Indiana Begins to Enforce Child Labor Law

THE LAW OBSERVED.

STATE Factory Inspector McAbee, who has returned from his first trip through the Indiana natural gas belt, says he found few glass factories in which the law passed by the last Legislature prohibiting the employment of children under the age of fourteen years is being violated. He visited the factories in Ingalls, Pendleton, Muncie, Parker, Albany, Redkey, Dunkirk, Hartford City, Gas City, Jonesboro, and Marion.

"All told I found forty or fifty children under age at work," said he. "The statistics I gathered indicates that before the law went into effect at least 800 children under the age of fourteen were employed in the State. The factories in which I found children under age employed seemed to believe that they were obeying the spirit of the law, but they were not obeying the letter of it as they should. In every instance it was explained that the children employed were the sole support of widowed mothers. It was pointed out that if these children were thrown out the mothers must either go to the poorhouse or be left to starve. The factories seemed to be waiting for me to take the burden of saying that these children should be turned. I pointed out the plain provision of the law, and left the rest to the factories. In a general way the law is being observed, and the good effects of it are noticeable on every hand. I found in some factories that children between the ages of fourteen and sixteen were being worked without the factories having complied with the law by securing affidavits from the parents or guardians."

"In most instances it was said that the children had just been put to work, and that the foreman had not had time to secure the affidavits. They promised that the law would be observed to the letter. In about two or three factories I found it necessary to make some suggestions as to the placing of additional safeguards against accidents. These suggestions were always kindly received, and it was promised that the additional precautions would be taken at once.

Mr. McAbee will complete the inspection of the natural gas territory this month. He will begin the second tour at Anderson, and will visit Ellwood and the manufacturing towns on the Pan Handle railroad.