The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-01-13
ONE MORE
F|0RCIBL RETUTIu
National Labor Bureau lIakea
Exhaustive Report on
striction Of Output.
Shows That the Restricted OUT
put Is Not an Incident 81
Union Control

:%f Rest striction Of output Is the subject
dealt with in an exhaustive report re
Gently published by the United States
labor bureau of the department. OF CONS
merce and labor, and it is causing
much discussion among MANUFACTURED
ers. trade unionists and others inter-
ested in the industrial situation.
, The methods used in thirty different
trades are detailed at length, and
there Is an interesting chapter giving
the origin of Ca canny as adopted
by some of the British trade unIona
which has become by-word In res
cent years. The report shows that the
scotch term as 5'ca canny." which
means go easy" was adopted as
a war me>:sure about seven years ago,
but it has generally been repudiate
and 1t Is not countenanced by any labor
union in England today. 3a
One conclusion reached by the in-i
vestigators is that the productivity#
OF the worker is decreased during times
of industrial activity and increased
during times Of depression. They con-
clude therefore, that competitionH B
among the workers for jobs has more
to do with the output than any union
rules and regulations, as the same con-
d1tlons were found to prevail in union
and in non ?union establishments. On4s
that point the report says in sum- s.
mary. E5S. SO.
1T is also asserted by practically
every person interviewed, both en- Is
ployers and worknnen, that the n1en4
Will NOT wnrl- he, 1x,1,ov
get work in other establishments as 6
when they feel that the chances for
other employment are slim. This cir
cumstance has made it a matter of ext
trenne difficulty to determine to whaka
extent-th unions are responsible FOR as
the let-down in speed Of out put dur
ing the recent years, since their growth j
has, been contelnporaneous with q &
greatly increasing demand for labor.
THE president of q great railway
system ,three-fourths of whose employ.
es are not members OF unions, as g
serts that the reports Of his companyi
show a falling off of about 10 perl
cent in the efficiency of the labor
force, .netwit thstandinge an Sin tncreaaeas
of 10 Qtper cent In wages. Similar festk a
nlony will be found for other indussi
tries in places In this report, and sol
FREQUENT and emphatic have ben tho.
complaints Of employers on this scores
that it is evident the conditions in al
period Of prosperity constitute one Oh
the main factors in reducing the in-S
tensity Of exertion, both Of union ana
non union workmen." 49, ~ #ssa
The report finds that the SIMPLEST
N$0 SSan{ = tsf
ment is payment by the piece or th0f
bonus or premium systems It says thsj
investigation, wherever it was possiblels
to make comparisons has shown con-
clusively without restrictions the speedi
is greater under piece work than undse i
day work. fy,.., :.
Throughout the report the question L
Of restriction Of output is handled en-e
tirely separate from the justihcatiorts
of such restriction, two things whichi
are frequently COMPOUNDED. The testi--s
ncny Of several union men shows that
they first deny, that there is any res
strfction Of output, and then advancos
good reasons why some restriction IN
necessary. - s-s,s$ 8as
A union miner In Illinois is quotedI
as saying to the Investigator when
questioned as to restriction in the bi..s
luminous c6al mines: did you everI
think that God GAlmghty restricts thess
output of sunshine so per cent to Give
the moon a chance. This miner them
shows that the restriction Of output insis
certain coal mines is necessary in order E
to prevent four or five, companies own.I
ing mines where they; have natural a0. IS
vantages In the depth OF the vein. e
driving 275 others who have no such
advantages out Of business.
In the cigarnaking industry the re-siE
port shows the output is greater In s
union shops than the non union es-ss
ablishments, where the conditions areHs
the same. The conclusion is reached i
that the Cigarmakers. union does notsi
attempt to restrict output.
The report deals at length with.
printing and publishing, iron and steel. S.
machinery; and hardware, buildings
trades, brickmaking, bituminous coal
mining, anthracite coal mining, ready
made clothing, cigarnaking, boot and1
shoe making, glass industries pot-d
teries and slaughtering and meat pack
ing in America, and With general en-dfs
gineering ard shipbuilding In Greags
Britain.
Trade unions are authorised by our
statutes and are approved and sun-d
ported by the enlightened sentiment of !s
all right thinking men, and their bene.Hs
fits, boths; to their members ana the3a
general public, are sen and appreciatesiI
nv goyyn,.v lin ,,,,a if,x.d ,,,a :, n.