National news. (Chicago, Ill.) 1915-19??, 1915-12-31
SHORT DAY AND
STRONG DRINK
EIGHT HOUR WORK PERIOD.

@OVfVO W. VOoFo ~ 1Ot-SOVOis
teos In the Old Days Centrsstse
With the prsssot-shsrt Day . Pew.
srfui Aid Of Temperance.
There are scientific reasons why
printers and craftsmen In the allied
uades are drinking less Intoxicating
liquors than In former years. for II u
fact that habitusl ''rummies" are be
coming scarce In the graphic arts IN
dustry.
In times now gone by the regular
working day consisted of ten hours.
and overtime and Sunday work In those
days were common occurrences. Ere
quently the workers would labor four.
teen hours. day after day, with only a
half hour each for lunch aud supper.
The writer remembers himself doing
ten continuous weeks Of such day and
night " ark during one winter season
Then 1t was the general custom
among many printers to hurry for the
nearest saloon Immediately after the
evenings work was through. Then
The saloons offered about the only rec
reation for the men after working day
and night for long intervals. And as
Ia those days only q half hour each
WAS allowed for eating lunch and sup
per large number Of printers dined
In the liquor palaces for the reason
that there was not sufficient lime 10
eat deccntly In q restaurant. Not many
lunch to the shops.
Now. printing and work OF the al
lied trades are very tedious. II re
qnires long years Of practice TO mas
ter any one Of the graphic arts Thus
the printing trades attract . class OF
people who TO q considerable extent
may be termed "temperamental" As
class they are highly strung. and
nervous folk. liable to feel the strain
VI their various tasks more readily
than out Of door workers. are affected
by their iabOrs. Consider, for q mo
ment. the proportion Of brain work
that must be done BY printing pres
men, fypograpbers. proOfreaderS, "
thographers. engravers. electrotypers.
etc. In addition to their manual labor.
aud the majority Of editors. Journal.
lists and Newspaper writer's are EN-.
ployed In printing plants and work
under practically the same conditions
~ the printers.
The point In tho foregoing paragraph
10 this: When such highly trained In
door workers are fOrred to toll con.
stantly for long hour they must aft
erwari enjoy spu,e selaxatiou md re-.
reation Continuous overtime will pre-
vent them from going 10 the ihesters
and from taking n Iar, Ia evening
social Affairs In fact. . decade ugo
long working hours and extra work
rubbed these folks u; all ordinary
aniusen,cnts. and even their home lie
was destroyed. Only one popular aid
universal pleasure r-ua ine,i the
brilliantly Illuminated liquor saloon.
That il Why 80 many Of them became
steady patrons of strong drink.
This |. not u plea for the Shorter
working day la the printing and allicsi
industries. for II h already here. thank
God. and the effect 81 far among the
workers has been wonderful. Actual
/, the health and morals Of several
hundred thousand people la the print.
Ing and allied trades have bcen great.
ly improved through the coming Of the
eight hour workday. Judging 10y this
standard, the newspaper men. esle.
,ially the night workers. ought 10 he
leaders la the Temperance move meni
for On \ numl.er OF the large dailles
many OF them work onl, seven hours
each day.
IL Il n remarkable fact that since the
eight hour day came In the printing
world overtime has oil but b~en clint
mated. seldom In these days does one
hear OF large establishment doing ex.
tra night work There are regular
night forces In some Offices, Of course,
but II Is hoIsd that these also will
soon he an evil Of the past for it Is
not RICH, that any one should lie forced
to work when nature itself sleeps.
80 tSla, AT noon the restaurants are
crowded with printing craftsmen. and
but few ~ them are partaking Of the
saloons free % lunches. for now many
Of them enjoy longer dinner time
In the evenings the printers and their
families can he noticed al the theater
OF In many instances Mt the moving
picture houses Heavy drinkers are
disappearing from the printing busi-
ness. Many have become total abb
stainers from alcoholic beverages. and
while common sense has had great
deal 10 do with this. the shorter work
day has been u powerful aid Robert
+ Salade In Scientific Temperance
Journal
Granite Cutters Wages.
The Granite Cutters Journal calls
attention TO the fact that after the