Evening star., 1934-06-22
NEWSPAPER CURB
ON BOYS URGED
Labor Department Holds
Employment of Those
Under ID Evil.
BY the Associate6 Press.


Advocating q ban against the EN-.
ployment Of boys under II to sell OF
deliver newspapers, the Labor Depart
ment held today that the newspaper
industry 'is responsible for the largest
single pool Of commercialized child
labor" in the country.
That statement was made by Arthur
J. Altmeyer, Assistant Secretary of
Labor, in an N. r. A. hearing on q
proposed amendment TO the daily
newspaper and the graphic arts codes
Publishers, who are to be heard
later, contend that varying conditions
would make impossible q set limit OF
Ia years for the entire country and
that furthermore selling and deliver
ing newspapers gives boys experiences
by which they profit later.
Unusual Gases Affected.
Atmeyer held that the proposed
amendment would affect only unusual
cases." and benefit the entire news
paper industry. He pointed out that
virtually every other industry had &C.
cepted a 16-year child labor limit.
To Altmeyer's argument was added
that of J. David Stern, publisher OF
several newspapers, including the
Philadelphia Record and the New
York Evening Post.
I'm my opinion this amendment
would not be any hardship on the
newspaper business, but would be q
distinct benefit" Stern testified. "The
only trouble Is that 1t is not strong
enough. 1t would be Of more benefit
II the minimum age were put gradu-
ally up to 16.
THAT would be but q small contri-
button to the new deal and the elimi-
nation Of child labor throughout the
United States"
Pointing out that the amendment
was proposed as a result Of q survey
ordered by President Roosevelt, Stern
added:
"rf we don't fall in line with wha,
really amounts to a request of the
President, we estop ourselves from
opposing abuses In other industrie,
which have been partially but moi
wholly eliminated by the N. r. A.
Endorsed by Dinwiddie.
Courtenay Dinwiddie, secretary Of
the National Child Labor Committee
indorsed the amendment and said
"The question remains then, will
the newspapers Of the country which
so largely mold public opinion co.
operate with the policy represented
by this proposed clause, which gives
them special privileges, or will they
ask that all age restrictions be wiped
out for the sale and delivery Of papers
in this industry.
"It Is difficult to believe that the
papers will wish to be the only In.
dustry in all of the thousands in the
United States to receive such O right
to use child labor down to the young
est ages"
Warden Lewis Z. Lawes Of sins
Sing prison, was scheduled to testify
in behalf Of the amendment. In.
stead. he sent q telegram to Din.
widdie saying, in part:
Recently, had q census taken herr
In Sing Sing to determine the numbe,
Of inmates who had sold newspaper
In their youth. The examination
showed that Of the 1880 men, over
SO per cent had done so. .
These figures support my contention
based on nearly 80 years experience
that juvenile delinquency and So
called criminal tendencies are largely
the result of detrimental influences
and associations that can often bs
corrected.
However, the use Of youngsters be-
low the age Of IL In selling news
papers, particularly In cities, is moi
at all calculated to correct such con-
ditions. The practice should be pro-
hibited with the millions unemployed
today. subsisting ON relief payments.