The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-12-31
.REOFlELD SCORES
 ffI2-HOUR" SYSTEM
Secretary of Commerce Com pareS Worker With
 Southern Slave.
Shorter Work Hours More
 Economical to Employers.

Washington, Dec. 31.-William c. Redfeld. Secretary of Commerce, pre- sided at the closing session of the As sociation for Labor Legislation this afternoon. '"The combined effect of the twe1ve-hour day and the day-and- night attenuation of shifts in the con tinuous industries is to produce a class of men who can be regarded as but little better than slaves to the ma chimes which they operate. They are worn out more rapidly than were the slaves on the Southern plantations and more effectually debarred from the common pleasures of life than many of the prisoners in our penal in- stitutions,'' said Basil M. Manley, spe- ciaI agent of the federal bureau of labor in the recent investigation of the iron and steel industry The tweIve-hour worker continued pr. Manly, 'has no time for recreation, no time for friends, no time for his wife. no time for his children to whom he is and whom they see less frequently and know less intimately than their school teacher
 These twelve-hour men, according to Dr. Manly, form the labor force in a long list of minor industries and their mum Der is enormo mous in the man ufacture of iron and steel, gas, cement, paper and wood pulp, coke, starch, beet Sugar, glass bottles, in many branches of the chemical industry and in bakeries. Large numbers of ena- p1oyees work twelve-hours in the pub lie service operations, in the telegraph, telephone, and messenger service; street railways and ferries; railway yards, stations and terminals; central electric light and power stations; and the contract mall handling service. In some of these industries, said the speaker, the worker is at the same time exposed to injurious dusts and fumes, to abnormal heat, and to ex- treme hazards of life and limb. Tn public utilities long hours of work also frequently menace public safety. During the past year the Association for Labor Legislation has secured laws for one day of rest in seven; legfsla- tion is even more urgently needed to abolish the tweIve-hour day, especial ly in the iron and steel industry and in public service operations,' concluded pr. Manly.
 That the shorter work day is more economical as we'll as humane was the declaration of s. Thurston Ballard,
 four manufacturer of Louisville, Ken lucky and member of the Federal In dustrial Commission, who has had the eight hour shift system in operation since July 1, 1907, while all other flour manufacturers work their employees two shifts of twelve hours each. While on two shifts we had 22 men on each watch, making A men to pack out output in twenty7four hours" said Mir Ballard, but when we changed to the eight hour basis we re- quired only 1 men to a crew. or IS men in all, so that practically the same number of men were able to do the work. A man doing active or la borious work can do as much in 8 hours as he can in 12 We pay our men the same wage for eight hours of work that we formerly paid for twelve In duality of output, in .steadiness of running. in loyal worllmen contented and pleased with their condition, it has been a profitable investment"
 Austin B. Garretson,z president of the railway conductors, condemned long hours in railroading, andd Ernst Freund of the University of Chicago spoke on the constitutional aspects of hour legislation for men.