New-York tribune., 1906-07-20
ENFORCING LABOR LAW
EIGHT HOUR ORDER GIVEN
The President Acts on the Request
of Secretary Taft.
From The Tribune Bureau. ]

Washington, July 19.-Secretary Taft has just
demonstrated the sincerity of hts declaration
that the enforcement of claws for the protection
OF labor should be as rigid as laws for its regu-
lation' by procuring from the President an
order which is calculated TO prove Of great bene-
fit TO organized labor throughout the country.
Soon after the President left Washington for
Oyster Bay the attention of the Secretary of
War was called to the fact that certain
tractors engaged on government work. notably
for the War, the Navy and the Treasury depart
ments were violating the eight hour law. which
provides that laborers and mechanics engaged
upon aey of the public works of the United
States shall not be required to work more than
eight hours in any one calendar day. except in
cases of extraordinary emergency
Secretary Taft promised to take the matter
up with the President when he reached Oyster
Bay, and caused Commissioner Neill of the
Bureau of Labor to make an investigation and
furnish the material on which to base a recon-
mendation to the Chief Executive. Commissioner
Neill conducted this investigation and gathered
sufficient data for the purposes of Mr.. Taft.
who on his visit to the President last Monday
laid the matter before him, with the recommen-
dation that the Secretaries OF the War. the Navy
and the Treasury departments be instructed to
order all subordinates who have to do with fed
eral contracts on which mechanics and other
workingmen are engaged to demand that con-
tractors comply with the provisions of the eight
hour law. and. further. that they report to the
Department of Justice all Instances of violation
Of this law. that prosecutions might be promptly
instituted
Secretary Taft presented the case so forcibly
to the President that the latter agreed to issue
the orders which Mr.. Taft had prepared in ad-
vance, and to-day the orders were issued. Sec
retaries Taft and Bonaparte are out Of the city,
but that has not prevented the prompt issuance
of instructions to their subordinates in accord
ance with the Executive orders and wherever
contractor engaged on government work under
takes to violate the law his employees have only
TO call the attention of the federal official or
military officer supervising the work to the facts
to obtain prompt redress.
In those instances where violations of the law
have occurred in the past these officials will
and forward it to the Department Of Justice,
which will institute prosecutions in every case
where the evidence appears to warrant the hone
that conviction can be obtained.
1T is not for us to say who shall be prose-
cuted, said Secretary Taft, before leaving
Washington; that is a matter for the Depart
ment OF Justice; but It is our duty to cooperate
with that department in it's efforts to enforce
the law by reporting such violations as come
under our view.
Some complaints Of violations Of this charac-
ter also were sent 20 the White House and were
referred to Commissioner Neill, who made re-
port on them to Secretary Taft. The evidence Of
such violations was of such character as to
lead the Secretary TO draft the orders to be
signed by the President before leaving for Oys-
ter Bay
It is assumed by Secretary Taft that in the
future it will, in the majority of instances, be
necessary only for the federal officer or official
charged with the supervision of the law TO call
the attention of the contractor to any viola
tion of the law TO obtain it's immediate enforce
ment but the officers and officials will not stop
there, but will report at to the Department
OF Justice every violation which comes under
their observation, that the Department of JUS
tice may determine on the question Of institut-
ing a criminal prosecution.
The effect of the order upon the cost of gov
ernment work is expected to be great. 1t is
known that 1t has been almost the rule for gov
ernment contractors to work their men ten and
twelve and even more, hours day. if they can
not do this they assert that they must increase
by 20 or % per cent the amount of their bids. so
that Congress must either increase by like per-
centage the appropriations for public works or
must coTrespOndingly reduce the amount OF
work authorized It has been found that num-
ber Of employees are not subject to the operation
of the eight hour law, being neither laborers nor
mechanics, the classes referred to in the act
Such are lOcktenders on the Western rivers,
watchmen on river and harbOr works. captains
and crews Of the numerous fleets Of vessels of
various kinds employed in these works, drafts
men, clerks inspectors, paynaSterS and the like
Many thousand workmen, however. in all parts
of the country will be affected by the new order
of things for which the executive officers are
now preparing.