The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-02-27
Eliminate Juvenile
 Tobacco Pickers
Connecticut and Massachusetts Agree to Discontinue
 Plan-TOne Given Credit

H. Steane, 235 State street, Hart ford, of Hathaway 6 Steane, Inc, N. A. Shepard, 53 Mechanic street, Hartford, of A. N. Shepard G Sons, Inc, and Franklin B. Pease, 16S State street, Hartford, of the Otee Tobacco Corp.
 The result of this session was that Mir Kaffenburgh was desig- mated to visit all important to- bacco growers in this state and Massachusetts. and solicit their signatures to an agreement which would bind them not to employ children under 14 years of age in their fields.
 Kaffenburgh was successful be- yond the bounds of expectation of the labor department officials. He reported that he had succeeded in securing the signature of growers who represented more than 95 per cent of the crop in the two states.
 The agreement for which he secured signatures reads as fol- lows:
 "We hereby agree that on our tobacco plantations we will not em- ploy any children under IA years of age."
 Those who fixed their signatures follow: 4"
 l.. B. Hass Go, Inc, w. P. Haas, treasurer, December 9, 1892; The Gershel-Kaffenburgh Tobacco Co.,. D. Kaffenburgh, treasurer, Decem- Der 9, 1932;' Cullinan Brothers, Inc. Fred B. Griffin, vice president, De- cember g, 1882; Kohn Bros To- bacco Co, Inc, Jerome Kohn. treas nAnnyr, hnM 1OgOs Cf1hnrtf1 a n and Kahn, William M. Kahn. De- cember g, 1892; Consolidated Cigar Corp, William M. Kahn, December 9, 1892; The Otee Tobacco Corp, Franklin B. Pease, secretary, De- cember 9, 1892; Edwards and Brewer, Inc, William Brewer, treasurer. Dec g, 1882; The Hart man Tobacco Go, Maurice Hart man, president, December 9, 1892; Raymond B. Clark, December 12. 1892; American Sumatra Tobacco Corp, P. Polumbaum, executive vice president, December 12,r 1892; c. & Benj. l.. Grabosky, Harry Wetstone, December 12. 1932: H. Whitaker, December 12. 1892; A.. M. Shepard and Son, Inc. N. A. Shepard, secretary, December 12, 1882; c. K. & H. T. Hale. Inc. c. Harry Hale, December 12, 1899; Friend and, Go, Inc. S. l.. Friend. December 12. 1922; Meyer and Mendelsohn, Inc, A. J. Mendelsohn, December 13, 1892.
 It was further agreed as re-, suit of the labor departments friendly contact with the Con- necticut tobacco growers that they would accept the advice and sug- gestions of the department on mat ters of sanitation and working con- ditions affecting employees in, the tobacco fields. & R
 Tone's department, in actuality, has no Jurisdiction over tobacco men until their product reaches the warehouses or processing and manufacturing stage. Up until that the department of agriculture has the say. But Tone and Commis- sioner Smith seeing an opportunity to improve working conditions and end child labor in the tobacco fields stepped in informally and were successful where formal negotia- tions might not have culminated as happily. s$
 Continued organized opposition to the Hullivan bill to make 1t H. legal to employ children tobacco workers may be forthcoming be- cause of American businessmen's historic disinclination to permit interference with their claimed rights, but the voluntarily negoti- ated agreement of the tobacco men will bar children from the fields with or without compelling legisla- ton. fFP# x