The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-14
EIGHT HOURS BEST
Senator Beverage Stands For
Shorter Workday.
CITES NOTED EXPERIMENT.

What q German Manufacturer Learn
Cd by Reducing Hours Of Toii-More
and Better Work Done-Rsasons In
Favor Of Eight Hour Day.
The eight hour day had an extensive
airing in The United States senate one
day recently when Senator Beveridge
Of Indiana . the position that IN
der the nerve rackins pressure Of mod
ern machinery a day of that length is
more profitable in most trades than q
longer one He had printed in the
Congressional Record a lengthy ed
itorial from the january issue of the
Scientific American. showing that the
building Of battleships under the eight
hour duy in the navy yard was more
profitable aud satisfactory than hav-
ing them built by private corporations.
In referring to the editorial Mr..
Beveridse said:
Il think that article lays somewhat
at rest the fallacy OF the tremendous
addition to the cost Of building Il ship
In a navy yard under the eight hour
day. The plain truth about 1t is that
when the figures are examined it is
found that the difference Is not so very
great.
1t appears upon careful study that
some general statements that we have
taken for granted about the III
, dous additional cost due to the fact
that the men work only eight hours
are not borne o. by the facts. and
when they come to be investigated
they are found to form u Of those
visions Of Imagination which dissolve
under examination.
The results Of notable experiments
by Il prominent German manufacturer
who wished to ascertain to what ex-
tent it was possible to balance a dimi-
mutton in the hours of labor by intensi-
fed production aud whether the great
er exertion called for entailed a more
rapid waste Of physical powers demon
strated that the shorter workday was
most profitable.
Starting out on a basis Of an eleven
and three-fourths hour day. this manu-
facturer reduced the hours Of his en-
ployees to nine Il day. This arrange
ment proved very successful and held
for sewers years. when the question Of
u still further reduction Of time came
up for renewed discussion.
The manufacturer thereupon de-
| clared his willingness to introduce the
eight hour day in view Of the success
which had followed the first cut in the
hours of his employees. agreeing that
| the standard Of wage should remain
the same for the eight hour day as for
the former nine hours work. Before
the end Of the first year it vas ascer-
tained that neither Il diminution In
performance had taken place nor that
the workers had been worked to ex-
| cess. not even the older men.
Figures show that the hourly earn
ings increased 16.2 per cent. In other
words. the employee working eight
hours a day did 1862 per cent more
work per hour than he did when he
worked nine hours IL day. 1t is clear
] from this that in al entire day he did
more work on the eight hour basis
| than he formerly did on the nine hour
basis. .
"A historic review of hours Of labor
will help us. When the factory sys-
tenn in England began. toward the
close Of the eighteenth century. the
workday was from fourteen to sixteen
hours. 1t tool several decades to get
the workduy down to ten hours.
In America the average workday
! was from twelve to fourteen hours at
the beginning Of the last century.
President Van Buren, reduced it to ten
hours In the navy yards. and all pri-
vate shipbuilding plants followed the
governments lead. Then. a general
movement began for ten. hours. which
dnally succeeded in nearly all manu-
featuring, mining and building trades.
Next General Grant secured eight
hours for government employees.
Here are a few reasons for the
Intricate present day machinery ex-
hausts brain and nerve more rapidly
than the crude force Of old time meth
DDS. Taking a workingman's life al
| together. he will do more work and
better work in au eight hour day than
In q tel hour day. because nature has
more time to build up wornout energy.
And we must consider the whole work
ing life Of the laboring man. not six
or eight years only.
For the laborer IS a human being.
not q mere machine. He has the right
to get something ont Of lifeIrecrea-
ton. improvement. rest. II it is said
that he will use these extra hours in
dissipation the answer Is that the enor-
mous majority of w~orkingmen 60 to
their homes. tend their gardens in
| spring and summer. do the home