The Sept. 6 Bellingham Herald has a story about a child labor Law leing broken on a local farm. In doing research for my novel, "Ever a Fighter," I learned that children as young a six were once employed for impossibly long hours in jobs that were hard, unpleasant and dangerous. Many young girls were injured when working for companies that manufactured clothing. Many young boys were maimed for life and many died from black lung disease and accidents while working in the mines. It was not company owners or the chamber of commerce that lobbied for child labor laws. It was the unions of the USA! Remember that when you hear right-wing politicians suggesting that unions are a big part of our financial problem and that, if we could just get rid of them, every body would be better off.

David M. Caulfield

Bellingham