Evening star., 1902-03-13
THE EIGHT-HoUR BILL.
Hearings of House Committee to Close
TodaV

The eight-hour bill now pending before
House committee on labor was the sub.
ject of another hearing this morning. A
session of the committee was also held this
afternoon, when 1T is proposed to conclude
all hearings on this bill.
The witnesses at the morning session
were Mr.. NJ NJ. Garland, surveyor of GUS
toms at Pittsburg and formerly president
Of the Amalgamated Association of Iron
and Steel workers, and Joseph E. Ralph an
expert steel worker of Joliet Iii. Both of
these witnesses diametrically opposed the
contention Of Messrs. Johnson and Dinkey
who had previously testified as experts for
the big steel companies, that 1t was fmpos-
sible to conduct Heat in eight hours
and that it was also impossible to change
the force of men on heat until the same
had been finished.
Mr.. Garland stated that he had been a
steel worker for twenty years and that
the men on heat under the twelve-hour
system were always changed without any
detriment to the steel He said that II
was entirely practicable to change work
men during the progress without injury in
any way to the steel produced and conse-
quently there was no insurmountabe OBJ
stacles in the way of an eight-hour day
SO far as the steel production OF the cOun-
try was concerned.
Mr.. Ralph was made the object of sharp
questioning on the part of the attorneys
representing the steel corporation. An eff
fort was made by Judge McCammon to
show that Mr.. Ralph did not understand
the improved method of manufacturing
large armor plate castings. By his an
swers Mr.. Ralph showed that he was thor
oUghly familiar with this class of work
and when Judge McCammon read to him
out of the testimony Of Mr.. Johnson the
enormous weight Of a single armor plate
casting Mr.. Ralph retorted with an an
swer which seemed to stagger the .oppo-
nents of the bill. 'Mr. Johnson says" con-
tinued Mr. Ralph, that it took four fur
naces to melt the steel for this casting.
Now on each one Of those furnaces there
was a man. If it was impossible to change
a shift during heat on account Of spoil
ing the metal why would not the metal be
spoiled by the different processes which
might be used by these four men. AS a
matter Of fact the metal from these four
furnaces all goes into one mold and is eX-
actly the same in texture and quality
Judge McCammon in reply wanted to
know If Mr.. Ralph was unaware that al
though four furnaces might be employed
to make one casting with a man at each
that the whole four were in charge of an
other man. a superintendent. This, Mr..
Ralph contended, made no difference, that
the men who had charge of the furnaces
were the ones who could influence the quail
ity of the heat or metal.
Further questions in detail were asked
by Judge McCammon, suggested to him by
superintendent Johnson ana others. repre-
Senting the steel company, such as how the
Shift of men could be changed on the hoist
ing cranes. This Mr.. Ralph regarded as
wholly immaterial, as he said that numer-
Gus ways might be devised for elevating
men to the desired positions on the top of
a crane.
Judge MeCammon continued a line of
questions to discredit the knowledge of the
witness Of steel matters until the commit
tee took recess for lunch. The afternoon
session of the committee was devoted to
the summing up of the arguments of the
opponents to the bill.