The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-08
YOUNG WORKERS
IN CHINA MILLS
ARE EXPLOITED
Children Toll Under
Inhuman Conditions

The utter absence of legislation
on labor protection in China, not to
speak of the protection of Child
Labor, enables the foreign and
Chinese capitalists to exploit the
workers, and especially the women
and children in an inhuman fashion
Textile mills in China employ
children between the ages of 6 and
7 Young workers are mostly en-
ployed in the textile mills.
According to the figures obtained
by the investigation of the All
China Federation of Trade Unions
93,414 out of 124,181 workers were
juniors, of whom 69,404 were young
women workers, while 8,549 were
young boys under the age of 10.
This prominence of the labor of
young workers existing not only in
the textile trades.
The average working day is
twelve hours, not infrequently it is
more. The maximum wage of all
the workers is approximately Acc.
The minimum wage is between six
and ten cents a day. This does not
apply to skilled workers who COM
prise an insignificant section. In the
majority of cases no help is given to
injured workers. Workers injured at
work receive no pay whatever during
convalescense. Should death follow
the family receive from 10 to Is
dollars.
In the contracts bstween the work
ers and employers clause is fire.
quently included stating that should
death occur while working the en-
ployer is not responsible. Workers
coming late frequently lose their
wages for the whole of the day.
Fines ranging up to several days
pay are made for the slightest in
fringement of the rules and regula-
lions of the plant. At the Japanese
factories the number of times work.
ers are permitted to go to the
lavatory is limited, special con-
troll being set up.
Children Work Twelve Hours For
5 to 18 Cents.
The wages Of young workers and
especially of the children are much
lower even than the miserable wages
received by the adult workers. An
investigation of wages in the textile
mills of Shanghai showed that chill
dren earned from to Is cents a
day for IL hours work.
During the last few years, what
with the civil war, floods and
droughts, articles of first necessity,
especially rice, salt and meat, have
gone up tremendously in price. In
many towns, as result of the fl
nancial crises, wages are paid out
with much delay. In the state en-
terprises, however wages are paid
out in deprecated war bonds, etc.
All these factors have lowered the
real wage. The young workers
were the first to suffer the effects.
On the other hand these factors
and the destruction of the railroad
have been instrumental in reducing
the purchasing power of the broad
masses of the population. Many
enterprises in the light industry are
closing down or curtailing their pro-
duction, unemployment is on the in
crease, while adult workers are be-
ing replaced by juniors and children.
Strikes Gain.
Hence, during the past few years
strike movement has been gaining
ground and the young workers have
been most active. 1t happens fire.
quently that juniors and children
come out on strike independently.
The program of demands of the
youth section of the All China
Federation of Trade Unions is as
follows:
l. The working day to be limited
to eight shours.
2. This employment of children