Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-06-13
S-Hour Bill.
Is Passed

Washington, D. c., June 12.-Labor's
eight hour bill passed the house of rep
IresentatiVes unanimously on December
"a, 1911. The bill then went to the
senate, and on Friday, May 81, 1912, it
passed with several amendments. The
vote upon the bill in the senate was
yeas, 45; nays IL; not voting 49,. The
following is the vote. For the bill
Ashurst, Bacon, Borah, Bourne, Bris-
tow, Brown, Bryan, Catron, Chamber
lain, Chiffon, Clapp, Clark, of Wyo.,
Clarke, of Ark, Culberson. Cullom,
Curtis, Fletcher, Gronna, Hitchcock,
Johnson of Me-, Jones, Kern, Lodge,
Mclean, Martin of Virginia, MARITIME
of New Jersey; Myers, NeWlands,
Overman, Perkins, Poindexter, Pome-
rene, Rayner, Reed, Shively, Simmons,
Smith, of Ca; Smith of Mich; Smoot,
Stone, Sutherland, Tillman, Townsend,
Williams and Works. Against the bill
Bradley, Dillingham;, Du Point, Gall
niger, Hepburn, oliver, Page, Percy,
Root, Sanders and Wetmere. Watson
of West Virginia, refused to vote.
On Wednesday, June s. 1912, Chair
man Wilson of the house labor COM
mittee, called up the amended bill
and the house concurred in the senate
amendments. Two of the amendments
! added by the senate are important,
one providing that the law shall not
apply in the Panama Canal Zone until
January 1. 1915. This amendment
was for the purpose Of leaving mat
tiers in statu quo in the Panama Canal
Zone until the waterway shall have
been completed. The other amend
ment changes the date for the law to
go into effect ia Jspuarx 1, 1913. The
bill now goes to the president for his
approval. This law applies to gov
eminent work and to contractors of
government work, but does not apply
to supplies usually purchased in the
open market, whether manufactured
to conform to particular specifications
or not. Congress first adopted law
constituting eight-hours a day for all
laborers, workmen and mechanics en-
ployed by or on behalf of the govern
n.ent of the United States on June %,
1868. BY an act approved May "a,
1888, the eight-hour law was extended
to letter carriers. The next change
in The law became operative on Aug
ust 1, 1892, when the eight-hour law
was strengthened by specific prov
sions requiring the government to not
permit" any laborer or mechanic to
work more than eight hours in any
one calendar day except In cases OF
extraordinary emergency. 1t Is wei
to state here as a matter of informa-
ton that from June rs, 1868, un' Il
March II, 1906, the enforcement o:
the provisions of the eight-hour law
by the government officials was ex-
tremely lax, but upon the latter date
the executive council of the American
Federation of Labor registered most
vigorous protest against the violation
Of this law. That protest to a con-
siderable extent had the effect OF Sc
curing a closer observance of the law
by the officials is charge of the gov
eminent works. The law just passed
materially extends the scope and
operation of the eight-hour law and
will be of inestimable benefit to not
only workmen employed directly by
the government, but will affect many
institutions that do contract work Tor
the government. One material add
ton to the law provides that armor
plate shall be manufactured unoef Inc
eight-hour law.