CHILD WAGE-EARNERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume C, Issue 15334, 30 April 1914, Page 6

CHILD WAGE-EARNERS.

One might have thought that the evils of child-employment would be almost wholly eradicated in Great Britain after the exposure that was made of them at the Sweated Industries Exhibition, held in London half a . dozen years ago, and befqre a Select Committee which inquired into the subject- about the* same time. Industrial conditions arc more complex in the crowded cities of the old World than in new, sparsely--"ovulated countries like New Zealand, and it is more difficult to.remedy abuses, but it might have been expected that the revolting revelations of child labour would so shock tlie public conscience that in "all"large cities such relentless warfare would be waged upon these evils that they would not be able longer to exist. It appears, however, from a recent article in the London "Times,*"' that the abuses have been only scotched, not killed, since their repulsiveness was held up to miblic execration several years ago and the Trade Boards Act passed to deal with them. In Z\ew Zealand the abuse was met effectually by declaring even private houses where industries of any sort are carried on to be "factories," subject to the supervision of inspectors appointed by a central department. But no State inspectors in Great Britain could inspect more than a fraction of tlie fiats and garrets where sweated industries are carried on obscurely in great towns. There must be local regulations and'enforcement by local officers for the evil to be ket>t in check. Some British cities have passed and are enforcing by-laws for the purpose, but other municipalities have made little or no effort to cope with _ the problem. In London, which ha-s the best t>reventive system, children are not allowed to work more than three and a half hours a day, and the regulations are enforced by the school attendance officers. Leeds, also, which had formerly one of the worst reputations for child-slavery, has made splendid reformation in the last few years. Birmingham and Nottingham it seems are the most backward places. In Birmingham there are no by-laws at all governing the general employment of children, and in Nottingham, though the regulations have been strengthened, they are still far from satisfactory. In Birmingham it was shown some years ago that children of three and five years old worked with their mothers at carding hooks and eyes, and were beaten when they did not work sufficiently. In regard to Nottingham, where 10,000 women performed finishing work in their homes in connection with the lace industry, it was stated that "anyone visiting the homes at dinner would find children, without ha vino- removed their hats and jackets, busy at work, and they ate their dinners on the way back to school. In the [ evenings they were at work | again. 5 ' It is thought that the Irade Boards Act, which fixed the statutory minimum wage at 2M hour, and other Acts ! have effected some improvement! in these conditions, though their I operation has been hampered by an extensive system of middlewomen. "Child wage-earners of four and five are fewer, but from the age of seven or eight upwards there is still a vast j amount of this kind of emplov< ment." The continuance of such evils is a serious blemish on a society which prides itself upon its civilisation.