, 1879-07-06
THE EIGHT-H0UR LEAGUE,

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from Mr: J. W. D. TREEN, of this city, con-
cerning the objects and purposes Of the Eight
Hour League. The gentleman, speaking fol
| himself and his associates, properly resents
the imputation that there is any affinity be-
tween the Eight-Hour League and the So.
cialists. They are working for different ends,
and by different means. The misfortune OF
the eighthour agitators is that the Socialists
claim them as part Of the army of reformera
who aim at the re-establishment Of society
upon an entirely new theory Of rights, duties,
and obligations. We have no desire to do
the eight-hour men an injustice; and, though
the general public has been led to identify
| both the League and the Socialists as parts
Of the same general agitation, We .cQngratu-
late the League upon,its open and candid
| Reputation Of the Socialisdc party.
| j.. TIE TRIBUNE, in what it has had to say
concerning the scheme to substitute eight
hours for ten hours as the measure Of a day s
work, has not been influenced by any hos
tility to such an increase of wages as is ex-
pected to result from this change. On the
contrary, our objection is that an increase Of
wages, to be beneficial and substantial, cannot
be accomplished by that proceeding.
The end Of labor is production labor is
means Of production; the end sought is
abundance, and the greater the abundance
the more readily can the wants OF labor be
supplied. The invention of agricultural i'm
plemeuts has enabled an enormous increase
in the production Of breadstuffs. Bread has
been placed within the reach of the human
family at prices and in quantities wholly un-
attainable without the use Of machinery in
its production. Prohibit tha:ause of ma
chinery on the farm, and heprice of bread
and the reduction in the quantity produced
would satisfy the most incredulous as to the
comparative blessing Of q condition Of
abundance and Of scarcity. When q days
labor will supply a man with all that he can
ask for, then there will be season of cheap
ness resulting from abundance of produc-
, ton. It is to the direct aud immediate
interest Of every laborer to produce. not only
what he shall need for consumption, but
something beyond. Whatever he produces
beyond what he consumes is profits
wealth. The more abundant the production,
the cheaper the thing produced, and the
more the consumer can obtain with his
means to purchase. :-'ts:::. :
The hope and expectation Of the Eight,
Hour League is that, By reducing tha hours
Of labor one-ifth, one-ffth more men
must be employed, and, the number Of
men employed being increased, consumption
must be proportionately increased, and there
fore the reduction Of the hours Of labor Will
lead to an increase Of production, instead Of
reducing it. Is this expectation either ra-
honal or possible? w..
If 100 men be now employed at 50 per day
of ten hours each, making shoes or hats, ve
have the result Of 1000 hours of production
represented by $500. If the hours Of work
be reduced to eight, then we have the result
Of 800 hours work costing $500, or an addi-
ton Of Is per cent to the cost Of thee
hats. It is proposed to put twenty-five
additional men at work, SO as to make
the usual 1000 hours Of production,
and to pay each of the 125 mon SO per
day, making the cost of production Of
that many hats $3.50. There ore. therefore,
twenty-five additional men put at labor; and,
according to the theory Of the EightHour
League, there are twenty-five additional con-
sumers Of hats. Is this true :? If the cost
of producing hats in 1000 hours of labor be
increased from 5000 to $3.50, then the price
Of hats to consumers must be advanced Is
per cent. Before the change the $500
wages Of the 100 men would have purchased
the whole production Of the 1000 hours Of
labor. Under the change the $3.50 wages
of the 125 men viii not purchase the same
number Of hats. The number Of hats pro-
duced in the 1000 hours work by the 100
men working ten hours is precisely the same
as that produced by the 1875 men working
eight hours, but the cost Of production has
been increased 25 per cent While the cost
of each hat under the ten-hour rule was So,
the cost under the eight-hour rule will be
$3.50. Though each man has the same
wages for eight hours as Was paid for
ten hours, the wages will not pay
for the hats. IF the wages be
Jumped, there would be enough under the
ten-hour rule to pay for hat for each man;
DUt tue aggregate wages VI tue LEO Meu uu-
der the eight-hour rule will be insufficient,
and there will be twenty five men who will
have to go hatless. The aggregate wages Of
1875 men, working eight hours per day, at 81
per day each, will purchase only so per cent
Of the product Of their own labor. The
wages of the 100 men working ten hours q
day, at So per day each, will purchase just as
much as the wages of the 125 men, working
at the same rate, for eight hours a day only.
Here are twenty-five new eonsuners, but |
there is no increase of consumption on the
contrary there is 8 reduction Of the means
Of consumption. The condition Of the 100 |
men originally employed at ten hours per |
day will be considerably worsened by the |
change. Then their wages purchased So |
worth Of what they needed; but, the change
of system having added 25 per cent to the
cost Of what they were accustomed to con-
sumo, their 50 wages will then only
purchase $1.6o worth Of the same
goods. Can the man whose means |
,,,,rohoea T,oo foa,, ra1roo1 frop, 90 /