Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-28
WORK II HOURS EACH DAY
seven-Day Week Also the Rule in
Majority Of Mills.
DIR. NELL FURNISHES FIGURES
Commissioner Of Labor Shows That
Unusual Conditions Exist
In Industry.

WAAOA Ah0uy CLpiOyCS IN lu0 uOu anu
steel industry are compelled to undergo
were described in a report made public
last night by Charles P. Neill. commits
sioner Of labor. 1t gives the results Of
the Investigation carried on under the
direction OF the Secretary Of Commerce
and Labor in compliance with a Senate
resolution. requesting q summary Of the
wages and hours Of labor in that industry.
Besides emphasizing the fact that la
borers are kept on duty for twelve
hours. the report declares that tho long
schedule Of hours also means q SEVEN
day week. and when the transfer Of a
day shift to night shift IL effected
eighteen and often twenty-four hours OF
consecutive work without relief.
The period covered by the Investigation
revealed that $1,000. or - per cent OF the
$4,000 employees Of blast furnaces and
steel works and rolling mills customarily
worked the seven-day schedule Of twelve
hours.
Sunday Not Recognised.
The inquiry also developed that the
long schedule was not confined to the
blast furnacing department, where ad-
| mfttedly there is metallurgical neces-
sity for continuous operation, in which
department So per cent OF the employees
| work the full week. it being found that
productive work was carried on Sum
day In other departments as well.
The report in q general way follows
the lines OF previous report by the
ject. 1t calls attention to the fact that
Sunday labor is no more necessary In
| the iron and steel business than other
industries and contracts. likewise, the
| general tendency of other trades to-
| ward q nine-hour and even eight-hour
day.
Added Significance attaches to the
| condition of labor here described.
says the report, when we consider
| that the general tendency for years
past has been toward a shorter work
Ing day
Striking. Contrast Presented.
years ago the ten-hour day became
almost a standard Since that time fur
Their reductions have brought the work
| ing day to nine, and In many cases to
eight hours, and this reduction has been
accompanied by a part holiday Satur'
day. 1t is, therefore, in striking contrast
to this general tendency in other in
dustries to find In q great basic INDUS
| try, such as that part OF the iron ana
steel industry covered IN this report that
j
173OOO employees worked less than sixty
hours per week and almost 43 per cent
worked seyenty-two hours or over per
week.
labor conditions in the iron and steel In
dustry is the large proportion or unskilied
workmen in the labor force. Not far from
one-half of the 81, 46 employees In the
productive iron and steel occupations IN
cluded within this investigation were OF
| tho claca NJ unCkflled workman.
"In the blast furnace department more
than two-thirds Of the "a, To employees in
iproductive occupations were unskilled Ia
borers large proportion Of whom do not
yet speak or understand English
Plan One Day Of Rest.
"Since the beginning of the present in
vestigation," continues the report, this
matter Of abolishing seven-day work for
the employees in the blast furnaces as
we'll as for other employees Of the indus
try has received the attention Of the
Iron and Steel Institute, and plan has
| been proposed which gives each employe
| a day Of rest each week and does away
| with tho eighteen hours or twenty-four
hours OF consecutive work."
This plan, it is stated, has been sue
cessfully operated by several plants
throughout the country.
The report shows that Of the 172, 706
| employees, 1859 had a working week Of
Iseventy-two hours or more. Over one
fourth Of all the employees had q regular
working week OF more than seventy-twO
hours. Over 1000 had a working week
| Of eighty -four or more hours. while only
14.39 per cent had a working week OF less
than sixty hours.
Nothing has been done by the manu-
| facturers,' continues the report, nor
have any proposals been made to lessen
| the proportion Of men working seventy
| two hours or more per week, or at least
| twelve hours q day for six days a week.
The proportion, as shown in this investi-
cation (43 per cent?, remains unchanged.
being unaffected by the plan to give the
| men who were working eighty-four hours
~, ono On Of rest in seven"