Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-13
THE E|GHT-HOUR Law
Attorney General to Decide
the Question
AS TO THE ISTHMUS
LABOR LEADERS BELIEVE IT
APPLIES THERE.
Alien Labor May Be Employed, but an
Agreement Will Be Made With
Oriental Government

Inc Attorney Generai mas MIN u
question brought to his attention by the
isthmian canal commission to whether
it is lawful to work the employees of the
commission on the canal more than eight
hours daily. AS a matter of fact the en-
ployes have been and are working ten hours
daily, and there has never been any pro-
test either by them or in their behalf But
the eight-hour law seems TO be SO explicit
that point that the new commission
thought it advisable before proceeding fur
ther to secure an opinion from the Attor-
ney General
The paragraph of the act of August l,
1892 which, it is thought, may apply to
the employees of the canal provides as fol-
lows:
That the service and employment of all
laborers and mechanics who are now Or
may be employed by the government of the
United States, by the District of Columbia,
or by any contractor or sub-contractor upon
any of the public works of the United States
or of the District of Columbia, is hereby
limited or restricted and restricted to eight
hours in any one calendar day. and ii shall
be unlawful for any officer of the United
States government of the District of
Columbia or any such contractor or sub
contractor whose duty ii shall be to employ,
direct, or control the services of such la
borers mechanics to require or permit
any such laborer or mechanic to work more
than eight hours in any calendar day except
in case of extraordinary emergency
Opinions of Labor Leaders.
In the opinion of prominent labor leaders
in this city there is no question to the
applca ton of this law to the employees of
the government in the canal zone. The
restriction is against the employment by the
government anywhere on its public works
of men for more than eight hours daily.
The law also provides a penalty to be
enforced against any officer of the govern
ment contractor or subcontractor who in
tentionally violates this law of not to ex-
ceed $1,000 fins or Imprisonment not to ex-
ceed six months, both.
During the Cleveland administration At
torney General Olney rendered an opinion
to the effect that this law did not apply
to SubcontractorS on public buildings
whose work is not done on the premises.
That placed the contractor in practically
the same position in his dealings with the
subcontractor in getting out work to go
into a building that he would have been
had he purchased in the open market For
that reason a contractor who might pur-
chase brick in the open market without re-
gard to how the men worked who made
them might also enter into a contract to
have the brick made without regard to
the conditions under which the work was
to be carried on.
Can Import Laborers.
The suggestion that the isthmian COM
mission would import 1000 Chinese and 1000
japanese for work on the canal was re-
ceived by prominent labor leaders in this
city as a proposition that would also be in
violation of the alien contract law, but
upon careful reading of that law they dis
covered that the act of February %, 1885,
which restricts the employment of alien
contract labor has the limitation that such
1ob &c 10 iah y service of
kind in the United States it's territories or
the District of Columbia" Under that law
there seems to be no doubt that the COM
mission will have the fullest powers possible
to contract for labor in China and Japan
and to transport that labor to the isthmus
and work it there. The fact Is, exactly
such contracts have been made since the
United States began the canal work, in the
case of Jamaica negroes, who have been
used for laboring work at Panama. the
commission has been SO well Sausf1ed as TO
it's power to employ alien contract labor at
Panama that it has not raised that ques-
ton.
1t is not known just how long 1t Will be
before tic Attorney General will give his
opinion on the subject of the eight-hour law
as applying to the work at Panana put IL IS
expected that it will be forthcoming at an
early day. 1t is not likely that this deci-
sion will influence the importation of Chi
nese and Japanese at Panama, because it is
desirable to experiment with that class OF
labor, whether they can be worked ten or
eight hours daily 1t is said that If the
Japs and Chinese get an eight-hour day at
Panama there will be rush among that
class of labor to go there.
Will Have an Understanding.
AS it is, this government VIII have an
understanding with the Chinese and Japan
ese governments as to the manner in which
these laborers are to be treated. The gov
ernment will propose giving them great
care so far as medical attention and the
provision of sanitary living is concerned as
would be given any other class OF labor
But it will be regarded a considerable
loss to the government if it is decided that
they cannot be worked more than eight
hours.
The contracts for the importation of the
orientals into Panama will provide for
their return to their homes at the conclu-
sion of the term of their contracts. The
opportunity will be given to the orientals
to go to Panama for one or two years, as
the case may be, or for much longer pc
riod If found expedient, and at the end of
that time to return to Their homes with
the biggest fortunes they have ever contem-
plated in their pipe dreams.