The wageworker., 1910-01-29

The Federal Council OF the ChurcneS
of Christ in America, representing the
united Protestant churches in this
country with a membership of 1S,000,-
900 and constituency of 40,000,O0O,
adopted, among other
specific principles for which it asserts
the church must stand:
1. The gradual and reasonable re-
duction of the hours of labor to the
lowest practicable point, and for that
degree of leisure for all which is a
condition of the highest human life.
2. A release from employment one
day in seven.
g. A living wage as minimum in
every industry. and the highest wage
that each industry can afford.
The Federal Councils commission
on the church and social service ac-
cepts as the basis of it's belief and ac-
tion the entire program adopted by
the Federal Council in it's report on
the church and social service. For
the concentration of attention upon
the present keen interest in the three
closely related propositions above set
forth, it submits at this time to the
churches the following statement and
recommendations, and urges that ia
yorable action be taken upon them by
individual churches, synods, assem-
blies, conferences, conventions, broth
erhoods and other representative
bodies, in the many communions
which compose the Federal Council
The Pittsburg Survey revealed to
all interested in industrial conditions
a state of affairs in many respects sur
prising. In the steel mills. according
to the report of the Survey twenty
per cent of the employees, or about
IA 900 men in Allegheny county,
worked twelve hours day seven days
in the week, at the rate of sixteen
and half cents an hour. Such en-
ployes, therefore, by working twelve
hours a day every day in the week
were enabled to earn one dollar and
ninety-eight cents per day, any reduc,
tion in time involving a proportionate
loss in wages. The high wages paid
to relatively small number Of men
in positions of responsibility or 4
per cent getting over five dollars a
day-had heretofore misled the public
as to the general scale of wages in
this particular industry An investi
cation of the living conditions showed
that the wage actually paid to I'M
skilled laborers in the steel mills, was
not living wage; that is, not wage
on which a man with an average fam
| lily could live respectfully, under de
cent sanitary conditions and with q
reasonable degree of comfort The in
vestigations OF the Survey showed
| furthermore that. in precisely the re
| gions where these low paid workmer
were housed, the drink evil was at it,
worst and the general morality at it:
lowest. Saloons found this the mos
profitable region financially While {
| fair proportion of workmen and thei
families were found resisting thes'
influences, it was plain that the drinl
evil and the tendency of the popula
tion to immortality were connected
with the prevailing industrial ant
housing conditions. For most mel
working twelve hours day, sevel
days in the week, little is left excep
lethargy or stimulants. There wa
little enjoyment of life possible 70
them except the enjoyment of tn
senses. What the Survey revealed il
Pittsburg is true, we are advised, t
a greater or less extent-often to tn
same extent-in other industrial cer
tiers.
Fl The illustration is taken from on
industry and one center. The rang
of the propositions, however, is ia
wider. For while it may be proper t
/ omit from consideration the worker
engaged in the professions and in a,
4 riculture. those should be included VIII
y are engaged in domestic and persona
service, trade and transportation, an
. in manufacturing and mechanical pu
suits.
Moreover, with the increasing cor
plicatiOn of the industrial situation
there has come the necessity of COZ
Quoting many industries seven day
in the week, and as rule those il
dustries conducted seven days in tt
week require the service of the inc
vidual employe seven days in tt
week, and the rate of wages is set n,
for six day, but seven day scale
I One Days Rest in Seven.
l The commission on the church al
social service of the Federal Coune
of the Churches of Christ in Amerit
. | calls the attention of tho cbnrchac