Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-06-03

Child Labor in OYSTER, And Shrimp
Canning Communities

A report made public today by
the U. S. Department of Labor
through the Children's Bureau de-
scribes child labor in the oyster and
shrimp-canning industry during the
period between the first and secono
Federal child labor laws. when no
Federal regulation Of the child labor
existed. Special significance attaches
to the report in view of the decision
of the U. S Supreme Court, rend-
cred on May Is, which held the Fed
eral Child Labor Tax Law unconsti-
tutional and thus leaves the children
again without the protection of a
Federal law. The report. entitled
"Child Labor and the Work Of
Mothers in Oyster and Shrimp Can
ming Communities on the Gulf
Coast" calls attention to the very
young ages of many o: lie children
employed, the detrimental conditions
under which they worked. the poor
school facilities, the mark>d retarda-
ton in school, and the employment
of mothers of young children.
The work of both the children and
their parents was subject to all the
Irregularities of the canning indus
try, the report states. Since the
work depended on the catch, it began
any time between 3 and 7 o'clock in
the morning, and lasted a few hours,
whole day, or sometimes on into
the evening. OF the 544 working
children under 16 years of age in
Guided in the study, more than three
fifths worked whenever the factory
was open. The others worked only
occasionally or before and after
school and on Saturdays. The major
ity of the children-334 Of the 544
who worked were under age of IA
years. the minimum fixed by both Of
the Federal laws. Some were as
young as six years of age or under.
Most of the cannery work was wet
and dirty, and was done in cold,
damp, drafty sheds the oyster shuck-
ers or shrimp pickers standing among
the empty oyster shells or shrimp
hulls The workers were liable to in
iuries from the sharp oyster shells,
shrimp thorns, and work knives, and
to constant soreness Of the hands
from acid in the shrimp. Many in
juries were reported among children.
In order to secure an increased
supply of labor which the employers
are able to control. the custom of
importing families from the North
has been carried on each winter for
number of years. These migratory
workers are housed in company
camps, which usually were found to
be insanitary and overcrowded. With
no community held responsible for
their education, 81 per cent of the
white children 10 to Is wears of age
in the migratory families studied
were illierate. as compared with 4
per cent for approximately the same
age group, both white and colored,
for the United States as whole.
Nearly two-thirds of the children of
these families at the ages of IA and
Is had not completed the fourth
grade. Even among the local child
rem who worked in the canneries re-
tardation in school was serious
Nineteen per cent of the resident
white children and 25 per cent OF
the colored, could neither read nor
write.
In about one-fourth of the fami-
lies in which the mother or the chill
dren were employed, the father was
dead or had deserted the family. The
study was made at a time wher
earnings were said by employers ano
workers to be higher than ever be-
fore, but the earnings of the fathers
for their best week during this sea
son were found to be under $50 II
two-thirds of the cases, and under
$50 in nearly one-half; for the aver
age week 10 per cent of the fathers
made less than S25, and practically
third of them less than SIS. Four
fifths of the mothers averaged less
than $3.50 a week
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