, 1869-04-27
THE EIGHT-HOUR QUESTION.
Decision by Attorney General sEoar-
Circular of the Secretary OF the
Navy.


Navy.
!ATTuIsEy GENERALS OFFICE,
HIM, i. J.. Hotat, Secretary ef the Vary:
stK-1 have the honor to acknowledge the re-
ask ms opinion upon the true meaning ani effect
or t,c ncr OF Congress, approved June, q, 1863,
,fs worK YORK Of III iaborers % wossiuen o. and n,eehanics
IN the employment Of the United States taken In
connection with thu oct Of July tG, 1sia. which
provided that 'tSecton Of tie Ict 10 further pro
mote The ctneicacy Of the navy, approved Decem.
ber 81, 1s5l,' and amended SO as to read
rs follows: "That tho hours Of labor ami the
saa Is neafy as IS s M aS 1 as tne
public interest. with those Of private establish
.nents in tic immediate vicinity of the respective
he nary, yars, subject so ~ approval and rcvi-
Sion Of the SECRETARY OF the Navy"
ln reply have The honor to say that tho whole
ny pssdeeessof ln ecc sir. Esast "a to the rres-
dent on the eot&i OF November, 1865 10 which Leg
ieaxe to refer you, and from the conciustons or
statute OF June IS lss. has noshiag to Do With tic
compensation to Ike paid to the wurkmcn In the
nnsy yat,ts, anu leaves that 10 be determined un-
iEs 81 tS ae 81 a
labor has no tendency whatever to show whether
the InS = labor thus established shnl be paid ut
tSe The e! q a.
The rule prescribed ty the statufc Of July 1867 so
interest With shosc q pfss.e IN the
determined hs The Cpmmau'lants Of Navy Yanls,
subject to tns approval and revision Of the secse-
II The private establishments tn the ncIghhor-
hood employed their hands for tive hours d day
only there would obSous' os BE- no 3asties il r.
yars,s for eight hours to the amount paid hS the
day in private establishments and the Law IN.
nothing in the statute which requires you 10 pay
the same price for eight hours 1aior which pft
yate establishments pay for ten or twelve unless
the wori, make the fewer hours In the navy yards
fq,.irneat in rnne to the longer time aired Ia pta-
vnte establishments, q for spine , otnef feason,
Very respectfully, your oheoient servant
NAVY DErAHrHES.,
WASHINGTON, april = 1854
Sur: The oct Of Congress approved june 25
1865, constituted eight hours days nork for all
latotcrs,, workmen and nselaHnica employe': on
behalf Of tho gosernMent While :hus establish.
ing the length Of . days Work, Congress omitted
10 repea! the act OF July Il, 1866, requiring the
as nearly ls consistent with tho public interests
with those Of private establishments In the fume-
t.tate vicinity Of the yards Until these. laws arc
repealed the department must abide By them:
The department. has no authority to extend tho
hours Of labor By making more than eight hours
dny work; but 1t hls the power to employ me-
chau!cs, wurkmen aud laborers extra hours, and
TO pay them pro rata for such extra labor, Where,
therefore, the necessity exists for extra labor you
arc at liberty to exercise yons discretion Il the
matter, Is to assist the working classes, aud at
the sSnle time do Justice to the government
/ r DoR1E, Secretary Of the Navy.
The Recent EreHhcts.
Neatly every part or the country has been vla-
1tcA ty Devastating noods within tho ,past ten or
twelve HfE frln1tfnfv in the 1p
nmount Of property and many lives. IN addition
70 the many "details gycn In our last issue We add
the following:
The water In the Hudson River, at Albany,
Tenchch its highest point Oh the !zEI, and then
n s1r !fssn IT, "
along fts tanks were driven from their dwellings
and much suffering has been the result. At Sche-
valley west Of the city was entirely Inundated,
and the water Vas three OF four feet deep upon
the Central tEack. SUI further west, between
taacc, the track vas entirely submerged. On shs
Black River, near WatertoWn, grist mill. house,
wooilen factory and mach1ne- shop tavo been
swept away, and many other buildings injured
The loss will amount to several hundred
thousand dor TWO we[e ronty
AZ ITps, the nood mas tie highest since 1S1. Tho
lower part Of the s.iJ was inundated and HAry
piles Of nmesr carried sSag "a ana na1on ~
fsrt rs ID carried aHay. The water rose tweutT.one
fset ahoye low wnter level The storrhouSe ar
fhe f;rnn's Fails Lime Company. contanino about
sdS harrcls oi lime was set on fre by the water
snakinr the lime. and whn}iy DESTROYED. The
boom ahoye the Gsm at Glenns Fails was carried
nvnv' NM ~ tso,1 inrS ~ az nt1rtft T The IIndiSn
Tsiyer RalIraI tracS IA washeI vaT between Stuy-
ycsant-
1-hn 14rrr ct uortfoyI N tho ro.a rnzc t,rcrtr.
e,+ "a, ~ ~ tncIT ~ ~ anorn Inrr er1c~ mnri.
M, then commenced 1acedinr, Iii through Tie
1nTcr istr1rfs ~ fr rity ficre we're liyeiy ttues
,rov,trnn,,si. TTa 1frnr r1,n fnfn ri. anonn
pfno1 ~ fha Inn Worts so thar II BECAME neces
" n tne t ~ - W,ndsnr rrs
~ etp! - hs ~ 1nnair3,o VIC
tHo, ',,n ~ % rIte "y ~ IL ~ IN cnnsaGuencs
~ taoi LIZ 80. ~ ~ .annactfet ona AZ rnar
o. tnc asn n4set ~ ~ L.G - at W. mh ~
ua h.Uas iastn w nar.fn! arn throan nnt n .
t'ortaent 'I ~ th3a 1tsastcr Wv "
~ W1ss 4rur
p;re- rc.nhotf fventrsnvc 7cr,t nS,ore Inv vafer
srt anS 3hcn cornn,SncaS rorotI;n,, Thn .r7rSa
~ ~ ~ = ~ Et,hamn,nn TortforI 1,,rnaGs var,
as W ~ ,a,ea,.ss a,ea - AN N''"Ae A"~-
hoea e'A4'1nee" r,x.n.
4. <,or4,oof a, 10 ~ ~. ,,,,..+,o, pr,=
neas,r ~ had n. al a, iba ,, NJ no.; n ;ssi Tne
Tust,n. Hnnse xas ror,,l,.,e,T snrrnuntieti with
water a1d number Of stIerts IN the vicitlty werJ
nntieT wa,ers Inre1aSiI1e niM IaPraIEe were
intfcr plsrc he,nr near,r M 70 the ewes Of the
houses- Nneh 1nss n lie nnd property has been
The reault The trnrr n The Hun.lo { Lake Hu.
run RaIlroai At Onnnyille. was slx feet under
occurred by the flood. At Er2nhT, near Quehac, O