Telegram-herald., 1890-04-21
SQI EIGHT. BIT NSE
The CaTVers' Union Want AZ Hour
Dropped on.
Al . Caaelaslsa SAL be ReAelasa. tie
kaFaltars asa - ui Siss Their
Reply FAis EssGiag-

Nhlle TIE e.gat-houE 10 FeloeDt hAs
Eot been very threatening thls spung,
as far a. l4b0r movements al Grand
Rapids aEe concerned, = quiet. un0o-
truzEe movement has been on loot
among tie earFeFs. looking - 3 reaue-
tea II tie hour. Of l4bor from ten 20
nlne hours. The Furniture Isrfers'
nl0n have been considering the cub
Ject for SOME time, and saturday 4
formal request VAS made upon several
manufacturing firms, through conl-
nlttee OF four men, tor = nne-aour
day.
The reasons gwen by tie w0Tkmea
for desiring a shorter day are, some OF
them AZ least, highly cTedltab.e u their
humanity. Among the man reasons
are, Of course, those founded on the
natural instincts OF men for a. WIDE 4
leisure for recreation and self-Cu.ture
as the circumstances OF lie Will allow.
But there are other reasons OF 4 more
unselfish nature. There IS certain
large per centage OF the caryers OF the
city Out OF employment, and Il is Justly
argued that reduction OF the hours of
labor would give opportunity for work
10 a prOpOrtOnate number of men Who
are now idle. In So far as the move
ment for shorter hours looks 10 the en-
plOyment or the greatest possible num-
Der OF men, employers seem disposed to
give the request now made respectful
consideration.
There Is no demand for disturbance
OF present scale OF wages. The work
men simply ask for n.ne hours pay for
ulne hours work. For instance, the
present average wages of carver beng
$3.50 Tor dav OF ten hours, ltsis ex-
pected that If the short day should be
adopted, the average wages would then
DC nlne-tenths Of $3.50, or S2.97.
The manufacturers of whom
short day has already
been made, are the Wlddi-
comb Furniture Company, the Oriel
Company, the Sigh Furniture Com
pany, and the Grand Rapids Char
Works. These companies hope 10 have
| canvassed the situation with sufficient
tnOroughness 10 give some definite re-
| ply TO the committee this evening.
A casual glance at the subject would
impress one that the problem before the
manufacturers IS very simple one;
for, at first lush, one would think
that reduction of hours and an III
crease IN the number of wOrkmen
would involve no material change of
industrial detail one way or another
As fact, there Is disposition on the
part or employers, lying IN feeling of
fnendliness towards their employees, to
grant this request, and il Will be grant
ed, If any way can be discovered to the
easy surmounting of some grave ditfi-
culties. John Widdicomb has
stated his thorough sympathy with
the motives of the nine-hOur
movement, and has indicated the eco
nomlcal obstacles to an immediate
adoption of the changes involved in the
scheme. He says that the various de
partments of manufactOry are so re-
lated that changes in one department
would necessltate similar changes in
them all. For instance, the entire out
tit of an establishment can not excel
the capacity of any one department in
It's special line. II, then, the capacity
of the carving department be reduced
one-tenth, the capacity of the whole is
similarly reduced, and this would in
volve a arrangement IN the working
force, in both machinery and men, Of
the whole establishment.
Mr. Widdicomb estimates that the
proposed reduction of hours might
cost large institution, like the Widdi-
comb factory, 500, 900 IN the re-adjust-
ments of machinery and departments.
It's not expected that any serious
difficulty VIII result from these de-
mands of the Carvers' Union, for en-
ployers and employees are approaching
the subject IN a mild and pleasant
spirit.