CHILD LABOURERS IN FRANCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2230, 19 September 1889, Page 2

CHILD LABOURERS IN FRANCE

Tbo Patio oorreapundent of the "Dally Teleg-taph " says ; -Some time ago the telegraph boya ot Paris wont on strike, and now it appears that bauds of the children, of twelve years of age, who are employed la various m*>nufaotrrloß lv Paris, have been threatening not only to atrike, but a ravolutiou. The young Parisians— who, it mmt be 0 mfessed, are beginning tho rovol.i ionary pranks of the traditional gamin de Paris at au ago when moit of JbiugMah ohilurcn aro still under the osre of the Sohool Boardshave, It appears, taken umbrage, not direot'y on acoount of any "sweating" ov ' exploitation "at tho hand, of their Paris masters, but because, the Msg'a testes of Lyons decreed leoontly that seven hours sleep was not too little for ahlldran employed lv faotorles. The Purls work ohildien hooordingly rose to a buy and muaterod en thu Palaoo dv Troni*, when thoy marched to the house of the government Inspeotor of labi ur, and laid thei* grievances bofore him. Tho Inspector has promised to ooniildir 'he claims, and In the meantime he furolshos anything but a roseate ftooount of the condition of ohildron In factories and workshops. Aooording to the Frer.oh Faotorles Aot of 1874, children aro employed, twelve hours a day, with Intervals for iest aud refreshment. The p-trone, on " employers," want to do away wlt'i tho lntoivals, and either knook twelve borne' solid work out of the youths, or to keep them In harness from five ln the morning until seven In the evening, or fourteen bourß, Ito'udlng two hours for rnoals. This waa opposed by tho faotory or labor (mpeoior Bt Lyons, but the Magistrates decided against him, and hence the Irrit.tlon of the ohlldreu. The Inspector of Libor In Paris oonteada that tho ohildren need eight or more hours' sleep until they arrive at the age of slxtovn, and ho alleges that, uuder exlstlug arraugemsnts, ao enormous percentage of overworked children die before arriving at the period when they ate liable to be oalled up for military eorvloo.