The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-12-01

met with some reward for the struggle
gong on among tradesmen. Says E.
LeVasseur, In his exhaustive treatise
entitled 1.-THE American Workmen:"
The first industrial convention, an
aftermath OF the Pittsburg convention,
was held in New. York in 1s46, and
second in Chicago in 1850. The OBJ
5ect OF both was to secure ten-hour
day. Such persistency was not with
out effect, and by 1853, eleven hours
became the general custom. The cot
ton factories Of New England, in
many Of which the work, lasted only
ten hours tell Of the beginnings of
the ten-hour day in 1866 In the United
states. The time is now reduced to
nine hours in many places and eight
hours in all national work. while all
State and municipal labor is limited
to the same time for a standard day.
The trades In which the eight-hour
system is most prevalent at present
are the building trades and printers.
Out Of forty-two building trades un-
ions investigated in New York during
1894, there were seven working nine
hours for the first five days in the
week and eight hours on Saturday,
while thirty-f1ve of them were on the
straight eight-hour basis. Although
their wages are the best, they had
undergone no reduction as a result:
During the steady reduction Of time
there has been a corresponding in
crease in the education standard of
the working man and woman of
America. The hours Of leisure they
had craved gave the opportunity for
mental training. The Industrious
schoolmaster was not slow to step in
! to the opening, nor were authors want
ing to write on all manner of themes.
Great book concerns increased their
output many per cent, and magazines
Of an economic and technical char
acter now find ready sale on news
stands. Easily Is per cent of them
were unknown thirty years ago. Vera
lily nature unfolds the progress of man
as we'll as the growth of plant life;
simultaneously with the shorter
workday came the advantage Of sys-
tematic education.
The much mooted problem of ap-
prentices is steadily being reduced to
more satisfactory methods. This has
| appropriated to the highest degree Of
efficiency in the eastern cities Of Bos-
ton, New York City and Chicago. Es-
pecially does Chicago seeem to have
| put into operation the most liberal
| and satisfactory system. For all that
has been said Of the refusal of trades
| organizations to cooperate with their
| employers or the public, we have here
| an example which illustrate that they
are not entirely wanting in the ad-
justment of mutual interests. The
| machinery of the Chicago school for
| apprentices consists Of the Carpen-
ters,. Union, Bricklayers' Union, Car
penters and Builders Association, and
the Board of Education. They have
met with. very satisfactory results con-
sidering the short time this organiza-
| ton has been formed. Following the
| building trades lockout of 1900, there
came q suggestion from Mr.. A. Land
quist, an extensive building contract
or, to give every apprentice boy three
months in school each year Of, the
| four he is indentured to the trade.
AS the system now stands each boy is
paid the minimum wage during the
school term, amounting to from SIS to
So per week. The proposal met with
hearty approval by the labor organic
ations and they began to perfect their
part Of it. Naturally there were some
boys who tried to avoid the confine-
ment of study. Most Of them who
| objected were moved by the smaller
wage, for the older apprentices drew
as much as thirty cents per hour and
some Of them as much as forty cents.
This, in connection with the briskness
Of trade preceding and during the
school months Of this year, made, tenn
tation very strong for some Of the
boys to continue at work where pos
sible. and many subterfuges were
| tried. At such times each case is in
vestigated to learn if the excuse is
| valid
In the Carpenters Union there are
two hundred. and forty indentured ap-
prentices. Out Of these sixty asked
for permits to go to work. On the 4th
of last January the joint arbitration
board of the Carpenters Union, met
to consider the enforcement Of the ap-
prentice rules. Out of the sixty pet
itions only three were allowed Now
the powerful influence Of the union
! steps IN and teIlS the DOyS Iney "ust
attend school regularly and conduct
themselves in an orderly manner or
| their quarterly working card will be
withheld and they will stand dishon-
ored before the union. The effect Of
this was well illustrated recently. The
apprentice boys attend school in two
places, at Twenty-sixth street and
Wabash avenue, and at Cass and H.
inois streets They had not conduct
ed themselves according to the rules
of the school, and Principal Bogar
made complaint. The matter, was
then taken up by the arbitration
board. It resulted in posting notice
at the schools to the effect that If the
boys absented themselves without ex-
cuse, were guilty Of : ungentlemanly
conduct or did not obey the instruct
or. they would not be given their APP
ril working cards. Following this
episode the schools were visited by
the secretary Of the Carpenters Tx
ecutive Council, who brought the boys
to terms in short order. Principal
| po~.. ooid hiol trihuto tn the in .