The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-12-14

(frOm HreSluenJ ldIJ MSSSdSS'J
In 1892 the present eight-hour law
was passed, which provides that the
services and employment of all labNr-
ers and mechanics who are now or
may hereafter be employed by the
government of the United States, by
the District of Columbia, or by any
contractor or sub-contractor on any
of the public works of the United
States and of the said District of Co
lumbia, is hereby restricted to eight
hours in any. one calendar day, and 1t
shall be unlawful, ETC., etc.
This law has been construed to limit
the applications of the requirement to
those who are directly employed by
the government or to those who are
employed upon public works situate
upon land owned by the United
States. This construction prevented
its application to government battle
ships and other vessels built in pri-
vate shipyards and to heavy guns and
armor plate contracted for and made
at private establishments.
The proposed act provides that no
laborer or mechanic doing any part
of the work contemplated by a con-
tract with the United States in the
employ of the contractor or any sub
contractor shall be required or per-
, mitted to work more than eight hours
a day in any one calendar day.
1t seems to me from the past his
tory that the government has been
committed to a policy of encouraging
the limitation fthe days work to 9
hours in all works of construction mi
tiated by itself, and it seems to me
illogical to maintain a difference be-
tween government work done on gov
eminent soil and government work
done in private establishment, when
the work is of such large dimension
and involves the expenditure of much
labor for considerable period, so that
the private manufacturer may adjust
himself and his establishment to the
special terms of employment that he
must make with his workmen for this
particular job. To require, however
that every small contract of manu-
facture entered into by the government
should be carried out by the contrac
tor with men working at eight hours
would be to impose an intolerable
burden upon the government by limit
ing it's sources of supply and excluding
altogether the great majority of those
who would otherwise compete for its
business.
The proposed act recognizes this
in the exceptions which it makes tt
contracts.
For transportation by water or
land, for the transmission of intelli
gence and for such materials or ar
ticles as may usually be bought in the
open market whether made to con
form to particular specifications OF
not, or for the purchase of supply by
the government, whether manufactur
ed to conform to particular specifica
lions or not
recommend that instead of enact
ing the proposed bill, the meaning Of
which is not clear and definite and
might be given a construction embar
RAISING to the public interest, the pre-
sent act be enlarged by providing that
public work shall be construed to in
) clude not only building and work up
on public ground, but also ships, ar
NOR and large guns, when manufac
tured in private yards or factories.
One of the great difficulties in en-
forcing this eight-hour law is that Its
application under certain emergencies
becomes extremely oppressive anC
there is a great temptation to subor
dinate officials to evade it. thinI
that it would be wiser to allow the