Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1914-09-18
THE ElGHT-HOUR LAW

INITIATIVE measure NO. Is, the pro-
posed eight-hour law, which will be
submitted to the voters of the state
November for adoption or rejec-
| ton:
1T shall be unlawful for any per-
son, corporation, company or Joint
stock association to cause, require or
permit any male or female employe
in his, her, or its employ, to work
more than eight hours during any
day of "A hours, nor more than 4S
hours during any week of seven
days, except that in agricultural
labor an additional two hours per
day may be allowed for work which
is unavoidably and necessarily incl
dental to farm management.
Provided, however, that in case
OF extraordinary emergency, such as
danger to life or property, or where
such eight-hour limit would unavoid-
ably and necessarily prevent other
workers in the same mine, mill, fac
| tory or other industrial unit from
working the full eight-hour day the
| hours of work may be further ex-
tended, but in such cases the rate of
pay for time employed in excess of
eight hours of each calendar day
shall be one and one-half the rate or
pay allowed for the same amount Of
time during eight hours service.
If for any reason any of the pro-
visions of this act shall be adjudged
unconstitutional and invalid it shall
not affect the validity of the act as a
whole or any other part thereof
Amy employer, overseer, supern-
! teEdent or other agent of any en-
plOyer, who shall violate any of the
provisions of this act. shall, upon
conviction thereof, be fined for each
Offense in sum not less than $40
nor more than one hundred dollars
for each day during which such vio-
latlon continues"
The theory of the proposed law Is
that by limiting the number of hours
of work employment will be provid-
ed for a larger number of people.
This theory could probably be ap-
piled with benefit in some lines of
employment in some places but the
proposed measure is so sweeping,
drastic and inelastic that il would
! be sure to work a hardship both on
the employers and wage earners in
many avocations and in many local
tiles. 1t would penalize ambition
and handicap energy. 1t would ap-
ply not only to the laborers in mines
and factories, who are working
under such conditions that 8 hours
of toll per day is ordinarily all they
can stand, but it would also apply
to superintendent and managers
who receive yearly salaries for the
thinking and planning which they do
outside of regular office hours. 1t
would apply to lawyers, teachers and
newspaper men who at times are
compelled to put in II or Is hours
of brain work in order to meet the
responsibilities resting upon them.
1t would put the farmer on the same
plane as the manufacturer or mine
operator, although labor conditions
| rs in tho q
entirely different from those in the
cities.
What would an attorney do if,
when engaged in defending a man
for his life, he was prohibited from
devoting over eight hours a day to
the preparation of his case or his
argument to the jury? What would
a newspaper reporter do if, when
running down a big piece of news
and miles away from the office, he
had to suspend his quest, because he
lhad worked eight hours?
What would the farmer do if
when straining every nerve to save
his crop from impending rain, he
had to shut down operations because
his men had worked 10 hours, OF
hire another crew to work the few
remaining hours of daylight?
What would the operator OF a
Ismall plant in a country town do
when a rush of work came in which
his regular force could not handle II
eight hours, and he could find ne
skilled substitutes to make up an ex
ira shift?
What would the ambitious boy OIL
girl do If, when trying to increase
his or her earning capacity by learn
, ing a trade in the shortest possible