Foreign Language Press Service

Child Labor in the United States of America

Radnik, July 9, 1923

Thousands of children work at home on factory products after school, says the Children's Bureau at Washington.

In three towns where investigations were made, said bureau found that over 5,000 school children do industrial work at home. More than 86% are under 14 years, 45% are under 11 years. There are many, who are just six years old. Many of these children work even at school time, because teachers allow them to bring work in the schoolroom.

The Children's Bureau made this statement over the radio and stated how rich children spend their vacation at seas or in the mountains, but for poor kids there is no vacation. Vacation time for the poor is the time for hard work. In the factories there are thousands of children, who are unable to attend school, because in their youth they have to sell their working power.

If you ride on a train through the coal mining sections of Pennsylvania, 2you may encounter children from 13 to 14 years going out of the mines; children who are hired laborers.

Traversing Michigan or Colorado you will find fields crowded with 10 year old boys tending to beets, so tired that they are not even able to eat.

The system is that profits are to go to one place, while children slave and make those profits for men who play golf and other sports.

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