El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-17

TOR probably the first time IN MS
tory, an important executive Of
ficer Of the United States govern
ment in a public document has de
clared for the eight-hOur day in a
great privately conducted business
says W. L Stoddard in the Boston
Transcript.
made in a special report prepared un-
der the direction Of former commls-
SlOner Of labor Neiu, dealing with ldDoI
conditions in the iron and steel INDUS
Try. 1t is interesting, If not slgnlfl-
cant, to note that the date OF submis-
sion Of this report TO the senate places
1t in the closing days OF the last ao-
ministratiOn. The volume was pre-
pared under the direction of Basil NJ
Manly. A large portion OF II is brief
for the eight-hOur day-that bone OF
contention between the directors OF the
steel corporation. the labor interests,
the social workers" and such lnde-
pendent stockholders as Charles NJ
Cabot, Of Boston, who wrote:
1T seems clear that those who hope
for and believe in an eight-hOur day
must turn elsewhere (than the stock
holders and directors OF the steel cor
pOratlOn) for the realization OF their
hopes Public opinion acting IA the
end through legislation now seems the
only recourse"
The bureau of labor and, inferen-
TALLY, the federal government, has now
entered the arena to battle for this
reform which, by the way, experts de
clare viii increase, rather than dlmin-
ISL, dividends. Let US see how this re-
markable argument runs
The Long Hours OF Toll
What are the conditions today IN
the steel Industry Contrary TO the
prevailing impression. and in spite Of
attempts unQuestiOnably sincere, TO
remedy obvious evils, the workers are
forced to make extraordinary long
hours Although between 40 or 50
percent of the men who used TO work
seven days a week have been affected
by the six day q week arrangement.
as late as last summer more than Is
percent OF the employees OF the indus
Try as a whole and more than so per
cent Of the blast furnace wOrkmen are
on a regular schedule Of seven days a
week with a long turn" Of IS to "a
hours at the change Of the shifts. But
the important point the point upon
which the government lays stress, IS
that the proportion Of men working y
hours a day has been practically IN
changed In other words, the 12-hOur
day prevails.
Conditions, Of course, are somewhat
mitigated for some of the men by the
fact that IN many cases the week IS
6 instead Of days long. In the first
place, those who work 6 days have
not secured to them any advantage
commensurate with the loss of
one days pay each week" In the
second place, the day Of enforced rest
does not ordinarily give the men a hol-
iday upon Sunday or upon any other
day on which their comrades are AT
leisure In the third and last place,
the men state that hardship consists
not so much in getting a day off now
and then, but in being on duty for u
hours a day with an additional hour
lost in going TO and from work. It
IS either a case Of eight-hour day or
1t is impracticabIe to run
the mills on nine or ten hour shifts.
1t is notable that the bJreau of labor
for the S-hour day not because
of any popularity OF the steel business
but because it seems in general a wise
and just policy. Its contentious can
be advanced to apply TO any other bus
mess These may be summarized
Arguments for the s-Hour Day
l. It gives the workman time for
complete physical recUperatiOn, COM
partnership with his family, self gov
eminent and leisure even when en-
pIOyed seven days a week
= From the experience Of English
owners who have adopted
the eight-hOur shift system, and from
the experience in other industries, it
viii tend to produce a much more ef-
dcient force Of wOrkmen-
3. 1t affords a much more flexible
system than exists with the
present schedule of working hours es-
time is affected by any Of the highly
system OF relief men for the
Of seven day WORK.
g. The eight-hOur shift system can be
introduced gradually and does not re-
1uire a complete revolution in opera
lion, as did the plans for the elimina-
ton Of seven day work.
3 1t effectualIy prevents the eXis-
tence Of long turns" Of tWenty-four
0r eighteen hours, except under the IN
usual conditions in which long con
-inUed work by special men is neces- J
5ary for the preservation Of property
0r TO permit interrupted operations to
be resumed.
6. It gives q workman much more
time for the performance of his re-
igiOus duties than the majority OF the !
plans for the elimination Of seven day
work.
The remarkable thing is the fact that
he bureau fails tn make any note Of
he traditional arguments against an
7ight-hour day The only objection !
which 1t finds worthy Of consideration I
s the natural objection Of cost
According to the steel corporation,
the change to an eight-hOur day would ]
-eQulre increase in the hourly rates of I
wages, resulting in a higher cost of 1
production Such an increase would 4
,e absolutely necessary, since a reduc-
ion Of One-third in hours and a CORES
wages would place wages below the
level, and automatically /
XII both WOrkmen and business. The
-verage earnings Of the employees in j
n the productive occupations Of the /
ron and steel industry are 23.3 cents l
IN hour, or Sass for u hours work /
The pay for an eight-hour day, rec
loned on this hourly rate, would come /
% only $LlS, which is u cents per day