New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-12-08
THE hours OF LABOR.
To d, Editor If The A. y. Triouse.


in price by reduction Of the time devoted T. labor
"snd that 'ho i-e il cur products would not be par.
"slei'd by arise II the price Of Euopean products
land, Therefore that increased gor;ation es1inyto
"ulnmafe national bsnkrup'cy u.es neoessa i'y On
Stue This argument "A no be'tsrnow than ~ %
years ago. when tie fr,obds Of reform insise4 tbay
factory operative should not be- wDr I'd sixteen hor-s
or nom sun TO the uiilO~ncs TAX NJ care that
gus in he morning, and gas in The evening should
supply the deficiency in solar beans during the shor;
days Of winter. The argument, when STATED n Is
simplest termsis, thst That people which can man
"uiscture cheapest must enjoy the most happiness.
think that the happiness OF ns'on must rest uoon
another bass than ia capacity reduce is proetares
to the nearest possible ability 10 lnbor upon the small
eft possible quantity Of rOasd gTalA or pya fcd c0rH
The Arabs can beat M in that race
But is not true that by reducing the hpurs Of Ia
Dor Qht instead of ten products would rise 70 the
extent assumed; unless IL be also assumed that the
labofer IL merely adjunct 10 the machine aud that
the mashine being taxed 10 its utmost capacity hu-
man nerves and muscles are 20 DE considered sub.
sidiaTy to it, exscting demeuds admit the import
aboe OF machoe labor, bat insist that tie ;,pa.
city Of the labOrer should be male tue basis Jf the
calculation aDd not the capacity OF the machae. The
exhaustiDg and imSruting effects Of taxing Ia
bOreTs have been too often demonstrated evea the
columns Of THE TRIBUNE, 10 require restatiny: and
am st loss 10 know why You axe for granted that
ten hours is the happy medium that man car devote
to toll, and accomplish that mission for which his
Cresior intended nm. have tried sixteen hours;
advanced years less suiiiced and now but little
past The meridian Of life find that ten hours is suf-
fcieDy tafiguiGg when the days work is bnished, to
prevent the accomplishment of any mental labor.
And around me see myrads ruoning the same race,
tOilIg Until exhausted, and thea seeking recreation
and excitement To revive the faded mind. Anuso-
eDt litter toll is necessary for the mi1d as food
for the body: will venture 70 say that had we
worked bur eight hours per day for the last ten years
We should not have witnessed two hundred thOusa and
citizens at the late Election voting for "gOO1 rum"
OF bsd rnn.' say, aso that the vice and pagper-
ism Of country s inst in proportion 10 the denaods
which it makes upon its laborers and that the oilers
Of temperate climates are happier, far the mere
ANNA is concerned, thsn the toiors of Englsnd-
once called "Merre England but that was before
the spinning jenny superseded the May Queen
Capital Iii would DO well to say wealth. has al
ways had the making Of the customs and law Of So
ceiy, and has always controlled Labor the remu-
nerbton which it allowed was never more than would
keep the animal IN good condition, aud not always
that. II has, from time to time, seemed to yield to
tie demand for 'mOre" but while II gave with one
band, it took back with the other-food and rents
we're sure TO rise
there are some divisions Of labor which may be
performed by the piece; and the remuneration is al
ways fixed by the quantity which the most dexterous
hand accomplish. This PrOcrustean bed has but
one quality--it stretches the short Now, to coun-
teract this tension adopts quick hands are kept
Gown, or subdued by the slow cOaches they are not
allowed TO tax Themselves to the utmost and thus
approach 10 equality is maintained. When
employ ed by the week, the preference is always
given TO the quick the dull when by necessity em-
ployed being kept the stretch by the prospect of
discharge at the fret lull in business This is all
natural enough, as things are now. / do not CEN
sure; l only desire that Moderation which ia so
slowly moving onward and which commenced with
the publication Of the first newspaper TO hasten It's
march, l infer. therefore, TINT there is sufficient
power latent in human muscles 10 accomplish IN C'gA
h0urS what is done IN ten. The experiment has
already commenced. The Methodist Book Concern
Iaas fha nv refu he nf l4lo
to eight per diem. Other establishments prefer the
summary mode of reducing the hanfs. The
Managers of this Concern, with wise aud Christian
like humanity, have determined not TO add TO the
general distress by adding To the stock OF ldles al
ready on the market ard, so far as my observation
goes they are not likely to be losers by the opera
ton; the men waste less tme over the mJrniug pa
PERI or in the discussion of the topics of the day.
fuel and gas both saved the risk from fire is less
and tine, think, will manifest the wisdom OF the
JToct eding.
Who will be the next to try the operation Is
there 10 humanity latent employers, that they pre-
fer the accumulation of misery Ia the dlspensaton OF
happiness There are erIeligous establishments
TIE Tract House, the bible tlOuse--the later OF
which has been for some time on half wOrk-three
days per week eked ont by gas, and three days of
solar hight and dleness. suppose that most labor
ing men have some feelings which glow with delight
WHEN generously treated some sentiments which will
lead them 10 consider economy aDd endeavOr t. pro
mote he interest of the employer, in requa for IA
yOrs ToctiVed; and | would urge those employers
who rely upon artificial light to venture 50 far into
the future 10 shut il OIL save the gas bill, and as
certaiu by trial. at the present rate OF wages, what
will be the effect upon their PROFITS, and upon their
laborers. The time is most suspicious. :. L.
Remarks.
We do not distinctly understand whether
as. l." proposes tohsye workmen paid the same
for eight hours as for ten; but we infer that he
does. In the Methodist Book Concern, however,
the work is early all paid for by the piece; conse
Quently the wOrkmen are only paid four-dlths as
much as formerly That may DC wise aud pru'
dent; we do not see that ii ID particularly pnlau-
thropic: but no matter. g. T.. must be aware
that we no more desire than he does to have the
price of Labor so reduced here that we can un
dersell all other Nations in fabrics: far other
wise. But we do believe it is expedent aud
necessary that we should make in good part our
orn fabrics--those which We wear and consume
rather than import them from abroad. Wen:
il is a demonstrated fact that our manufac urers
cannot and do not now compete on equal terms
with those of the Old Wo.ld-tnst the latter
are daily undertaking and suppan'ing their Amer
lean rivals in our own markets because they OBJ
tsin their labor much cheaper than we do. Now
II does seem clear TO us that if the Hours OF La
Dor here were reduced to eight per day then the
cost of producing Fabrics (eud every thing eise)
ia this country would be enhanced, carrying up
their price with it, and that the undertaking oil
American by Foreign Fabrics would inevitably
be accelerated. How these Fabrics would De
4 l.. nd