The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-06-08
RESULT WOULD Be HARMFUL

Mar Experiences of England Prove
That Overwork Resulted In a Sacri-
flee of Labor Power-Overtime and
Seven Day Week Useless Expenditure
of Energy.
Declaring that nothing would be
more deplorable" than setting aside
even temporarily the laws which have
safeguarded standards Of labor and of
life," President Wilson recently placed
himself squarely in opposition to the
movement to break down labor laws
as a wartime emergency measure.
Speaking at the White House to the
members of the labor committee of the
Council of National Defense, the presi-
dent said in part
Il have been very much alarmed at
1ne or two things that have happened
at the apparent inclination of the leg
islature of one or two of our states to
set aside even temporarily the laws
which have safeguarded standards of
labor and OF life | think nothing
would be more deplorafeS than that
We are trying to fight in d cause which
means the lifting of the standards OF
life, and we can fight In that cause
best by voluntary cooperation. / do
not doubt that any body OF men repre-
senting labor in this country, speaking
for their fellows, will be willing to
make any sacrifice that is necessary In
order to carry this contest to q sue
cessful issue, and in that confidence |
feel that 1t would be ineXcusable IL we
deprived men and women of such
spirit of any Of the existing safeguards
of law. Therefore ! shall exercise my
influence so far as it goes to see that
that does not happen and that the sac
rifices we make shall be made volun-
tarily and not under the compulSion
which mistakenly is interpreted TO
mean a lowering of the standards
which we have sought through so many
generations to bring to their present
level"
Later in the day al u meeting Of the
committee ar the headquarters Of the
American Federation OF Labor, British
labor men, members of the commission
recently sent to this country by their
government out Of their own expert
ence IN two and a half years OF war
gave expression to similar views.
James H. Thomas, member of parlia-
ment and general secretary Of the Ma
ttonal Union Of Railway Men of Great
Britain and Ireland, said:
"One Of the mistakes that we made
In the wac was to forget the human
side. At the beginning of the war
some Of our people worked 100, ITO
and even l20 hours a week. They
worked seven days week, too, with
never a day Of rest Then they began
to get worn out, and conditions became
alarming. Now we have gone back to
Sunday rost aud Saturday half holiday.
and overtime has been reduced If
you're going to have a long war you
can't afford TO sacrifice labor power"
In answer to question Mr.. Thomas
said, with all the great resources of
the United States, serious as is the con-
dition of the allies, | cannot conceive
OF the winning of the war to be depend
ent on the breakdown Of the child labor
laws of this country" A war so won
would be lost, he said because it would
mean the sacrifice of future genera
tions.
The Committee ou Labor Of the COun-
ell of National Defense had been called
together by its chairman, Mr. Gompers,
for the purpose of meeting the British
labor men, Mr.. Thomas and Charles II.
Bowerman, also a member of parlia-
ment and secretary of the British Trade
Union congress, and similar delega
tion from Canada led by j. c. Waters,
president of the Canadian Trades and
Labor congress
The British delegates reviewed brihy
the experience of labor under war con
ditions. They expressed themselves
vigorously In opposition to overtime,
seven day labor and the employment Of
children. While there was a demand
for the breakdown OF child labor laws
at the beginning of the war there was
little yielding to these demands, and at
tendance at school has not been inter-
fered with in the least.
Wherever women are employed land
according to Mr. Thomas there are
about 1,250,00o of them at work who
never were engaged in industry before
the principle of equal pay for equal
work is rigidly enforced. In the print
ing industry no woman can be employ
ed so long as men are aYailable-The
Survey.