Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-28
MONDAY. JANUARY oS, 1901.
THE EIGHT HOUR QUESTION.

ale entitled to the shortest possible
number of hours which NAV reasonably
constitute a days labor. The work is
rot only arduous in the extreme but the
conditions surrounding the labor are as
rule, unpleasant. due to dampness.
sometimes to unusual heat and frequent
|! to bad air. Added to these is the
ezra hazardous nature of the occupa-
ton itself as evidenced by the large
number of accidents which happen in
81 tie of the great precauton which is
taken to guard against them. and par
tcularly in the Butte mines, which are
perhaps the best equipped. in respect to
improved machinery and safeguards for
the protection of life of any mines in
the world. Taking then the nature of
the work and the danger to health and
lie. no one may say that eight hours
is not long enough for days work I'M
reround And no one will begrudge
the wages paid for this class of labor
OF suggest that they be reduced. With
the mill and smeltermen the situation
j. hardly the same for while it is true
that there are some phases of employ
n.'nt about the smelters which are very
disagreeable and destructive to health
Set it is we'll known that there are many
positions that are not extra onerous and
Mich involve extra risk either to
lie or health. and that therefore the
sane arguments which apply to the
Underground miners can not in every
case be applied to all those engaged in
the mills and smelters. The number Of
hours which have heretofore constituted
d days work for the underground miner
has been ten. The time taken in going
Vi and down the shaft and in taking
meals has always been included In the
tn hours that the actual working
time has consisted of about nine hours
With the inauguration of the eight-hour
Gay the time consumed in going up and
down the shaft will doubtless be taken
out of the mems own time. This at least
ms to be the practice where the
elsht-hour day is in effect. SO that the
gin to the miners will be, in practice.
s. netting over one hour, and not two
L. urs. as would at first seem to be the
case. The working day in the smelters
has been, on the average, about twelve
hours. and as no time is consumed in
&lnG up and down the shaft to work,
the Inauguration Of eight hours in the
snelters would mean a clear net gain Of
fur hours to the men employed on each
days work. or in other words clear
Eet loss to the employers of four hours
work. This would mean that it would
cost just one-third more to run the
smelters under an eight-hou law than
il costs now.
From this it will at once appear that
there is a very great difference involved
between giving eight hours in the mines
underground and in giving eight hours
in the mills and smeters. And this very
probably explains the reason why Mr..
Clark and Nh Henze did not inaugurate
eight hours in their mills and shelters
at the same time that they did in their
mines.
1t will probably be argued thaf the
in ha tn nf ha
ment and in the comparative risk to life
and health. constitute no valid objection
to the general principle involved in the
eisht-h hour day, and this much may lie
granted except such risk is made the
basis of the demand, as it is here IN
Montana. But it requires no great
amount of brains to understand thai
the amount of work done by the laborel
must of necessity bear a close relation
to the amount of wages paid. TO de
mand eight hours for all smeltermen il
lieu of twelve is equivalent to demand
ing an increase of 80 Ia per cent il
wages. The question to be considered
is, is this a reasonable demand? The
legislature can pass law making eigh
hours days work and making it
crime for an employer to permit ma,
to work longer. or for labOrer to worl
longer even of his own will. But tn
legislature has no power over the ques
ton of wages. That is purely questio,
to be determined between the employee
and the employed.
There are some occupations in thu
mills and shelters where the hours ar