CHILDREN FOR SALE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1075, 27 July 1912, Page 4

CHILDREN FOR SALE.

A curious and pathetic sight, typical ratuor oi Eastern lauds than ot Ccutiai Europe, is to be seen yearly at Easter time at uriednchsliaien on the Lake or Constance. Tins is the annual sale ot Tyrolese cliildren lor the season’s tarmwork conducted under the auspices oi a clerical society eupliemisticauy named tne Tyroier Hutekinder-Verem, or Society ror the Care ol Children. Tue duel square ot the town, as seen last Easter uy the Vienna correspondent ot a Condon paper, looked like an Arab slave-market. One hundred and twentyfive boys and thirty girls were huddled together, under the guardianship ot a priest, ready tor sale. Hundreds ot peasant-farmers trom neighbouring districts had come in on the hunt tor cheap labour, and wore walking about viewing the boys and girls as it they were at a cattle market, and bargaining for them with the priest. -Now and again an intending buyer would led the biceps ol a likely looking boy to ascertain u he would make a sturdy worker, while enumerating in his mind the “points” of his prospective purchase. This year’s demand being considerably in excesss of the supply, prices were high. A strong lad of sixteen would letch £L2 lUs, while a sturdy girl ol the same ago, if judged capable ot doing a long day’s weeding in the sun, would go at £lO. For little children of eleven or under £2 10s was considered a very fair price. The parents of these unfortunate children, who presumably are driven by want to subject their offspring to this degradation, arc for the most part landless men, dwellers in the remoter districts of the Tyrol. The child-slaves are returned to their parents after the season is oyer, such of them at least who survive the hardships and often ill-treat-ment to which they are subjected. For they are often cruelly handled, as is proved by the “black list” possessed by the priest, in which are the names of a dozen farmers who are not allowed to buy any more children.