New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-22
WHAT rs A DAYS WORKf

We trust the day is not distant when Social
| questions will take precedence OF Political.
Politics are well in their place, and there are
| times when they must be paramount; but
usually, and for the great majority of man
| kind, "What shall we eat what shall we
"drinkf and wherewith shall we be clothed y
must take precedence of Glow and by whom
shall we be ruledf"
"A Council of Workingmen" in England
have put forth, through Mr.. j. Scott Russell
q programme, wherein, as q basis of the legis-
laton they desire, they set forth the following
| objects:
l. To rescue the families of workmen from the dis
NAL lanes crowded alleys, and unwholesome dwellings
towns, and plant them out In the clear where III
the middle OF o garden, in detached homestead. In
wholesome and sunshine, they may live and grow up
strong, healthy and pure under the influences OF we'll
ordered homo.
To enable this to DO efectually carried out, there
must be created perfect organization for the sefgov
eminent counties towns and villages. with powers
for the acquisition disposal Of land for the common
good
g. The next condition of the welbenE of the skilled
workman s that days labor shall consist OF elght
hours OF honest work
T. In addition to schools for neutrality-suspicious.,
there shall be provided schools for practical knowledge
and technical skill in the midst Of their homesteads
g. For the moral and physical welbeng Of the people,
places Of public recreation knowledge, and refinement,
shall be organized as parts OF tho public service
Public markets shall be erected in every town. Tor
the sale of goods in small quantities Of best quality at
wholesale price.
= There shall be provided great extension Of the or
ganizaton OF the public service Ton the model OF the
post-Ofllce for the common good
Comments BY The Tribune.
I. The most noticeable feature of this pro-
gramme is its radical antagonism TO the Free
Trade, laisse. tdire, doctrines of those VINO
modestly style themselves the Political Econo-
mists. Every line of this programme is at
open war with their fundamental tenets; yet
we are told that the Commons of England are
all believers in Free Trade. They neglect no
fair opportunity to show that they are not.
III. The demand that ga days labor shall con-
"sist of eight hours of honest work." challenges
thoughtful attention. Why eight hours rather
than nine or ten, six or severn We require
reason, not dogmatism. How is it ascertained
that eight hours is the proper allowancef
Suppose there were no payment by the day
that piece-work were unversal-wOuld the
laborers voluntarily restrict themselves to
eight hours per day7 Does experience shed
any light on this pointf
There are many emplOyments, ike under
ground mining, wherein labor Is unaffected by
heat or cold, sun or storm, high or low water;
there are Others, like farming numbering, rail-
road making, building, Sc, &c. which storms
or frOsts interrupt for hours, and even days.
Are men to work at these but eight hours per
day in good weather, standing idle in badf
If so. have they not an advantage over those
who work in all weather. Let us understand.
We need to know the precise commercial or
economical value of days work of twelve, OF
ten, and of eight hours, respectively. Formerly.
bricklayers worked twelve hours later, they
worked but ten we believe that some of them
now work but six hours. Who can say how
many bricks were hid in a twelve-hOur day,
how many in ten, and how many IN eight !
On many points like this, we greatly need facts.
Who can supply them
We hear it said that, if every one would
work even six hours per day, the pro-
duct would be ample and we believe it is so.
But ample for what2 To fill us oil with To-
bacco and Liquor, and enable us to attend
balls, theaters, hOrse-races, &cY We must
measure and define our wants before we can
decide how hard we must work 10 supply them.
We have known those whose wants were amply
supplied with quarter Of the means which
others found totally inadequate
-Wo write to stimulate inquiry incite re-
Election, and elicit facts. AS yet, we are but
considering by-and-by, we may have some
what to say.