New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-13
ElGHT-HOUR BILL A LAW.
GOVERNOR GIVES REASONS FOR SIGNING
THE MEASURE.

THE MEASURE.
DEFECTS POINTED oUT-FUTURE ACTION
BY LEGISLATURE MAY BE RECON-
MENDED-To COUNT AGGRE-
GATE OF WORK
Albany. May 12-Governor Roosevelt this
afternoon signed the bill of Mr.. Sabine Amending
the eight-hour law so as to make it rigid in en-
forcement With 1t he filed a memorandum
saying:
This bill carried out the recommendation inaoe
in nv message to the Legislature that the eight
hour law should be amended as TO make ~
| effective II will work the whole an undouoted
inprovement but unfortunately 1t Is so drawn
| as to emphasize instead Of eliminating. two or
three of the defects In the old law. The need Oh
the passage Of this law is evident There is al
present and has long been on the statute-ooohs
an eight hour law. but 1t Is so easy OF eVas'on
that IT has been largely imperative. 1t is always
detrimental to the best interests of the state 10
have a law on the statute-books which pre,enus
to do something and does not do II. and this OF
course Is especially the where 1t Is nighy
important that the nominal end sough' 10 oe NJ
tanned really should be attained The genera'
tendency toward the eight-hour working day mas
undoubtedly been heathful and 1t is wise FOR the
State to set a good example employer of
exacted and as to paying just and reasonable
wage It is even more important to reach con-
tractors who do the State work than to reach
the public servants OF the State proper. cheap
ness secured by the employment Of gangs OF men
under the padrone system is cheapness for which
the State pays altogether too dearly for II is oo-
tanned at the cost of the sacrifice of good CITIZEN
ship 1t is. therefore. just that the ordinary EN-
ploye of the State and of contractors who do
| aho f0r
should receive a rate of wages not less than that
| paid for other labor OF the same kind where the
structure is TO be put up. this not interfering with
| the purchase of finished product
EVASION OF FORMER LAW.
'The permission to work overtime for additional
compensation has resulted in such widespread
evasion and notification of the purposes OF the
| law especially among contractors that II Is wise
| to take 1t away in most cases. certain heedeu
exceptions are provided for in the BILL but there
| are other exceptions which must be provided Tor
| by the next Legislature. II the bill Is not to De
cause of needless expense to the State In various
| directions There are some forms OF labor where
| though the man is employed on and OH TOT more
than eight hours day, his labor Is not con-
| tlnuous.
This is notably the case as regards lock-tenders
| on the less-frequented canals. Curiousy enough
| the less work there Is to do on lock- the longer
/
| labor One of the most thoroughly satisfactory
| lock-tenders In the State is n woman. the WIDOW
OF the former lock- tender, whose house Is by the
! lock- 1t is on a canal where work Is not regular
/ and davs may pass where all told, she may not
| work more than an hour or two day Then VIII
come a day or two when owing to the accident
| of a number of boats passing. she may WoTk on
| and off though not continuously, from nght 70
! light 1t would be, of course. great injustice 70
| her 10 diminish her compensation py proNulHs
for a paid substitute to do her work. and 1t would
| be a great injustice to the state to pay such a
| substitute in addition to paying her, when all
| told the aggregate of her work rarely requires her
| laboring eight hours all told ana never requires
| her laborng for eight hours continuously
AGGREGATE OF WORK TO BE COUNTED
with a shoveler. mechanic or any other en-
| poye who is employed for eight hours steadily
there is difficulty; but both the law as 1t reads at
present and the law It will read after the sign
! ing OF this bill is not framed that the case
! Of a lock-tender can be met under II, save those
| practically continuous. Here the eight-hour law
| can be and shall be applied; but l shall hold
| under this bill. It has been held In the past.
| that in the other places where the work is not
continuous. intervals of rest continually inter-
vening between the intervals of work, the ag-
| gregate of the time spent per day actually at
| work is to be included in the eghthour law; In
other words that we shall not take an arbitrary
stretch OF eight hours, six of which the man may
spend in idleness and call them eight hours
| work.
| Another class Of comes under the Super
intendent OF Public Buildings notably in the Capt.
| tol at Albany. These employees do not average
| eight hours a day throughout the year, because
| when the Legislature is not sitting their work
| Is light: but when the Legislature Is sitting they
| are Obliged on the first four days OF every week
| TO work for more than eight hours. Ordinarily,
In these cases, the average Tor the week Will
| not be more than eight hours day Friday ana
| Saturday being light days of labor and II
phf a
| Obviously no just purpose can be served by taking
| a highly paid officer. such as the Chief Engineer
at the Capitol. who. during most OF the year, may
not be employed more than from four TO six hours
day. and prohibiting him from seeing to the
safety of the delicate engines under his care dur
ing the time when the Legislature and Its COM
mittees sitting in the afternoons and evenings.
The same thing applies to the elevator men.
TRYING TO STRIKE A MEAN.
This difficulty will not arise under the present
bill until the first of January next, and SHALL in
my message to the Legislature. request them at
once TO amend the law that In the case of the
public servants who do not in the aggregate. during
their terms of employment work for more than
eight hours a day the average. they shall be
permitted where any emergency arises, TO work
for than eight hours a day. provided always
that this amount OF extra work Is In no case to
be carried so far as TO make the average per day
for the term more than eight hours. The alter
native 10 this would be putting a needless add-
tonal burden the State shutting down the
wages OF the employees during the time they are
not employed for eight hours day II may be
that the actual working Of the law during the
next eight months will develop some additional
defects II SO. they can be remedied by the next
Legislature. Until 1t has actually been tried 1t is
probably impossible 10 say whether or not any
defect beyond those indicated above will be found
In any event II is highly desirable that the prin-
ciple which this law seeks establish should be
really established and that the nominal purpose
Of the eight-hour law should be in fact fulfilled.
mol CT 10 fha