Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-11-20
EVENING STAR,
Csmmission on the Hours Of Labor.,

Mr., Edward Atkinson, treasurer of the In.
dlan orchard Mills, Springfield, testified al
considerable length. The eleven hour system
IL followed in that establishment where about
ESQ persons were employed, the whole popu.
lation of the village of Indian Orchard being
about y300 there was not business enough to
support q doctor. He had made ino9iries
which had led him to believe in the heaithful-
ness Of cotton manufacturing; there was
warm, moist temperature. and this was needed
10 work the cotton easy; the moisture was pro-
duced by steam He gave a description Of the
dlnerent kinds Of work performed in the mills,
showing that all the recent improvements in
machinery tend to benefit the health Of the OPP
eratves. He thought the laws Of self-inter-
est and morality would always go together,
capitalist must be for the benefit of the
workman. From his experience he thought
this was a most unfortunate time to agi-
tate a reduction in the hours Of labor, as
wages had never been SO high, and the pros
pect of emigration never SO large. He expressed
the opinion that good mill operative could
save more now than in 1860, and that if the
hours of labor were reduced IL would prevent
the laborer from selling his labor to the best
advantage. He proceeded to give the advan.
tages OF the corporation system to laborers as
compared with that of individual owners: the
failures were fewer, the losses Of wages less, il
not absent entirely; he did not think eleven
hours a day in a mill injured the health of
adults, and he believed in full occupation
rather than in short time; though the weayers
in our mills, piece workers, would labor till
eight or nine every evening, if we would run
our mills; our profits on cotton are higher when
wages are highest, because the laboring classes
have more to spend; an eight hour law would
either be dead letter or it would drive capital
out of Massachusetts to other States and our
factories would be superseded by others else
where, where they were too shrewd to pass such
a law; the ten hour law in Maine in the mills
rs nugatory and negatived both by laborer and
employer. Our factory towns are filling up with
families, rather than with the temporary board
ing population of former days; a law was
needed TO prevent the children being over
worked;'by our present law they We're COM
PEELED to go TO school three months and might
be worked all the rest of the time; he was in ia
yor of a half time law, let the children work
half day, if needed, and go to school the other
half it was found that. children learned as
much as those who went to school all day; at
Indian Orchard they proposed to insist that
children should not work over eight hours q
day. Good weayers make 81 or IS a week over
their board; this summer they had advertised
for women Ehom they offered to learn free to
be weavers; they had supposed from the talk
OF sewing women in the cities being in such
distress they would get many; forty applied,
and but one would go; there was one case i'm
Boston of a woman and two daughters, work
ing hard, more than ten hours, to get fifty cents
day, and they would not leave city attrac-
uons.
In answer to a question as to what time the
operatives had to attend to their own affairs,
Mr.. Atkinson said that-each had lot of land
given him by the company at Indian Orchard
TO cultivate, and their crops the present season
were enormous.
Mr.. T.. Ii. Bigelow, of Boston, next addressed
the Commission. in Clinton, where he was
interested in business, the hours of labor in the
mills are eleven; while in machine shops and
other mechanical business they are ten, and
this difference he attributed TO the latter being
more laborious, lille mill work was COMPARE
lively light. The average wages OF female
%easeFs OF carpets are % cents per day, but
tiyes have raised $500 for a course of lectures
this season; there is circulating library of over
ton. composed principally of operati YES: there
are singing schools, dancing schools, occa-
sional travelling shows, and matters of that ma
ture.
In answer to an inquiry by Mr. Atkinson,
Mr.. Bgelow expressed his opinion that he
would not advise an operative to invest in
manufacturing stocks, as the property was too
risky.
Mr.. Bigelow then gave his views in relation
10 the effect a reduction of the hours of labor
would have on the national prosperity of the
labOTng classes, contending that this reduction
must of necessity reduce the productive indus
Try OF the country, and that the rise which
would naturally take place in the price of
articles Of necessity would come largely out OF
the pockets Of the laboring classes Where
twenty per cent. was taken from the hours of
labor the reduction of the prod cton of articles
made By machinery would have TO be made mn
Tor IN some way. He then gave the Commission
the hours of labor as worked in England and
returned 70 Parliament by different classes of
operatives, and also the cost of living there and
here, arguing that il would be impossible for
US 20 compete with the older countries where
they work sixty hours, while, if the eight hour
law was passed. We should only work forty.
eight per week.
Dr.waldoch, of Roxbury, desired to know
II successful competition with other countries
was the highest good tc be obtained.
MIR. Bigelow said that national prosperity
was most assuredly the basis of the welfare of
the whole people.
DIR. Waldoch asked Mr. BigsIsw's opinion in
regard to many articles of production which
were no benefit TO any class.
Mr.. Bigelow reiterated his belief IN the great
advantages Of large production in ali branches.
certainly not, however, in those absolutely use,
less or hurtful
Mr. Vim. Knollin desired to know if the GEN.
ueman thought that the profits were fairly dis.
Mr.: Bigelow said that he knew of no way in
winch the distribution of the profits could be |
regulated except by the law Of Interest There |
OF capital.
Mr.; Knollin thought that the capitalists were
uh"ullng 10 lift up the laborer and eaualize |
the distribution Of the profits Of the nrodnco
ton, and spoke at length and somewhaf al ren
dom on the subject. -~-'
Mr.. George II. Smelling, one of the Commits.
sioners, read porti2r OF a letter from DIR. JAR
Wis, showing that the latter found that the en-
ployment of his clerks over seven hours day
was injurious, and detracted from their use
fulness, he did not believe in any general
rule or law on the time of labor, as the strain
and wear and tear Of different occupations was
so great.
A discussion here arose among the Commits
sloners as to whether the testimony Of the par.
they had desired that their names should not
appear. 1t was finally decided that they should
De heard.
The witnesses We're two men from Fall Riy-
er, operatives in a factory. Before giving their
testimony they asked the reporters to suppress
their names, as their employers would throw
them out OF employment if they knew they
had been before the commission. One OF them
said 1--WE work eleven hours a day; have
worked twenty years in the old country and
eight years here; had worked harder in the last
eight years than in the other twenty: he has tn
walk from 20 10 % miles n day attending the
spinning jack. Till within three months he
had to work all the noon hard, cleaning MP,
and had 10 get bites AZ intervals from his din
ner Kettle; now, this cleaning was only done
on saturday. The operatives have to work
harder here than in England. II reduction of
the hours OF labor implied reduction Of wages,
ne would sun 90 for II heart and soul. The
machinery had to be OILED before starting nm
in addition to the eleven hours. In some Of
the mills in Fall River, little children were
worked eleven hours day, and the law which
prohibits II was not enforced; persons have
gone to parents to get children from the schools
to s..r 49,, IN. III