The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1944-06-22
Urges Employers To
Watch Age Of Youths
Applying For Work

HELENA, Mont, June 19.-Wlth
vacations near for thousands of
school children in Montana and with
more job opportunities for these
young people at higher rates of pay
than ever before, warning to en-
ployers to seek their own and the
children's best interests by COM
plying with state and federal laws
regarding the use of children's serv-
ices was issued jointly by Henry A.
Yaeger, inspector in charge, Mon
tana Division of Labor, and L. A.
Hill, Minneapolis, regional director
of the wage and hour and public
contracts divisions of the u. S. De-
partment of Labor
I'm their eagerness to aid in the
war effort and in their enthusiasm
for earning money, many children
will be applying for jobs for which
they are not physically or emo
tionally fitted Hill said. Parents,
employers, state and federal of
ficials should cooperate to restrain
children from indulging in the ex-
cesses Of their own enthusiasm in
filling vacation jobs
Summing up federal law relating
to the employment of children, Hill
emphasized the following.
|. Generally the minimum age
for employment under the Fair La
Dor Standards Act is Is years of
age; however, children "A years of
age and older may be employed at
certain jobs and under certain con-
ditions.
2. The minimum age Of Is years
applies to most occupations connect
ed with explosive plants, motor-ve-
hicle drivers, coal mining, logging
and saWmilling, operation of wood
cutting machines, and the use of
radioactive substances.
Concerning Montana state law re-
garding the use of children's serv-
ices, Yaeger drew particular atten-
ton to the use Of age certificates
which should be obtained from the
state division of labor at Helena.
1.-THE age certificate program, al
though compulsory under Montana
law, is primarily for the employ
er's protection he said. Age GER
tificates prove the age Of the minors
to the employer so that he will not
unwittingly employ a child under
age for the particular job to be done
and they act also as work permits. =
Montana law also provides that
no child under the age of is years
may be employed at any time in or
about any mine, mill, smelter, work
shop, factory, any railroad passen-
ger or freight elevator, telegraph,
| telephone or messenger company, or
! in any like establishment in which
hazardous machinery is operated
For children Is years and older
working in any Of the above occu-
pations or industries, age certifi-
Gates must be obtained.
Lager further pointed out that
no person under the age OF 81 may
be employed to serve beers, liquors
or wines to customers at retail.
Severe penalties are provided by
Montana state law against employ
ers for failure to have proper age
certificates and for employing I'm.
der-age children in prohibited oc-
equations, and against a parent Of
an under-age child who has per-
mitted his child to be employed al
i an occupation prohibited to children
under l6 years Of age.
/ Under the federal wage and hour
law, violators are subject to fine
of not more than $4,000 and for the
second offense, Imprisonment in adj
dition TO fine.
Under the Wage and Hour law
an employer must be engaged in in.
| terstate commerce or in the pro
duction Of good for interstate com
/ merce before he is covered by chile
labor regulations of the act. The
Walsh-Healey public contracts act
affecting establishments having gov
eminent contracts equal to or il
excess Of $4,000 provides that liqui
dated damages Of $40 a day for eact
child unlaWfully employed shall bs
paid to the u. S. Treasury.
| In the event that an employer i
covered by both federal and state
child labor laws, that law establish
ing the higher standard will apply