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Child Labor Factory Investigation
Rita Cao
Created on January 1, 2023
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Transcript
Beaumont Factory Interior, 1908.
Find out more about child labour practices and take photographs without being found out.
START INVESTIGATION
(Thank lord he fell for that bluff... Now, I can begin my investigation.)
Overseer
Thank you very much, good sir.
Me
You... are a curious fellow. It cannot be helped, I will allow it. Just don't go disturbing our indespensible employees.
Overseer
...
Overseer
Overseer
...
Me
Yes, yes. The spinning mechanisms within these factory walls are what make up the roots of our textile industry. It would be crucial to have adequate documentation on these machines, no?
...an.. industrial photographer.
Overseer
I am, er, an industrial photographer.
Me
...(I definitely can't just tell him I'm here to investigate child labour...)
Me
What exactly is a young man like you doing in a cotton mill?
Overseer
Overseer
Halt.
Me
...
(This screeching of the machinery would be capable of driving me insane, if I were here long enough.)
Me
Me
(The countless innocent children, skin sallow, eyes drooping, look bereft of any life)
Me
(I suppose I'll start my investiga-)
Me
Ah, hello, good sir. (I will assume this is the overseer..)
...(So this is a cotton mill... It's terrible.)
Me
Me
(The countless innocuous children, cheeks sallow and eyes tired, look bereft of any life.)
Finished
Are you finished looking at this area?
If you advance, you will no longer be able to go back.
YES
NO
Finished
(I may as well try my luck in other areas of the factory. Without the overlooker staring over my shoulder all the time, perhaps I will get an opportunity to speak with the children,)
Me
A young boy is tending to a machine. As all the other children here do, he looks sick and tired.
Me
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
Me
Do not worry, I will not-
Overseer
Hey! What are you doing!?
If you distract our workers, I might need you to leave.
Overseer
Ahaha... Sorry... (Drat, the overseer won’t take his eyes off me. Maybe I’ll go look somewhere else.)
Me
Child
...
Hey, can I ask you a few questions?
Me
*CRACK*
(How horrible.)
Me
Y-yessir...!
Boy
“Wake up, pipsqueak! Now’s not the time to fall asleep.”
Overseer
(His movements are slowing down... He seems to be struggling to keep his eyes open.)
Me
(He’s walking towards that young boy...)
Me
......
Me
......
Me
...
Me
Me
...
A young girl is tending to a machine. As all the other children here do, she looks sick and tired.
Me
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
Me
(She’s clutching onto her finger tightly. It looks like she injured herself... I'm sure it's quite easy to do so, as I imagine children and machinery are not a great mix.)
Girl
"Nghhh..."
(He’s walking towards that young boy...)
Me
......
Me
......
Me
...
Me
Me
...
Me
The overlooker of this factory floor in the cotton mill. He’s looking around with some sort of strap in hand. He is eyeing me with a glint of suspicion in his eye every so often.
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
(I probably shouldn't talk to him... I might make him more suspicious of me.)
Me
*CRACK*
Overseer
“Hey, what are you sitting around for? Get back to work!”
Me
(He’s walking towards that young boy...)
Me
(He’s walking towards that young boy...)
......
Me
Me
......
"S-sorry...!"
Boy
(So that’s what the leather belt is for. Scoundrel... )
Me
...
Me
Me
...
(Today, I'm here to inspect Beaumont factory , a cotton mill here in America.)
Me
(I'm a photographer, currently working for the NCLC, the National Child Labor Committee. It's my job to investigate businesses with child labor practices, which is quite common nowadays.)
Me
(It's me.)
Me
Me
(I suppose making profits and spending money "efficiently" are more important than the safety of a wee child in the eyes of a money-hungry factory owner, huh.)
Me
(The machines are completely unguarded. Should I or any child walk into one, it would certainly not be a pretty sight. Would it hurt to add some fencing around the machines?)
Me
(Huge whirring machines stand before me in long rows. Given enough time, the irritating hissing of the machinery could drive one insane.)
Me
(...the most disturbing of all would unequivocally be this heartbreaking scene of sullen, somber children, robbed of all health and happiness...)
Me
(...But...)
(...)
Me
(Not to mention, there are cotton bits and pieces everywhere. This much loose cotton is sure to generate vast amounts of dust, and these children are in here, inhaling it every day. It's no wonder so many of them are sick.)
Me
(The ventilation also appears to be quite poor, with no air vents or open windows.)
Me
Me
(What's more.. this putrid place reeks of oil and human filth.)
(It's suffocatingly hot in here.)
Me
(...must be around 80 degrees...)
Me
Me
(Now that I’m deeper into the factory, it should be a while before the overseer comes over.)
(By Jove, this place is huge. It's like a maze in here.)
Me
Finished
Are you finished looking at this area?
If you advance, you will no longer be able to go back.
YES
NO
Overseer
Hmph, so you're running. Come on, men. Let's get him!
Me
O-oh! Why, hello there, sir.
Suspicious.
Overseer
Ah...... Why.. whatever do you mean..?
Me
What do I mean, you ask? Well, I have a question in return.
Overseer
I wonder, why is it that you are bouncing around like a pesky little rabbit, scouring this place for information?
Overseer
...!
Me
Quite odd, if you ask me, so let me get to the point.
Overseer
Whatever you have found today is meant to be strictly private.
Overseer
This being the case, I will not allow you to leave with that handy camera of yours. If you resist...
Overseer
Me
Me
(There's no way I'm giving this camera to him... There's only one option.)
Agh..!
Hey.
Overseer
..We will resort to other means.
Overseer
Overseer
Yes, I have been watching you from afar for some time. And...
You... You are indeed a curious fellow.
Overseer
(I believe I've inspected every last last nook and cranny, it's time to move on to ano-)
Me
Overseer
Your actions cannot help but strike me as a tad bit...
You successfully escaped the clutches of the overseer and went on to help the NCLC with more investigations into child labor. Many of your and the other NCLC members’ photographs ended up in pamphlets, newspapers, and other publications, exposing the horrible treatment that the children were subjected to. There was another photographer working for the NCLC by the name of Lewis. W. Hine. He made major contributions to photographic documentation on the lives of child labor. These photos made a lasting impact, as they greatly helped the NCLC’s lobbying efforts to end child labor. The NCLC pushed for several regulations, and eventually, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed. Thus, child labor was put to an end (Murphy, 2019). END
REturn to title
(I took a photo of the young boy working under the machine.)
(I took a photo of the young boy working behind the machine.)
(I took a photo of the young girl working the machine.)
A girl is working in front of the machine.
Me
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
Me
Could I talk to you for a moment?
Don't fret, I won’t hurt you. I'm only here to talk for a while.
Me
Girl 1
...Hello.
...Okay.
Girl 1
...Who are you..?
Me
Hey there, miss.
Me
Me
> How much does this job earn you?
> ...
> Done.
...Oh... Okay.
Girl 1
Me
Thank you.
Me
Thank you for talking to me, is it alright with you if I photograph you at work?
Me
Er, sorry. I was just wondering about.......
Girl 1
No... it's alright.
Me
...I.. see. Thank you for telling me about it.
Girl 1
E-excuse me, mister.... are you... going to say something?
...........
Me
Girl 1
My... my legs?
Me
Ah.. my apologies..
......
Me
Girl 1
...
Many of the children here... have disfigured body parts. The docter said it that it is because our bones are still developing, and standing all day will cause our legs to be this way.... The doctor called it 'knock-knees'.
Girl 1
...
Me
Girl 1
...
...
Me
(That's an acutely low amount..)
Me
...I believe some of the other children make fifty.
Girl 1
...I earn sixty cents every day.
Girl 1
(The young girl is following the movements of the large machine part, swiftly piecing together the disconnected cotton strings that had fallen apart. Like some other children, her limbs are slightly disfigured.)
Me
......
Me
...
Me
A boy is on the ground, doing work under the running machine.
Me
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
Me
Could you come out for a second?
Huh...? D-did I do something wrong...?
Boy 1
Me
Ah, nothing of the sort. I just want to talk for a moment. Don't worry, I won't hurt you.
Boy 1
...?
.....
Me
Me
.....
Hey, young lad.
Me
Me
> What do you think about the overseer?
> What is your job?
> You can go back now.
Thank you.
Me
Oh, er, no..
Boy 1
Me
Thank you, that was very helpful. Do you mind if I take a picture of you working?
Boy 1
I... I collect any loose cotton that’s fallen under the mule.
Y-yes.
Boy 1
Boy 1
Oh, yes. The rumbling of the machine terrifies me... I've heard stories about one boy whose head was... s-smashed to bits in between the carriage and the roller beam.
...
Boy 1
Me
A scavenger... What does a scavenger do?
Me
...
Me
...While the machine is running?
That's... Certainly a dangerous job.
Me
M-me? I’m a scavenger..
Boy 1
Boy 1
...
...Sir Williams... I... I-I don’t like him very much. But please don't tell him I said so... He very much fancies his leather strap.
Boy 1
Are... are you going to tell him?
Boy 1
Me
Tell him..? Oh, no, of course not. You can tell me anything.
Boy 1
...
Me
...................................................................................(Sick bastard.)
Oh, t-though, yesterday............ When my legs are going to give out, he picked me up by the feet doused my head in that iron cistern in the corner... He does that sometimes when we get tired.
Boy 1
.................................................................
Boy 1
Boy 1
......When the afternoon comes around, and the fatigue really hits, he beats us with the strap. When we’re late by five minutes, he beats us with the strap. If we stop the machine, he beats us with the strap.
Boy 1
...........................................
(He’s collecting the cotton that’s fallen on the floor as the machine part is moving back and forth, at an unsteady pace. Every time the mechanism retracts, I find myself holding my breath, fearing the possibility that the boy may be run over or get his head caught in between parts.)
Me
(He’s walking towards that young boy...)
Me
......
Me
......
Me
...
Me
Me
...
A rather small boy is doing work on the back of the machine.
Me
Me
> Talk
> Watch
> Back
Can I talk to you for just a moment?
Me
No no, I just want to ask you a few questions.
Me
Boy 2
...?
Boy 2
Am I... In trouble..?
Hey there.
Me
Me
> How old are you?
> What's a day of work like?
> Done.
Boy 2
Okay..
Much obliged.
Me
Me
Thank you. Is it alright with you if I take a photo of you?
Me
That's.......... sixteen hours!? With only one break.. Do you not have time to eat breakfast?
No.. We eat it as we're working. After I doff the mule, I take a few bites and get back to work. When I'm done doffing again, I have a couple more bites before going back. Though... sometimes.. the dust spoils our food, and we are unable to eat it.
Boy 2
… Six days a week, we start working at five in the morning, I have to wake up at four to walk here in time. After we get here, we work until nine. Oh, we do get a forty minute break for dinner..
Boy 2
Me
Ten... And how old were you when you started working?
I.. was eight.
Boy 2
I... I see.
Me
Me
Eight... That's quite young, no?
Boy 2
Umm, I don't really know.. I think the other kids are maybe ten when they start though...
Boy 2
Mother says we need money, so I have to work.
I'm ten.
Boy 2
(It looks like he’s replacing the full bobbins of spun cotton with empty ones.)
Me
Me
......
Me
...
(What's more.. this putrid place reeks of oil and human filth.)
Me
Me
(Not to mention, there are cotton bits and pieces everywhere. This much loose cotton is sure to generate vast amounts of dust. And these children are in here, inhaling it every day.)
Me
(The ventilation also appears to be quite poor, with no air vents or open windows.)
(It's suffocatingly hot in here.)
Me
Me
(...must be around 80 degrees...)
Me
(...the most disturbing of all would unequivocally be this heartbreaking scene of sullen, somber children, robbed of all health and happiness...)
Me
(...But...)
Me
(...)
Me
(I do not need to be an expert on machines to know it is outright ludicrous that young children are expected to operate these machines, these speedily spinning and erratically swaying machines.
Me
(More spinning machines... I believe this one is called a spinning mule. The mules have a huge mechanism that extrudes and withdraws back and forth. A child crawls underneath, collecting the fallen cotton. Another moves along the mechanism on the outside, connecting the strands of cotton string that have fallen apart.)
(What... It's an iron cistern. Aren’t those for toilets? Wonder what that’s doing here.)
Me
Me
(Today, I'm here to inspect Beaumont factory , a cotton mill here in America.)
Me
(I'm a photographer, currently working for the NCLC, the National Child Labor Committee. It's my job to investigate businesses with child labor practices, which is quite common nowadays.)
(It's me.)
Me