Omaha daily bee., 1916-03-14
Health and the
EGgbt-HOur Lam
ny WOODS HUTCHINSON, NJ. ID.

shorter hours mean less exhsustIns
and lfc-shortening fatigue. more energy
left at the end OF tho day for intelligent
and wholesome recreation, instead OF be-
ms so STUPID and soddcn aud exhausted
that drink was the only relief.
II means longer hours of sleep and bet
ter cleaning out OF the blood Of fatigue
poisons, so that they don't pile up and
burn gu, mans arteries and throw
him on tho scrap heap at % or IS.
Higher wages moan better food and
more Of It. hotter housing. better cloth
ing. better opportunities for the children
and increasing self-respeet and inte.li-
gence.
Part Of these health and efficiency i'm
provemonts have come intentionally and
directly by improving conditions OF work
and the ventilation aud lighting and
dust and fume-p purifying Of shops and
work-rooms. such strides have already
been made In this direction that l have
no hesitation In saying that some OF the
beat lighted, best ventilated, purcst aled
and most sanitary buildings have ever
seen arc certain slass. steel and cement
built model factories which l have in
spectod. l should like to see houses, par
ticularly apartments and tenements,
built on the same plan.
Partly by provlding medical care and
attendance for the workers. bcginn ns
very crudely and narrowly with NOR
surgical attention to accidents and In
jurles occurring during work hours. thea
spreading TO careful physical examination
OF oil employees. then TO the health con-
dltions under which they lived. 20 the
health OF their families. swimming pools,
gymnasiums. gardens. Fairgrounds
model suburbs.
Finally, back again to tho workmsn
himself carefully fitting him TO the work
which his physical and mental makeup
best adapt him for and fitting the work
to him so as 10 promote his health. in
crease his working power and lenstLel
his life.
But far the greatest and most sub
stantial part Of this increase Of hesiti
and dimlnution OF disease has been due
to the shortening OF the hours OF work
and the raising OF the wages
All over the world today wherever
hours OF work are long. wages arc low
and tho labor cost of the product hish
wherever IN the world hours arc short
wages arc high and the labor cost of tho
product low II you know the length Of
the working days you can predict In adj
vance the height OF the wage and the
labor cost OF the product.
As hundreds OF DISASTROUS experiments
with Hindu. with Chinese. with negro
factory labor have shown the cheapest
labor IL the dearest in the long run, and
the more hours day beyond eight men
work the less they earn for their en-
ployer. 4F
The same holds true. with certain par.
thai exceptions. between long hours ami
short hours. highly paid and poorly paid
occupations In the same country. This
generation has seen the working day 80
down from twelve hours TO ten. 10 nine.
TO eight. with constant and striking in
crease in the amount Of work done per
day by each worker. and intelligent and
far-sighted manufacturers are already
talking Of a seven-hour day 10 still fur
Their increase the efficiency OF their force.
believe many Of us will live 70 see Il
down to six. With cheap labor the labor
cost may amount 70 a fifth Of the whole
sale price OF the product. with highly
paid labor II may fall to q tenth and even
a twentieth. while from the point Of view
Of tho worker It Is no mere coincidence
that the longest lived and healthiest &C.
equations are the highest paid. and the
shortest lived and unhealthiest the poor
est paid. from bankers at the top OF the
list 10 servant girls AZ the bottom.
The one measure which would do most
today to improve the public health and
lower the death rate would be a mini
mum wage of 50 day for every adult
worker and maximum day for all
classes Of eight hours.