
temptations. 1t seems that the banks
will cash lchecks for boys too readily.
A know Of one case where the boy
had no difficulty whatever in getting
check for $500 cashed with which
he had been intrusted."
Others support Bill.
Others who appeared in support OF
the bill included Henry J. Gideon.
chief of the bureau of compulsory
education Of Philadelphia: Miss Ethel
NJ. Smith. secretary of the legislative
committee of the Women's Trade
Union League: Mrs. Walter S. Ufford,
executive secretary of the home serv.
ice of the American Red Cross; DR..
Royal Meeker, commissioner Of la
Dor statistics, and Henry Sterling.
representing the American Federation
of Labor.