Evening star., 1925-02-08

present proposed amendment was
launched
This amendment enacted by Con-
gress June 2, 1924, proposes that:
Section /. The Congress shall have
the power to limit regulate and pro-
hibit the labor of persons under IS
years of age.
Section 2. The power of the sew
eral States is unimpaired by this ar
ticle except that the operat tion Of
State laws shall be suspended to the
extent necessary to give effect to leg
islation enacted by the Congress"
Officials at the Federation of La
bor pointed out that this does not pro-
hibit the employment of any chill
dren but gives Congress the right to
enact such laws as it sees fit govern
ing children up TO the age of is.
100000 Are Employed.
They point out that there are more
than 1000, 900 children between the
ages of 10 to 16 employed in factories,
mills, mines, agriculture and other
pursuits and that nearly 100000 of
these are below the age of IA. In
some States the percentage of chill
dren employed runs as high as 25 per
cent.
Efforts to get satisfactory State
laws enacted have always been i'm
paired by the argument that indus
tries in the individual States enacting
laws would suffer becaus. similar III
dustries in other States were permit
ted to employ cheap child labor
Statistics gathered by the Fedora
tion disclose that only 13 of the
States measure up to the Federal
standards as disclosed in the first and
second laws enacted, but held uncon-
stitutional
Nine States are declared to have no
laws preventing employment of all
children under the age of IL Twenty
three States have laws preventing
the employment of children under II,
but have weakened the laws by pro-
viding exceptions to the regulations
A common school education is not
required of children entering employ
ment in 81 States, and IS States fail
| to raise a physical standard Four
teen allow children under 16 to work
from to IL hours a day despite the
efforts of the Federal Government to
| foster the general adoption of an
eight-hour day. Two States make no
regulations as to hours of employ
ment for children.
Variety Brings Drive.
This great variety in State pro-
visions is cited by the labor leaders
in their effort to obtain favorable
action upon the amendment
Or the states so far on record as
opposed to the amendment South
Carolina leads in the percentage of
children between the ages of 10 to
10 who are employed, "a per cent of
her children, or $500, working, and
georgia is second, with POS per cent,
or S8934
The Federation of Labor plans to
carry the fight back to the legisla-
lures of all the States who have voted
against ratification. The leaders will
endeaVor to get reconsideration be
fore the present Legislators leave Of
nee, but failing in this will seek the
election of men pledged to vote In
favor of adoption and will bring the
question up in new legislatures
They are backed in their fight by
the following organizations: Ameri-
can Association of University Wom-
en-, American Federation of Teachers,
American Home Economics Associa-
ton. American Nurses Association,
Commission on the Church and So
cfal Service of the Federal Council of
Church Of Christ in America, General
Federation of WOmens Clubs, Girls
Friendly Society in America, National
Child Labor Committee, National Con-
sumers' League, National Council of
Catholic Women, National Council of
Jewish Women. National Council of
Women. National Council of Parents
and Teachers. National Education AS
sociation, National Federation of
Business and Professional Women's
Clubs, National League of Women
Voters, National Women's Christian
Temperance Union, National Wom-
ems Trade Union League, Service Star
Legion, Young Women's Christian As
ISOLATION
The legislatures of the following
States which have taken no action as
yet are meeting this year: Colorado,
Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine,
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska. New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico,
New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont
Washington, West Virginia, Wiscon-
sin and Wyoming