The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-03-23
iNEFFIciENcY OF NIGHT WORK.
Why Employers Are Hes;tating to
Run Their Plants Overtime.

Why Employers Are Hes;tating e
Run Their Plants Overtime.
In many lines Of skilled work, EN-
| ployers now hesitate to run their FAC
tories overtime or with night shifts
because experience has taught then
that night work is sure to be inferior
The Iron Age. which devotes an edt
torial article to this subject, says In
substance
Formerly, during times Of great
demand, most works ran with night
gangs, on the theory that production
could be increased accordingly. While
it was we'll recognized that practise
did not work out according to theory
there was little realization of the
actual difference between shop pro
pared TO a day hour The cost sys.
tenn put the matter Beyond a posi-
bilty OF doubt, demonstrating that
the difference ii production is really
very large.
"Ot course. automatic machinery
viii produce Z. much By night as by
day, and the cOarser products, where
brute strength or elementary skill IS
the chief element Ill III makeup OF
the workman. rsal be advantaseously
manufactured a. night, though the
production is seldom that of a day
force. But when i cones to such
labor that the skill of the operator IS
the chief factor of prodiction or ar
least a very important factor, then
the showing OF night labor is much
less satisfactory The sam thing is
true of overtime work
Men can not and will not do the
same work at nl,Lts as they do in
the daytime They have not the
same enersg: they are no irving the
natural existence, for. by reversing
the periods ii waking i.ouGS &ld sleep
when the: are not Accustomed to it.
the normal poisA Is Upset. Men
working nights are verr apt to take
insufficient sleep. with d.oHsness and
letharey as the natural result. Over
time workers wear out after IL short
time. and must be permitted 20 recu-
perate."
But even il high class workman
takes the best care of himself while
working at night and works as well
as he can during his night hours, he
can not, The writer asserts, accomp-
lish SO much and so good work on the
average as III the daytime. Artificial
light is not So good as daylight; he
has normally less energy; there is
not the SAINT keenuess Of the senses
or of the brain. II less skilled or less
cOnScientioi, than the best, he spells
more work. and does it less careful
ly and rapidly He is more likely to
shirk. Or fail - report for duty. The
writer goes IN.
Putting the deadly test of the cost
system upon the night force, the diff
ference as compared 10 he Gay force
is very important, SO much so that,
in some instances. the night force
may be said - operate a. an expense
rather than is source OF profit. 1t
is difficult ID get The best men to
work nights. . Today two com
plete and eitireiy capable working
forces in a machine shop would be
well-n!gh impossible. for there are
more than enough places FOR good men
during the daytime
One Eastern company tried the
experiment CT putting It's h,st work
men in nigh. force. and h.,ed their
places during the day with the best
that could be obtained TIE expert
ment WAS abandoned b.canse il was
demonstrated that the good men did
not produce the same work they did
during the day, nor SC much of it.
and, of course their substitutes dur
ing the d. Wa-n Inferior in skill yet
it was considered more profitable to
work the good men in this combira.
ton than to trust the less reliable
and less sliiIfui mechanics in the |
night force. II was proved that the
night gang did not pay. excepting as
a bridge upon which to pass over an |
unusual emergency Of orders"