The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-02-01

ing man IL quite pron1Dle that MAORI
ty of men can do about q much labor in ten
hours a. in twelve, because twelve seemed too
much for the physical ensrgies of most men ;
yet l bslisvs that sxperisncs and investiQa-
tions have shown that ten houn are not too
much. Hsnce reduction from ten to twelve
hours need not materially affect prices or
profits, but . reduction from ten TO eight
hOsrs would necessarily do both Most of
our machine shops have often found it neces-
sary when the market became dull to reduce
their time in order to retain their Organiza-
ton and believe the universal experience
has been that they actually got less work by
the hour in eight hours than in ten
The change Of clothing, the adjustment
and oiling If machinery, the distribution Of
work, preparing to close work at the end Of
the day, etc, necessarily consumes consider
able time, which, when distributed over eight
hours, makes q larger percentage u waste
than when distributed over ten. Again, the
interest on capital, the wear and tear Of ma
chinery, contingent expenses, such a. clerk
hire, agencies, commissions, advertising, in
surance, etc, are the same for eight hours ~
for ten. and as the production will be twenty
per cent. less the cost Of production must be
nearly twenty per cent. more, especially in
departments Of industry like machine building
where labor is the principle element Of cost
This increase Of cost would he considerably
more than the profits that any of our machine
manufacturers make upon the labor Of their
operatives The result would be, then, that
the manufacturing must stop, or the prices Of
the products of labor must be advanced about
twenty per cent. in price. The latter alter
nate would, of course, be adopted, and the
prices Of manufactured articles be increased -
He tells US that twelve hours seemed to
be too msch, but ten il not. How does he
know The laboring men everywhere
agree that they would be better off with less
labor and more time for the other duties
Of life Are they not the better Judges
| think they are If Mr.. Legett's father
had an easy place, he, no doubt, used the
same argument against the ten hour sys-
TEN. The fact that factories often reduce
their time when the market il glutted, ia
the last evidence in the world that we pro
duce too much with our fine machinery
and ten hours labor per day. The remedy
for this is to shorten the hours regularly,
the workmen will then know what time
they have for study, and identifying and
making comfortable the homes Of their
families. He says he believes, THAT
universal experience has been that they
actually do less work per hour in eight
hours than in ten"
This is q positive perversion of the facts
for at Springfield armory the reports Of
the foreman show that more work has been
done in eight hours than in ten under the
old rules, and that too, where they worked
piece work under both regulations and il
is a notorious recorded fact, that more
brick was laid in the walls of the State
Capitol, Of California, per days, of eight
hours, than was laid before in day of ten
hours This the commissioners admit.
and are opposed to the eight hour system
Of labor, and was opposed to it from the
beginning. In getting ready and prepar-
ing to quit work, he says there is a larger
percentage Of the waste Of time than when
distributed over ten hours In this he
displays his Ignorance, for good foreman
will have his shop cleaned up and every
thing in place before the workmen com
mence work in the morning, 30 that the
men have nothing to do but throw of
their coats and commence work without
preparation whereas, if the men worked
all day, there would be no daylight for
cleaning up after and before the hands re-
commenced.
He is fearful that the value of articles
manufactured would increase in price
Well what of it I Are we not told that a
high tariff is for the purpose of protecting
the manufacturer by keeping up the price
of manufactured articles That is what
We want then the consumers divide
among them what Is necessary to pay our
workmen a good price. But we are told
that laboring men consume more than
oilers, so that it is worse for them but the
idlers pay their proportion, which they
would not DO if 50 much time on labor was
used in reducing the price Of the article,
for the wages Of men would be reduced in
accelerated ratio
The time lost in running the machinery
seems to be a matter Of great importance
i'll argument against the eight hour system
Of labor. They seem to think that a man
must get all he can ont Of his machinery
in the shortest possible time, 50 as to get
rich 80 much sooner.
GOOD wORKMRN.
understand that machinery needs rest
that all parts of it's friction may have time
to cool, and the manager may have time to
examine it, and see that every part is run
ming true and well oiled. 1t is not policy
to run machinery all the time. But sup
pose it was good policy to do 50, they may
run it all the time, day and night, 10y hav-
ing three shifts of hands, eight hours each,
so that time lost in not running machinery
is no argument against reducing the hours
of labor.
The Improvement in machinery is now
SO great that it is not possible to keep men
or machinery at work SO long without over
production. To-day, thirty or forty men
are employed IN doing certain work t.
morrow comes q new machine that with
one man will do as much work at the same
thing as the whole Of them did before,
and this state Of things continues in pro
portion to the spare time that men can
have from day labor.
Nearly every piece Of work necessary to
be planned or nodded in the building Of q
house, or making furniture, is done by
machinery. Our shoes and boots, that
are sold by the dozen, or hose, are the re-
suit Of machinery, Is the product of braiH
time taken by inventors to study the wants
of the trade.
1t is the same with workers the
horse-shoes, nails, and every particle OF
iron-work, in or about wagons, carriages
loughs, and everything else of iron, is the
product of labor-saving machinery, and
then in addition to this comes the China
men, who work for next to nothing, live
on rice and sleep on board or on the
ground. They increase, not only the
amount Of labor, but they decrease the
prices.
China is a nation Of four hundred mil
lion Of people We have hut about eight
millions Of laborers in the United States
they can furnish as the full compliment d
our workmen and not miss them then
what Is 70 become Of our white workmen
My advice to the workingmen Of the
| United States il to unite and control both
politicians and parties, and make them act
for the people instead of robbing them Of
their comforts and hard earnings
M. A. VIM.