Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-16
BRUCE N. WATSON
On the chl,d.Labor Situation

THE recent decision of the United States
/ Supreme Court. declaring unconstitu.
tional the Federal Child Labor Law OF 1913,
does not in any way affect the validity OF
the PENNSYLVANIA law regarding child labor'
according to Bruce NJ. Watson, manas"e
director of the Education and Ch''d A'"'''
Association Of Pennsylvania.
."The only effect that the decision Oh '"e
Supreme Court can possibly have IN feih,
svlvonio." said Mr.. Watson, Twill be mat
the working day of the children may possibly
be extended to nine hours instead of elght'
as the Federal law provided, because ,the
PENNSYLVANIA Child-I Labor Law permits It a
working day of nine hours. However; s n.os.
of the places in Pennsylvania are area9y
working on an eight hour day ana i 40
not believe that many of them VIII ine,taS' tia'
this because of the Supreme Courts action.
Conditions In Pennsylvania
"Child labor rates pretty high IN Penn
sylyania as compared with some OF the other
States, The children here are chieny en-
nlOyed in mills and factories. mine LABOR py
children being forbidden by the law OF loi''
under which our State Is operating.
..This law was satisfactory, according to
the status of 1915. the year when 1t was
passed by the Legislature, but some of the
other States have gone away ahead OF us in
the time which has elapsed sihce'our state law
was adopted The law today remains prac-
tically the same as when It was passed ts
PENNSYLVANIA law should be amended so as
TO comppl an eight hour day, and every one
knows that eight hours is long enough TOR
any person under sixteen years OF age TO
work.
"Our State law does not apply at all to
children in domestic service in houses, nor
to those who work on farms, these two
classes being excepted at the time when the
law was passed. They are the only classes
of occupation exempted from the provisions
of the act.
The Continuation Schools
"There is also n very strong sentiment
manifesting itself throughout the State in
favor Of requiring attendance at the con-
tinuation schools for employed children up
to the age of eighteen years instead Of six
teen, as at present
"There is n general popular misunder-
standing as to the scope Of the Federal
| Child Labor Law and some persons have the
idea that the national law was ideal and
| covered everything. This is a mistake. The
| Federal Child Labor Law did not prohibit
| child labor in any class of occupation nor
| in any place: it simply put handicap upon
the employer who used child labor. The
| Pennsylvania law, on the other hand, de-
| clares that child labor is illegal and pro-
| vides for the arrest and punishment by fining
| of the employer who violates its pro-
visions.
Federal Law Did Much Good
"At the same time, the Federal law, while
| IL reached only about 10 per cent of the
| working children Of the country did an i'm
mense amount of good. 1t was great boon
| TO the small children in the cotton States
| especially. Some Of these States had no
| child Labor law at all, others had laws on
| the subject which were unsatisfactory and
| meager, and were therefore laws of low
standards, not nearly equal to the Fed.
eral law.
1.-THE Federal law also accelerated. proeress
| in the matter of the opposition to child labor
It caused the individual States to raise thc
standards of their own laws on the subiect
| of child labor and encouraged those StStes
which did not have any such laws ar ali to
pass them. Furthermore, it helped materi.
| ally in the enforcement of the State Laws
through having the Federal and the St"te
| oficials working in harmony to common
end, Where it might sometimes be dificmlt
| to get prompt State action, this difficulty wos
| often removed by an appeal to the Federal
| authorities for an investigation.
Public Sentiment and Child Labor
'Public sent ment against child labor Ia
becoming stronger and stronger every year,
| and II u scarcely an exaggesatl0n to say that
| today the feeling against IL Is as e,nnha III