South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-23
BY Woods Hutchinson. VI. ID.

sive and far-seeing manufacturers
began recently to give their en-
ployes shorter hours and at the
same time more pay their more
conservative brethren thought that
ruin and desolauon would fall up
on the land According 10 their
mathematical reasonings. employees
were not humans, but machines: if
they worked for a shorter time each
day their wages should be CORE
spondingly reduced. not increased:
and. moreover. if they got mold of
any more money than was abso-
lutely needed for a bread-and- butter
existence they would Immediately
spend it i'm riotious living.
This was a p.ous and consoling
thought To the old-Wpe manufac-
turer and justified him in making
man work 10 hours a day for 81.
However. the working power of a
man cannot be figured out by math-
ematics: and the output of the pro-
gressive factories has been increas-
ed 10 an almost incredible degree.
As to their spending money fool
ishly, the cities WI ata most of the
factories have an eight-hour day
with good pay have become the
most attractive markets in the Unit
ed States for good, solid, nOn-spec-
ulative bonds, both municipal and
commercial. which is certainly a
compliment TO the working classes
of this country.
The Munition Workers.
An equally clear and perhaps
H,ore unexpected demonstration can
be had upon the streets in the towns
or villages in which have sprung up
the great war munition factories on
this side Of the Atlantic AS these
huge establishments have grown up
bke mushrooms over night spring
ing from 500 to 500 employees to
$1,000 or 10000 WITHIN eight or
nine months, with a reputation for
paying high wages, not merely for
skill, but also for extra hazards.
their entire force new recruits and
! drawn literally from all over the
country and the ends Of the earth
as well, one would here be justified
in expecting TO set the evil effects
of sudden high wages and short
hours in their greatest degree.
And for a time, in the beginning,
there was a certain amount Of dis
order and confusion, but this was
almost solely due 10 the hundreds
and thousands of drifters and cas-
4 uals who hocked into the places,
I drawn by the imaginary lure of
/ light work and high wages. chiefly
! for the willingness to take the risk
of being blown up at frequent inter
walls. But as soon as they discoV-
cred their mistake and it gradually
| bore in upon them that what was
really needed was not merely reck
| less courage, but steady handed.
clear headed. high class, skilled
work at high-class wages, this sort
of scum blew off and drifted away
and the pot settled down 10 boil
/ in sober earnest.
The type of worker. either man
or woman, who is capable of doing
/ this class of work, of turning out
/ the output required with the self
control and intelligence required TO
protect himself and others from
/ the heavy risks of carelessness, that
/ type OF man has too much intell-
gence, to say nothing of ambition
and self-respect, not merely to get
/ drunk. but even TO waste much of
his brain-won money or lower his
/ efficiency by drinking even in mod
| Grafton.
Whatever the explanation, the
facts speak for themselves. An
] evening walk of over an hour up
I and down the streets Of two of these
! factory towns. not merely along the
principal streets, but across the side
ones and down some of the alleys
and round by the railroad tracks
and the waterfront, resulted in the
discovery, in one case. of just one
man who was clearly and unmistak-
ably under the influence of liquor,
although there were several Others
who were conspicuousiy cheerful
and a little noisy. though perfectly
I good7natured and we'll behaved;
and in the other place. of seven
clearly 'exhilarated" individuals,
but this was on the night of cleo
ton day.
Now Go TO the Movies.
In no case was there anything APP
preaching a crowd outside of any
of the saloons, the nearest TO il be-
ing eight loafers on one saloon cor
ner: not in any of the five or six
saloons looked into was there rea-
sonably full line at the bar. But
the moving picture shows. OF which
there were literally dozens were
crammed TO the doors ana lines
standing waiting clear out on 10 the
sidewalk and down the streets. The
restaurants and ice cream parlors
ana soda fountains and candy stores
and groceries and clothing stores
and jewelry stores were driving a
land Office business; and everybody
was well-dressed. with new and
vivid colored ties and clean shirts
Of all the hues of the rainbow: and
the popular style in shoes. judging
from the displays with price marks
in the windows. was from 50 10 81
Incidentally. in one OF the towns
where this aspect OF the situation
was carefully noted, although
eight-tenths OF the crowds on the
streets were men and over half OF
them young men with plenty OF
money 10 spend. prostitutes and
women OF questionable class were
as-f~