1915-04-02ww

It was just a brief article in the Hamilton Times of April 2, 1915, but it raised questions about the existence of child labor, long after it supposedly had passed from the scene in the Hamilton area:

“Mary Adams, an eleven-year-old Dundas girl, was very severely injured this morning in a manner which will likely make trouble for someone.

“The child, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Adams, was at work in the factory of the Dundas Fruit Package Company. She was working on some of the smaller parts, and went over to a machine which cut those parts to get more stuff. In getting it, her hand came in contact with a knife and she lost a thumb and two fingers.”¹

¹ “Girl Maimed : Lost Thumb and Two Fingers Working in Factory”

Hamilton Times.    April 2, 1915

Dundas physician Dr. Bertram treated the young girl immediately after the incident, and she was then sent into Hamilton to the City Hospital.

The accident raised concerns:

“There is a good deal of talk about a girl of eleven working in a factory of that sort. It is said that other children have been allowed to work at dangerous occupations during the Easter holidays.”¹