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girl. Their ages ranged from 14 to
15.v Their wages were from ?3.50 a
week to $7.
The particular count on which
Judge John J. Sullivan fined three of
Armour's department managers was
that they worked girls- under 16
years of age over eight hours a day.
The state child labor law says that
slave-driving factory owners who
like to hire mere babies must not
keep them on the job longer than
the eight-hour day which union
labor, President Wilson and congress
think is long enough for a full
grown man.
But Armour & Carwas nailed as a
violator of this law when testimony
was brought into court to show that
seven girls and two boys, all of whom
belonged in school rooms, not in
Armour's factories, labored from 7
a. m. to 5:30 p. m., with a half hour
for lunch at noon.
The state factory inspector says
his investigators found that these
children were paid from $3.50 to $5
a week if they worked by time; they
could make as high as ?7 a week if
they took piecework! Under the
piecework system Armour's paid only
for the work done; if the child were
ill she got nothing; if she worked
hard and long she could make a dol
lar a day, Nelson says.
In the first place, some women
called in and told Nelson that Ar
mour's factory was hiring children
and working them too long. The
ladies who called would not give
their names, but they are believed to
be society dames who pose as settle
ment workers back o the yards.
These ladies give advice and ask
the county agent for fpod and fuel
"for the poor families of stockyards
laborers. They spend a few-.hours
a day at this, go home, take a' bath
and perfume. Then they are ready
to take tea or dance with the fam
ilies and friends of the owners of the
irkinghauses which pay the star
vation wages which make the fam
ilies back o' the yards poor.
These ladies did not give the fac
tory inspector their names; the Ar
mours, Swifts, Morrises, Meekers,
Cudahys and Wilsons wouldn't like
that Charity ladies are welcome in
stockyards plants as long as they
confine themselves to charity work;
this is also true in society.
' But the tip, came in to Nelson. He
rushed Inspectors Gertrude Stoetzel
and Elizabeth Grady to the Armour
plant They picked out 25 children
plainly under the age of 16,, asked
them questions and got their ad
dresses. All appeared to be working
in violation of the law.
Squads of inspectors were sent to
look up the school records on the
ages of the children; practically- all
were found to be too young. But
when the inspectdrs went to the ad
dresses given as those of -the children
they found all but nine fictitious. And
when they rushed back to the Ar
mour plant the children could not be
found. ,
f So the cases of the nine were used.
J. B. Penson, manager of the can
ned beef department, was fined on
testimony of Margaret Kenny, 15,
5231 S. Ashland av.; Stella Rydecka,
15, 1444 W. 49th pi.; Amber Vinic
son, 15, 515 E. 36th pi.; Lottie Lo
wendokskir 14, 8733 Houston av.,
and Josie Baggage, 14, 3202 Wall st
J. E. Milton, head of the sausage
factory, was convicted on the case of
Katie Feinberg, 15, 464" W. 43d st.
J. Nichols, boss of the tinning
plant, was fined on charges of Mary
Brodick, 1,5, 1046 W. 48th st; Max
Okan, 15, 4825 S. Paulina st, and
Frank Ryska, 15, 4805 S. Throop st
"No wonder J. Ogden Arnlour is
managing the campaign of Frank
Lowden for governor," declared Nel
son today. "If Lowden were elected
he would probably listen to the sug
gestions of Armour and the packers
when he appointed" a new state fac
tory inspector.
"It wpufd be a gooa" thing for Ar-
