Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
CHILD LABOR ACCRAVATES1
UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION
Educators Find Total of Working Chill
dren Exceeds Number of JObless
Adults i'm Normal Times.

| lively small errors should not OBSCURE
the significant social facts that 1t por-
trays When every allowance is made
for possible errors of fact and interpre-
tation, the stubborn truth still emergeS.
Even under normal conditions there are
more painfully employed children in
the United States than there are job
less men.
Would Open More Jobs.
What would happen if these $4,000
! young Americans were taken out OF
machine shops and glass factories, TAX
| en- out of canneries and cotton mills,
taken of delivery trucks and out Of
| hotel elevators, taken from behind store
counters and out of coal mines and
placed in school? Perhaps one OF the
most important, and certainly one Of
the most immediate, results would be
| to vacate jobs for about an equal num-
Der of men and women who are now
seeking them. If this great shift could
be accomplished it would create as
many jobs as the normal average un-
employment as determined by the Presi-
dents committee.
Nor would the opening up of new
jobs stop with merely replacing these
boys and girls. To instruct this new
army in the schools would require at
least 10000 additional teachers and
ZU,UUU new SCIlOOl SulpIOycS VI OIAlSA
types. Hundreds of new school build
ings would be required, and this would
in turn stimulate the building indus
try and give jobs to tens of thousapda
more.
Social Factors Great
Nothing has been said here of the
advantages to the boys ard girls them
selves in enriched lives, broader con-
facts, better health and more produc-
tive vocational training. Nothing has
been said of the advantages to the
Nation and to the taxpayers in cutting
down juvenile crime due to too early
employment and in cutting down old
age dependency due to lack of a skilled
trade. Nothing has been said of the
advantage to political life of a better
trained citizenry. All of these things
are of fundamental Importance, but
We are concerned just now only with
the relationship between child labor
and unemployment
The suggestion that children should
be placed in school and leave gainful
work for adults is made with full rec
ignition of the difficulties involved in
carrying it out. 1t is agreed that many
child laborerS are at work because they
themselves or their families need the
money; but Of what advantage is it
for child to work if by doing so he
displaces perfectly able-bodied father?
Furthermore, very considerable pro-
portion of child labor is not done be-
cause Of poverty but for other reasons.
In any case it Is no part of a child's
responsibility to support his parents
at a time when he should be laying
the foundation for his own life. The
relief Of poverty is a function which
should not be imposed upon young
children. A democracy cannot afford
to deprive single child Of complete
educational opportunity because of the
poverty Of his parents.
Schools Could Adapt Selves.
To quote one of the reports Of the
recent White House Conference on
Child Health and Protection, Child
labor must wait on child welfare.
No economic need In prosperous Amer
lea can be urged as justification for rob-
bling a child of his childhood"
It will also be said that the schools
are not prepared to accept and to min
lister to the needs of these 100000
child workers. In a limited sense this
is true. Our present educational sys-
tenn is not perfectly adjusted to the
needs Of many of this group. But the
schools have already shown their ability
to adapt their program to a rapidly
increasing and changing enrolment
Everything points to their likelihood of
making further adaptations as the
means and the opportunities for In
creasing their service are made avail
able.
Let it be understood that in suggest
ing that the child workers return to
the schools there is no thought that all
will be marched through narrow and
traditional curriculum. Many of them
should be given manual or other voca-
tional training which in itself would be
type Of work, but it should be work
in which the major purpose is to develop
the individual and not chiefly to In
crease production and profits.
Tax Fears Secuted.
But it will cost too muchl We shall
be ruined by the taxes! Lo, fable:
An old gentleman had amassed a
comfortable fortune of some $3.50 000,-
100000. His income, steadily increas-
ing, touched ninety billions a year. He
had nearly thirty billions in the savings
banks. Over twelve billions a year he
spent for his automobiles and about six
billions went for such luxuries as candy,
theater tickets, cosmetics, perfumes and
soft drinks He spent little over two
billion year for tobacco and slightly
more than that amount for the educa-
ton Of his numerous children.
Some of these children were fortu-
nate and the old chap gave them q
magnificent educational opportunity, an
opportunity which he never failed to
mention when comparing himself with
his neighbors. The old gentleman also
asserted roundly that each one of his
children was equally dear and precious
TO him. He tolerated no distinction be-
tween them, although it was a notorious
fact that many of them were getting an
inferior education or no education at
all. When his attention was called to
this latter group, he always said that he
couldn't possibly afford to spend any
more money on them than he was al
ready spending.
These undereducated children caused
Uncle Sam great deal Of trouble.
They frequently grew up to be poor
workmen and many of them ran afoul
OF the law, thus involving their guardian
| in great expense. They were frequently
out of work and constantly threatened
the domestic peace of the family. Still,
| Uncle Sam, who prided himself on his
shrewd business acumen, insisted that
he could do no more for them than he
was already doing.
Would Increase Cost 10 Per Cent.
The people Of the United States spend
about $4,000, 000, 900, or "a per cent of
| all their income, Tor the pubic element
airy and secondary education of 25,000,-
900 children. The 1000 900 child labor
ers would, for the most part, require
education at the secondary level, and
this is somewhat more expensive than
the average But the addition of the
cost Of educating these children to thu
present school costs would certainly not
swell the total by more than 10 per
cent, or $3.50, 1000, 900.
This would make the total cost Of
public schools amount to about $2,750,-
100000, or 81 per cent instead Of "a
per cent, of the total national income.