Child Labor in City StreetsClopper, Edward Nicholas
History
Child Labor in City Streets
Clopper, Edward Nicholas
Child labor
The Industrial Code of Germany prohibits children under fourteen years
from offering goods for sale on public roads, streets or places, and
peddling them from house to house. In localities in which such sale or
peddling is customary, the local police authorities may permit it for
certain periods of time not exceeding a total of four weeks in any
calendar year. "Under this provision there was considerable street
trading, especially in the larger cities. In Berlin, for instance,
during the weeks preceding Christmas, numerous children under fourteen
were thus employed. Protests against the practice were made by the
Consumers' League and similar organizations, and resulted in the
passage of a police regulation, for its restriction; and in 1909 a
further step was taken by providing that no exceptions of this sort be
thereafter permitted, so that now the employment of children under
fourteen years of age in street trading is absolutely forbidden in
Berlin."[171]
The Industrial Code forbids children under twelve years to deliver
goods or perform other errands except for their own parents. Children
over twelve years may so engage for not more than three hours daily
between 8 A.M. and 8 P.M., but not before morning school nor during
the noon recess nor until one hour after school has closed in the
afternoon; on Sundays and holidays such children may do this work only
for two hours between 8 A.M. and 1 P.M., but not during the principal
church service or the half hour preceding it. Such children must
first obtain the _Arbeitskarte_ from the local police authority, which
is issued upon request of the child's legal representative. Employers
must notify the police authority in advance of the employment of such
children.
_France_
The labor of children in France is regulated by the law of November 2,
1892, as amended by the act of March 30, 1900. This law applies to
factories, workshops, mines and quarries, exempting home industries,
agricultural work and purely mercantile establishments.[172] The work
of children in city streets is not even mentioned. New legislation has
recently been proposed to regulate the employment of minors under 18
years of age and of women in the sale of merchandise from stands and
tables on sidewalks outside of bazaars and large stores. According to
its provisions, the work of such persons would be prohibited for more
than two hours at a time and for more than six hours a day, while
seats and heating facilities would have to be supplied the same as
for employees inside the large establishments.[173]
In Paris, newspapers are sold almost exclusively at kiosks on street
corners, presided over by middle-aged women.
CONCLUSION
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account