The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-18
IA BILL ID FIX THE STANDARD OF LABOR Congress May Really Do Something for People OUTCOME OF HEARING Extended Investigation Was Held Several Months Ago By the
 Interstate Commerce
 Commission
OUTCOME OF HEARING
By RopER1CK CLIFFORD

Washington, June 17.-(Special.) )-Aside
 from matters of state the House of Rep
 resentatives and the Senate of the United States some day are really going to get
 down to business and do something tang ible for the benefit of the people.
 During the past two sessions of the na- | tional Congress, little If any real work
 was accomplished that has had a far
 reaching beneficial effect upon the mill lions of people in the United States. It is true that a number of bills of a nature designed to benefit certain sections of the counary were passed, or perhaps legisla- ton approved that some day in the flu ture will demonstrate its efficacy, but the people of today do not feel Its protecting cloak. and so far as they are concerned, Congress has simply met and transacted it's business because the Constitution of the United States requires that body to meet on the first Monday in December in every year.
 There are pending in Congress some few bills equally as important to the people of the United States as the sherman anti trust amendments, Canadian reciprocity, and the free list on materials of foreign
 manufacture or growth.
 One of these delayed bits of legislation
 is bill designed to fix the standard Of
 labor. The government fixes the stand
 ard weight of a pound and the standard length of yard stick Why should 1t not
 fix a standard unit of labor?
 l The question has been brought up in
 the House of Representatives, and, look- | ing at the bin and studying It's purposes | one sees that it would have far-reach- | ing effect designed to benefit every man, woman or child that is in any way em- ployed in a wage-earning capacity. It | is likely, therefore, to become one or the most serious questions considered by l congressman, and one upon which they will have to vote either in the ahirma- tive or the negative. for the inconsttu- epcies will demand 1t. The bill contem- plates the fixing of a standard of phys lcal and mental effort, with the purpose
 of definitely establishing what consti- tutes a days labor.
 The bill is an outgrowth of an ex- tended hearing held by the interstate commerce commission several months ago, when Louis A. Brandeis, Boston attorney introduced number of Wit resses, who told the commission great deal about scientific management. Later the matter came up before the labor committee of the House in con-
 nection with hearing on the Pepper resolution providing an inquiry into
 what Is known as the Taylor system of | scientific management. This is one Of the so-called systems. It has been in-
 troduced at the arsenals of the War De
 partment at WatertoWn and Springfield
 and Is about to be introduced at the
 Rock Island arsenal. Under the Taylor
 system the standard of efficiency is the | of hat par hV Ia
 most effective member of a number of
 men whose capacity is tested.
 1 Consequently it has been argued that 1 standard of measure Is required in ascertaining the work of employees, just as standard Is needed to determine how many yards are in bolt that Is sold
 across tho counter by a merchant, or how many pounds of meat a butcher
 sells to a customer. The standard yards protects the buyer of cloth. just the same as the standard of weight protects the buyer of meat.
 In some respects organized labor has | registered itself as decidedly against the | introductions of the Taylor system,
 either in the departments or shops of
 the government service, or in the gen
 eral marts of business. Labor leaders
 say that the Taylor system is a man | killing system, under which only the | strong survive and the weak give way. | Statistics were laid before the commit | tee of the House by a delegation of labor | men, showing the effects of the system | upon employees of a number of western railroads, where it has been In operation l for years. In antithess to the stand taken by the labor leaders, several other witnesses who were called before the committee took opposite views. H. P.
 Stlmson. efficiency engineer of the Uni versal Audit company of New York, de- clared that the establishment of such a system on g general basis throughout the country would be of decided benefit and protection to the employers and em-
 ployed. He pointed out that 1t would prevent "soldiering' on the part of the employees, and on the other hand would protect the laboring man against the greed of voracious employers.
 The subject, however, Is an entirely new one to the committee, and In fact 1t Is a new subject to most persons. Precedents for the establishment of such a system by other governments Is lacking, as no where could it be found that such a sys-
 tenn had been adopted by any of the world powers. Yet it is recognized by the com
 mittee that it would be a gerat stroke fo, this country to set the example of fixing a standard unit of labor, just as we have adopted the systems of other countries in establishing a unit of weight or oi measure.
 As a matter of fact, this government has alread ytallen preliminary step ir this direction. It is pointed out that the government through the newly created
 tariff board, is now trying to find out what is the cost of production of articles
 used here and abroad Of course, this contemplated a far-reaching investiga- tion into the cost of labor. Yet, because of the gerat difficulty experienced, 1t is impossible accurately to ascertain the
 true cost of production because there is no unit or standard of measuring labor Length of days work in various coun- tries differs. the amount of work re- | quired in different establishments here and abroad varies, and so on.
 Yet it is entirely possible, in fact prob , able, that out of this proposed investiga- tion there will come strong movement 1 in Congress- possibly at its session begin | ming next December, for the establish
 ment, after a thorough investigation, of
 standard of labor, fixing through gov ernmental supervision a unit.
 A WideCAwake Constable
 | From Harpers Weekly.