Page 9 - Barnardo Children PDF 2_Neat

The Realities of Experience

In most cases, young boys While the Indenture Agree-
and girls arriving in Canada ment gave boys the ability
found themselves placed to be moved if needed, as
in positions as indentured well as a promise of being
workers, with the boys be- checked up on periodically

ing sent to work on farms, to make sure they were in
and the girls as domestic a good situation, the reality
workers. In the case of of it was much grimmer. In
boys, farmers were to pay many cases, the placements
boys for their work, where did not work out, as boys
the money was sent to the were abused or taken ad-
Barnardo Home to be de- An indenture agreementt for vantage of, yet they had no
Ernest Fredderick Cotton
posited in the bank, which way of contacting the Home
the boy would receive upon A copy of the cnditions applied to to report it. Problems also
reaching a certain age, or work placements arose in that the children
have access to if required. greatly outnumbered staff

However, in many cases, the to make it possible to check
hard-earned money would up on each child, and so
never reach the children. many negative situations
went by unreported.
When entering service,
children and employers
were required to sign an
Indenture Agreement. Part
of this agreement included

proper wages, and it also
prohibited children from
running away from their
positions. However, the
agreement stated that any
child could move to a new
position if they, or the em-
ployer, gave the Home one
month’s notice.