Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20

sociations do great good"
Yes, Mr. Mitchell. but do they not COM
bine against the interests of the public, l
mean the consumers?
NO" was the reply. 1.-THE public will not
permit itself to be fieeced, and any improper
combination or agreement would be at once
exposed"
How about the coal dealers and coal
teamsters of Chicago?"
There Is proof of what I have just
said. The coal dealers and coal teamsters
mad an unrighteous combination against
the public. They combined to overcharge
them. How long did their success last?
Only few days. When 1t was exposed the
combination was broken, and 1t will be so
with any combination that may be formed.
Besides there is competition. You can't have
Dig profits without it, l don't care how
large your capital is. 1t is the same with
wages. If you put them up here in Wash
1ngton, the Baltimore workmen will rush in
and competition will bring them down."
5000 Year.
Speaking of wages, Mr.. Mitchell, what
should be the lowest pay for an ordinary
workingman?'
Every man should have enough to keep
| his family educate his children and lay
little aside for the future. Six hundred
dollars year is the least that should be
paid the unskilled common laborer. AS the
class OF labor rises the man should receive
more, and the pay should vary according
to his location The ordinary man should
| have more than 5000 in New York or Chi
cago; Every man should have enough to
| supply the necessities of life, and in the
! latter cities the necessities cost more"
What Every Workingman Needs.
/ "What would you call the necessities of
| the ordinary workingman, Mr.. MITCHELL
I asked.
II think every man should have house
with a OF fho onlv
HE should have a bath room, a parlor,
dining room, kitchen and enough bed rooms
for decency and comfort. He should have
carpets, pictures, books and sufficient fur
niture to make his home bright and COM
Portable. He should have good food and
should keep his children in school until
they are sixteen, and at the same time
should be able to lay away something for
old age and sickness. The unskilled work.
| man might have these things for $500 a
year in cities of from 5000 to 100000 inhab-
itants, but in larger places he needs more.
This is only for the common laborer. As
the skill of the man rises his wages in
crease and his necessities grow
The Ideal Working Day.
"How about the eight-hour day, Mr..
Mitchell? Can the United States be run
that way?"
YES" was the reply. I'VE should do
more and better work everywhere If we
had eight hours only. Such matters must
be considered as a long time proposition.
There is so much work in every man and
if you take too much one day you will have
so much less for the days to come. One OF
the college professors puts 1t this way. IT
you want to get all you can out of man
for one day only work him the whole
tWenty-four hours If you want to get
all you can out of him for week only,
work him twenty hours day; If for a
month give him eighteen hours, and II
fo.a work him fifteen hours and keen
him at it. If you want to work him sew
eral years let him have the ten-hour day:
But if you want to get the most out of
him for his whole working life time you
must cut his hours of labor to eight per
day The fact is that man can do and
does do more work in eight hours than IN
ten.
How do you know that, Mr.. Mitchell?'
I asked HAS it ever been tested?
"Yes" was the reply. I'm the Illinois
coal mines the time was cut from ten hodrS
to eight After that the product was meas
ured and the eight-hour time produced as
much as the ten-hour time
but was that due to the freshness of
the men or to the fact that the bosses had
to get more work and rushed them
TT was largely due to the freshness of
the men," said Mr.. Mitchell. although l
will say that the operators knowing that
they must have greater output per heuf
bought better machinery and thereby inn
proved the facilities of rapid mining"
Ten Hours and Drunkenness.
.There is no doubt but that the eight
hour day reduces drunkenness" Mr. Mitch
ell went on. I'm those towns in Illinois
where 1t has been adopted there is now
higher standard of living and at the same
time less drunkenness and fewer saloons.
This is SO notwithstanding wages have
risen. The man who works ten hours
comes home tired out. He is in no condi-
ton for rational enjoyment and he wants
to go either to the saloon or to bed"
But will not less hours be demanded if
eight hours are given?' / asked.
II think not" was the reply. II do not
expect to see less than eight-hour day
in my lifetime. We may have forty-four-
hour week-that Is eight hours for five days
of the week and half holiday Saturday.
That is not unreasonable. Indeed. it pre-
walls already in some branches of work in
certain parts of the country"
Profit Sharing Not Good.
Speaking of wages, Mr.. Mitchell. what
do you think of Carroll D. Wright's idea
that the wage system will pass away and
one of proft-sharing will take its placer
ST don't think it is practical replied Mr.
Mitchell. ut would be difficult to make
an equitable proft-sharing arrangement /
think that wages will rise as time goes on,
and in that way labor will get more of It's
share of the profits, but as to direct part
nership with capital, don't think it adj
visable.'
ssWhy not?, I asked.
I'VE should have to have a different
scale of profits for every factory, and this
scale would rise and fall with the business.
Labor would not be content with its share
and capital would not be satisfied. The
two elements must always be to certain
extent antagonistic, although they are as
ISOLATED together"
DO you think workmen ought to have
stock in the factories where they work.
II doubt it. The little stock they hold
cannot have weight in matters relating to
the business. 1t hampers their action. The
laboring mans greatest capital is his own
muscle and brains. He relies upon them
for daily dividends. They are his best i'm
vestment and the one he should take most
care OF. Any interest he has In the estab-