St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-01
A SHORTER LABOR DAY
The Movement to Establish Nine Hours
as Days Work in Minne-
apolis.
The Building Trades Will Insist Upon
the Reduction Beginning With
To-day.
NO Trouble Anticipated, and Most
Employers VIII Accede to the
Demand.
Ihe Agitation Has Depressing Effect
Upon Building and Business in
General. a.
Will Try Nine Hours.

General. a
Will Try Nine Hours.
The proposed reduction of the hours of
labor has not apparently been regarded by
the general public in serious light until
within few weeks. Like other branches
OF the so-called labor question its import
! ance has, not been appreciated, and now
/ mat the time set for the practical Inaugural
ton of the movement has arrived consider
able alarm and uneasiness are manifested
by employers. The agitation of the reduc-
ton OF the hours of labor commenced &C
lively i'll Minneapolis year ago. In all
trades unions and the different industrial
organizations the question has been dis
cussed pro and con for months past.
THE ARGUMENTS
which have been used are based upon the
theory that human labor acquires greater
efhciency and consequent money value with
every invention and improvement of the
meanS OF production; hence it is but Just that
the worker should receive fair proportion
ate share OF the increasing value of his own
labor. This can only be done by an increase
of wages, either by paying larger sum of
money for the ne length of time, or by
paying the same money for shorter length
OF tlme.-. The payment of the same sum for a
shorter days work is the most feasible the
most rational, and therefore the best way Of
increasing every workman's wages at the
same time; because,
FirSt-The reduction of the hours Of labor
will requires proportionate increase in the
| number OF men employed, and will thus les
sen 1t 1t does not remove the competition
among workmen, which competition is now
I admitted by all to be the sole cause of low
wages.
Second-The reduction of the hours of daily
labor will proportonately decrease Droduc-
ton, and the employment of a greater num-
Der of mon will relatively increase consump-
Mon. ~ =
Third-The reduction of the hours of daily
labor, without decrease Of pay is neces-
sary consequence of invention and improved
methods Of production.
I Fourth-To reduce the hours of daily labor
from ten to eight will put at work those who
now are wasting their time and wearing
themselves out unprofitably looking for work,
and it will insure a steady employment the
whole year instead of working by fits and
starts as so many branches of industry are
doing. IL
t A REDUCTION TO EIGHT HOURS
was first advocated, but the workingmen of
Minneapolis have evidently taken into con-
sderation the effect of radical change
upon the business interests of the city. for
the demand has been modified to nine
hours, and the movement will be confined
to building trades. This modification was
also brought about by the action Of the In
formation Bricklayers' union at its St. Louis
meeting, which fixed the length of days
work for members of that craft at nine
hours, beginning at a. H., and ending at
/ 5 p. ni.,' with one hour for dinner at noon.
The bricklayers thus being bound to nine
hours, the other building trades disliked to
ask for a greater reduction, evil
IDENTIFY preferring that they should
stand side by side upon the same
level, striving for a common object. After
the different unions had separately agreed
to insist upon the reduction, the Short Hour
league was formed through the influence of
the Trades and Labor assembly, embracing
the organizations of the carpenters. painters,
bricklayerS. stonemasons and plaSterers, it
being the agreement that each trade should
stand by the other. In addition to the
action resolution was introduced in the
city council for the establishment of eight
hours as adayS work for employees of the
city. 1t was hoped by this means evil
IDENTIFY to have the city take the initiative,
but methods Tor delay on the part of mem
bers Of the council have prevailed. and
the resolution has been referred to q COM
mittee, which has found it inconvenient to
report before May.
THE GENERAL FEELING
in building and business circles is one of
uneasiness. The agitation has, without
question. retarded building to great ex-
tent. Builders have generally declined to
take contracts for the erection of buildings
within a certain length of time, and others
have advanced prices in order to cover the
anticipated increase in the expense of cost
of labor to an extent which have dis
couraged many Improvements.
This feeling of distruSt, which is attrib-
uted to the agitation of the short-day ques-
/ ton. seems to result chiefly from a misun-
derstanding of what the workngmen ask.
1t has been published in number of pa
perS and reported by number of contract
ors that the intention is to ask ten hours
pay for nine hours work. With one ex-
ception
THIS IS ERRONEOUS.
The bricklayers formerly have been re-
ceiying 40 cents an hour for ten hours
work day. After to-day they will de-
mand As cents an hour for day of nine
hours. This is in accordance with the de-
cison Of the International Bricklayers'
union and all work has been contracted for
upon this basis, as abundant notice was
given months ago. The carpenters ask for
30 cents an hour, which is not more than
competent men have heretofore been re-
ceiying. The painters ask % to 80 cents
per hour, the stone masOnS 80 cents, the
plasterefs 35 cents, the plumbers $3.50 per
day and 50 per hour for jobbers. These
prices are not in advance of what the men
have been receiving and by curtailng their
work one, hour they will be receiving one
tenth less pay. so that in reality they are
making "a sacrifice which is not
small one when it is remembered
! that the building season in Minnesota does
not last over five or six months. The men
claim that they are forced to this action for
the, reason that one-third of the wor1men
in their different crafts are idle, and must
be given work, for it is the unemployed
that bring discomfort and by competition
reduce wages. 1t is claimed that the cry
that a shortening Of the hours of labor will
increase the expense to contractors and
builders is simply bosh. By shortening
days work Of nine men one hour each
tenth man is given nine hours employ
ment, SO all that is necessary is to
hire one man more and the total cost to the
employer for ten men for nine hours is the
same as for the nine men for ten hours. 1t
is expected that most of the building trades
will stop work this afternoon at O'clock.
but owing to the fact that this is Saturday
some may finish out ten hours to close the
week. By Monday, however, the nine
hour rule will be in force. Very little re-
Sistence has been manifested thus far and
number of concessions have already been
made. The master plumbers have refused
to grant the reduction, and the Journey
men plumbers go out On strike to-day.
COUNCIL ROUTINE.
Matters Acted on by the City Fathers
= 4 Last Night
The roll call at last nights meeting of
the city council, found every member save
johnson, Sly and Morse in their seats.
20 ~