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Show SWING GAINS IN CHILD LABOR LAWS Off Year For Legislation, but Children Not Neglected. EDUCATION LAWS IN SOUTH. A new compilation of child labor laws which will be issued shortly by the National Child Labor Committee contains the legislation enacted In 1915. Although this last year was a reactionary reac-tionary one for social welfare legislation, legisla-tion, the National Child Labor Committee Com-mittee feels that there were some striking strik-ing gains In child labor laws. Two states which have hitherto defied all efforts to raise their standards-Pennsylvania standards-Pennsylvania and Alabama ha"e yielded to the pressure of public opinion. opin-ion. Alabnma has a fourteen year limit for all gainful occupations, to go Into effect lu September. 101G, Instead of her former twelve year limit for factories only. A sixteen year limit for dangerous occupations is included In the Inw. as well as a twelve year limit for boys and an eighteen year limit for girls in street work. The striking feature of Pennsylvania's Pennsylva-nia's new law Is the continuation school clause, which requires children of fourteen and fifteen who are regularly regu-larly employed to attend continuation Bchools eight hours a week. Other Important Im-portant features are tho twenty-one year limit for night messengers, physical phys-ical examination and the completion of the blxth grade before a work permit can bo secured, aud the regulation of street work. Michigan had an nnnsnal experience. The age limit for common gainful occupations oc-cupations was raised from fourteen to fifteen AT THE REQUEST OF THE EMPLOYERS. Tho bill was drafted and the campaign directed by them. In addition to raising the age limit, it raises the grade which n child must complete before a work permit can be securod from the fourth to the sixth grade. Compulsory education laWB were passed by three southern states. The Florida and South Carolina laws are local option only, but the Texas law is state wide. California and Iowa strengthened their laws by Including provisions for the regulation of street work and the night mosaengor service. In addition to the Gtreet work clause Iowa passed an eight hour day for children under sixteen and strengthened her work permit provisions. A written statement from the employer, snylng that he intends in-tends to employ the child, Is now necessary before a child can securo a work permit A similar clause was incorporated this year In the Rhode Island law and a Btreet work pro- vision enacted establishing a twelve . H year limit for boys and a sixteen year H limit for girls engaged in selling news- H papers or merchandise. H Nevada created the office of labor H commissioner to enforce the child labor H Jaw, and Wyoming enacted a nine hour H day for children under fourteen In all 1 H gainful occupations. In fact there was H a gain In every state but one of those M which passed laws this year affecting M children. Tennessee weakened ite law H by exempting canneries from prac- H tically all provisions of the law. But H an attempt to repeal the Arkansas law H was defeated, so that on the whole, H the National Child Labor Committee H feels that the child labor legislation of H 191G represents steady progress. Ninety-five per cent of the children IH in the Baltimore Truant School have ji H been street workers. Forty-three per H cent of the boys in the Maryland State H Reform School For Delinquent Boys H have been engaged In street work. I H A recent pamphlet issued by the Na- fl tional Child Labor Committee states ' H that over 17,000 children under sixteen H were reported engaged in mining oc- 1 cupations by the 1910 census of occu- IH patlons. ' ll If we had no child labor we should M have very much less tuberculosis: we M should have very much less alcoholism H and fewer diseases of the mind and H the nervous system. Dr. S. Adolpbus M Knoff. H |