Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1914-01-22

arabic. II took congress a long while
TO pass an cight-hour day labor law.
All government work done by the gov.
eminent itself was put on an eight.
hour basis long time ago, but II was
only recently that the federal eight
hour law was made to apply to gov
eminent work contracted for by pri-
vate corporations.
II IL apparent that the present ad-
ministration is fully In sympathy not
only with the eight-hour movement.
but with the plea that eight hours
for work, eight hours for play and
eight hours for sleep constitute the
proper living day for man. Secretary
Redfleld Of the department Of com.
merce probably would not have ex-
pressed himself so freely as he has
on the eight-hour matter II he were
not sure of the sympathy of his chief.
Mr.. Redfeld's Position.
AT meeting Of the American Asso.
citation for Labor Legislation held re-
Gently Secretary Redfield said:
Il believe that when our factories
are run 80 that the workmen go home
without being fatigued from oyerlong
hours, and not till then, will we be
able to compete successfully against
all corners In the markets Of the
world. could not afford to employ in
a factory men who are half sick, who
come to work after having had bad
breakfasts, who are partly poisoned.
They would be economically unprofit-
able. And yet fatigue is part poison"
Improved conditions for labor, so
far as the United States government
can bring them about without inter.
fering with states rights, have been q
gradual growth. The Republicans
when they we're In power did good
deal for labor. and since the Demo
Gratis have come into power they have
| shown disposition to continue the
work OF the Republicans, and in some
cases to do little better. Congress.
men say It is the natural growth OF
| favorable legislation fostered by the
spirit of progressivism of the times.
| The eight-hour law which Is at pres
ent on the statute books and which
forbids private contractors doing
work for the government to make
their men work more than eight hours
day. was passed by congress only
after years OF contest.
Postal Service Efficient.
A high type Of efficiency Is
claimed for the United States postal
service by Uncle Sans officials.
who are charged with the duty of its ad-
ministration. It is said that the single
exception of Belgium, where the traf-
flc conditions resemble those of state
rather than those of a country" the
| United States stands at the head OF
all countries in operative efficiency.
This is said on the authority OF Rep
resentative Lewis of Maryland, author
Of the parcel post act. who has been
digging into the subject,
II is known that Uncle Sans letter
rate of postage is enough TO yield
SO 1-3 per cent profit. and the postal
efficiency OF this country is attained in
spite OF the high prices which must
be paid for material, stamps paper,
ETC., and the much higher wages which
are paid to American postal workmen
than to those who do the same work
in Europe.
Steady Increase In the Service.
Since the year 1886 not only has
the number OF pieces of mail. includ-
ing poth domestic and foreign matter.
increased gradually, but the number
of pieces handled by each post Office
employe each year has increased.
This increase has been going on while
| ho ouaraoa hapdlinu ipdtufdnoI hita
OF mail has gone down.
| From 1885 to 1912 mot only have
the units of service more than doubled
in size, but city and rural deliveries
Have been added. thus virtually dou-
bling the quantity OF the service. Thus
even IL the cost per piece OF mall
naturally had remained stationary 1t
would be shown clearly that the cost
actually had gone down."
The number of pieces mailed in
the year 1886 including domestic and
foreign matter was ,474.000.0 900, while
the number of employees was 122, sos.
In that year the number Of mail pieces
handled by each employe per annum
was 2s.S13. The cost for the average
| mail, piece, reckoned In cents, was
LA. Eight years later, in 1884, the
number Of employees had increased to
1926, and the number of pieces OF
mail had jumped to 4.91s. 100000. This
resulted In the number OF mail pieces
per employee per annum reaching the
figure Of 26.746, and the cost per
average mail piece becoming, in CENTS
1.67.
Average Cost Has Gone Down.
Ten years later, in 1904. the num-
Der OF pieces handled by each employe
during the year had increased to 3d.
1853, and the average cost per each
mail piece had gone down TO 1.5S. In
1912 the average cost had gone down
to 1874; the number of employees,
trlfie below that Of 1910, stood at
| 290.701; the estimated number OF mail
pieces handled over 17,500,0 100000, and