The times., 1897-05-09

stored, and now all employed there, some
$50 men, are employed six hours a day.
Prof Rogers states Il as his oplnien that
during the latter part OF the -four teenth
AID the whole of the fifteenth and i'll the
sixteenth century, until the death OF
Henry VIII, the workmen were only en-
poyed eight hours day, and that il he
worked more hours he was payed for over
time He found that men were paid FOR
overtime, which it would not have been
possible for them TO have made had they
worked longer than eight hours, and that
when they were paid I'd day, when they
made overtime they Were paid Id. an
hour. The statement OF the law--l / Henry
VII quoted by Eden, in his history OF the
poor, vol. 1 p. rs, shows that workInen had
not been working former hours
1t opens thus: And, Furthermore, where
divers artificers and laborers, retained to
work and serve, waste much part of the
day and deserve not their wages. some time
in late coming to their work, early depart
ing therefroai, long sitting at breakfast, at
their dinner, at their noon meat and long
time sleeping at afternoon, TO the loss and
hurt of such persons as the said artificers
and laborers be retained with at service;
and the law permits the employers to abate
the employees wages for the time lost by the
latter. Evidently the law could not be en-
forced, for 1t was repealed In 497, two
years after its passage. The act of Eliza
beth, C. 4, 1862, fixed practically the same
hours as that of Henry VII, but IL forced
workmen to work the full time prescribed
upon pain to lose ami forfeit one penny
for every hours absence, to be deducted
and defaulked out OF his wages that should
so offend" Prof Rogers was of opinion
that even under this law the hours worked
were not greater than eleven. The law
provided that Between the midst OF Sep
ten,ber and the midst of March the work
men ''shall be and continue at their work
from the spring of the day In the morning
until the night OF the same day. exceptit oe
in the time before appointed for breakfast
and dinuer." Agricultural laborers worked
probably the same hours, but the hours OF
workmen in factories We're heightened, and
even sixty years ago they worked from
) O'Clock in the morning until o'clock
at night. Even children Were employed
these hours until comparatively recent
times, the managers saying that they could
not cofnpete in the markets of the W rid
if they we've not permitted {" make such
ployed by them. There seemed to ne no
regular time for meals in rectuTies, the
worknen running out when they could
catch the time, aad often eaGlng their meals
while at work.
The contention or laborers for the last
half OF this century has Teen for shorter
hours, and they have been able TO secure
them. In England the average working
in, tt,a 10 Ia. f3ft.
many worrying eight hours. and none being
engaged longer than twelve hours in any
one day, W it'll half a holiday on Saturday
In the United States. until about fifty
years ago, the Iaborers worked from sun to
sun, when ten hours became a days work
for mechanics and laborers. The man
ayers of cotton and woolen factories have
been able TO maintain longer hours AS
the result OF the agitation for shorter hours,
many workraen are working nine and eight
hours. and in some localities they have
several hours off Saturday afternoon. :
In Government employment and on GOV
ernment work the work day is eight iiours
and has been since 1868. But the law
was not enforced strictly Until a penalty
was added i'm 1892 The average nutrli,er
OF hours worked IN the United States il
said to he fifty-siX. An effort is Row
being made to have eight hours days
work in al trades, with fair prospect OF
success.
Employers aver that they cannot eonfiiiHe
business if hours are reduced They have
urged this reason again and again, when
the employees asked for higher wages on
shorter hours. or course, employers must
have profit or they viii Lot continue bus
mess and the continuity OF lator VIII be
destroyed. but employers have raised
this cry too often. and IL has hecn faisi-
fled as often as il has teen set up. When
the law sought 10 prevent employers work
ing girls and boys even nine years old
from 5 in the morning until at night,
they said they could not compete in the
markets OF the world if the hours OF the
children were shortened. When the work
men OK this country fifty years ago de-
inanded a ten-hour day, they ayerred it
would close the workshops and factories.
That pow der has been burned before, and
il cannot he burned again with any effect
The employers may not be censured for
again setting up this plea, but no one rs
compelled to believe them, and they will
not he believed. The hours OF labor viii be
reduced to light hours day, and still there
will he a fair profit to the employer and fair
wages to the laboreT
The use of improved machinery has un-
douhtedly benefited the iaboring people
as it has all other classes, but the costs OF
its int reduction, like the cost of wars have
been borne almost entirely by " orking peo-
pie But in no case have these hopes been
realized hut the reverse has beea the case,
as was proven by the Introduction of ma
chinery for spinning and weaving The
business of the old spnne rs and weavers was
ruined and the wages of those attending
thenew machineswereiessened. The work
men will favor improved machinery, but
they will insist that the cost of its intro
duc,ion and the profits arising from its
use shall be more eq,iitably distributed.
The history of labor among English
spea kingpeople is an account ofthe progress
of the larger portion of the people from
slavery toward freedom. In the strife
which accompanied this progress the govern
.ncIt has generally been on the side OF the
weather. classes, because they We're prac-
tically the government. II is still on their
side, especially the judicial portion of it,
which seems TO he the last to feel the effect
of new forces Full freedom is still refused
to the working classes, and they cannot
expect to exercise it until by education, by
familiarity with tlIc workings OF govern
ment, byincreased mental power, which the
habit of mental application gives to those
whoexercise setheirintellectual faculties, they
are competent to conduct government
At their meetings, in their organiza-
tions, in the Transaction of the business