The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1944-05-05
PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT OF
SCHOOL BOYS AND GIRLS

no interest in the job. And in tim,
Johnny, who started out with sucf
high hopes, is out of school and GU
of job, and between jobs marks time
on street corners until such time as
the army gets him. Mary, like as not
has Jared little better.
These are the boys and girls who
wanted to take advantage of the op
portunity to earn money suddenly
open to them. Their Astounding en-
ergy in many, many cases has beer
wasted and their schooling has been
sacrificed. They have been left to
founder. half-educated, unframed and
undisciplined, and then we wonder
why some of them get into trouble
This waste of boy-power and girl
power was and is needless. The gov
eminent agencies concerned have
agreed that the manpower situation
at no time warranted making such
inroads into the schools and does not
now warrant drawing upon that re-
serve to the limits 1t is being tapped
For the current situation, with this
unprecedented employment of youth
still in school, child-labor laws are
woefully inadequate. Only one state,
California, limits combined hours of
work and school for students 16 and
II years old, and only have similar
restrictions for minors under 16.
Even without the force of law be-
hind us, much can yet be done and
should be done to obtain voluntary
adherence to part-time standards for
the employment of school youth to
the end that the efforts of our young
people can be made to count for them
selves and their communities.
What the Chlldren's Bureau recon-
mends jointly with the War Manpower
Commission and the U. S. Office of
Education is that when ln-schooI
youth must be employed, a limit
should be placed upon working hours,
so that he work will not be done to
the detriment of the students health
Or his progress in school. In general, |
students under 18 cannot successfully |
carry a combined school and work |
program of more than 8 hours a day; |
over any considerable period, shorter
hours of work may be necessary for
many because of travel, study require
nents, or the students health.
For the 16-and 17-year-old groups
Tally hours of employment should not !
exceed on a school day nor when |
school is not in session. In no case
should the combined hours of school |
md work exceed 9 a day, and should |
'nIy. Weekly hours of work should
,e held to not more than 20 during
weeks when school is in session and
o not more than 43 hours otherwise.
evening employment should not ex-
end beyond 10 p. M, and In all cases,
tudents should have at least con-
ecutive night hours off the job.
For students II and 15-years of age,
work. should be limited to hours on
chool days and to 8 otherwise, and
n no case should be interfere with
heir attending school for full day
f class work and study. Combined
ours of work and school should not
xceed day. When school is in
ession these students should not
,ork more than 18 hours week, and
therwse not more than 40. Young
tiers in this age group should not be
npIoyed after pm. or before am. ,
For all student workers one day of
est in seven should be allowed AIDE
uate provision should be made for !.
zeal and rest periods, and for sani-
Try facilities. Good supervision and
ifety measures should be provided
/ all instances, because these young
orkers are not as careful as the
der ones.
In no ase should boy or girl be
on hazardous job. Both :
ate and federal laws place safe
Yards around youth in this respect,
1t beyond the limit of the law, pro-
ction is needed. AS a guide the y
hildrens Bureau is issuing series
leaflets entitled Which Jobs for d
Dung Workers. These give advisory a
for war industries. They '
Continued on Page Four II