New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-27
Governor Roosevelt signed the act on May y
His reasons were as follows.
THE GOVERNORS REASONS.

THIS DIX carries Gnt The r'c2mmeqea'n bG maze N
effective. II Will work on the whole. an un4onh'cd
w. er3,hnszc nefcgd ~ eliminating two or three
of the defects I'm the old law
The need Of the uas,ac. u this law IS evident
ute books Eight Hngr laW. huf n D. 500 easy or
evasion that Il has hecu largely Imperative Ii IS
State 10 have lazy ON the statute books which
pretcnds to do something end does not 40 H. ana
This Of course. Is especially tho case where u ls
highly Important that the nominal end sought 10
DC attained really should he attained .
The general tendency toward an o.Eht hour work
wise for the STATE 10 SET "a t@od eHaiHp.' a. an en-
poycr Of labor. both as 20 the number Of hours ~
sonabie wage It Is even NOR important - rcach
contractors Who do the state WOrk than 70 reach
the public servants Of he Sia'e proper Cheapness
secured 10y the employment - men under me
padrone system Is cheapress FOR which ne state
he cost Of The sa~rIcc ~ COCA citizenship II is
therefore just that tho ordinary rnployc Of the
State and ~ contractors who do state work should
work for but eight hours. and should receive rate
Of wages not less Than that pad for other labor
ny. this not interfering with The purchase u "A fin
ished product.
EVASION THROUGH OVERTIME
The Porpssion l worf ovsrtmC for adaonal
sion ana nuAicaiion 81 d." purposes Of the la~.
especially among contractors that r. is Wso TO take
ere provided FOR IN the biI but there are othc. *
ceptious which must be- provided for hy the next
icss exrrn4c To tc STATE 2 |aroas Gr1,iiont
There arc some forms ~ labor where. though the
man IS employed or and OF for more than eight
hours "a day his labor is not continuous This il
notably the cas-" as regards lock tenders on the
less frcquentcd canals CuriOusiy enough the less
work th"rt is To- DO on q lock- the ore'r II is Nee
essary - have tho nominal hours o. labor
one o. the most thoroughly satisfactory lock
tenders iu tho State is "a woman. the widow II a
IS on "a canal whore work is NOT regular. ana days
may pass where AL tod. she may not work
more than an hour or two p day. Thcn VII! come
a day tH.o when. owing 10 tho accident Of il NAM
though not continuously. from light 20 Night
TWO KINDS or INJUSTICE
It would Of course. be great injustice TO her to
diminish her compensation by providing for paid
substitute 10 90 her work. and 10 would Dee "a great
Injustice - the STATE 70 pay such substitute IN
OF her work rarely requires her aborine eight
hours all told. and never requires her obOI!nR for
mechanic or any OTHER eWployc. who .s employed
for eight hours steadily. there Is difficulty. bur
both the law a. # at present reads and ,1e aw az
1t Will read after the Signing Of this bill is not
framed so that the case of a lock tender can he
met under Il those parts Of the canal whore
the work ~ - lock tender is practically continuous
applied; but | shall hold under fhi, bill. as # has
been held in the past that IN the other places
whore thc work is not continuous. intervals Of r"st
continually intervening between intervals Of work
tho aggr gate OF the spent per daN actually At
work IL to- Doc included IN the eight hours in other
words. taat We shall not take an arbitrary Stretch
OF eight hours. six Of which man may spend In
idleness and call them eight hours work
EMPLOYEES AT THE CAPITOL.
Another class Of cases comes under tho Superin-
Albany There employees do not average eight
hours a day throughout the year because when The
when the Legislature is sitting they are obliged