10/15/1918: Advises Care in Issuance of Labor Permits
Item
Title
10/15/1918: Advises Care in Issuance of Labor Permits
Creator
The Eau Claire Leader
Source
Newspaper Archives
Date
October 15, 1918
Coverage
Eau Claire, Wi
Description
Article in local newspaper detailing the concerns of issuing labor permits to children while schools were closed.
Format
Newspaper
Rights
Public domain. For more information contact Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire.
Publisher
The Eau Claire Leader
transcription
"Care in the issuance of labor permits to children is advised in a letter received by local officials from the industrial commission of Wisconsin, it being anticipated that many school children, now that schools have been closed because of the influenza epidemic, will apply for labor permits.
Under date Oct. 11, the commission instructs local permit officer as follows:
"To Permit Officers: Under orders of the Health Department, the schools of the State will be closed for a time as a part of the campaign to prevent the spread of and finally to stamp out the epidemic of Spanish influenza.
"There are indications that numbers of children will apply for labor permits to work during the short time that the schools are closed on the theory that this time is a "vacation." After consultation with the State Board of Health, it is believed that the issuance of permits on this basis will, in a measure, defeat the purposes of the closing order. If such permits are issued, the children will go out into more or less crowded places of employment taking risks in the schools.
"In issuing permits, do not treat this closed period of the schools as a "vacation." Applications for permits to work only during the closed period, must be refused as a health measure and the children should be urged to stay at home and cooperate with the Health Department in preventing the spread of the disease."
Under date Oct. 11, the commission instructs local permit officer as follows:
"To Permit Officers: Under orders of the Health Department, the schools of the State will be closed for a time as a part of the campaign to prevent the spread of and finally to stamp out the epidemic of Spanish influenza.
"There are indications that numbers of children will apply for labor permits to work during the short time that the schools are closed on the theory that this time is a "vacation." After consultation with the State Board of Health, it is believed that the issuance of permits on this basis will, in a measure, defeat the purposes of the closing order. If such permits are issued, the children will go out into more or less crowded places of employment taking risks in the schools.
"In issuing permits, do not treat this closed period of the schools as a "vacation." Applications for permits to work only during the closed period, must be refused as a health measure and the children should be urged to stay at home and cooperate with the Health Department in preventing the spread of the disease."