The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-12-18
LIGHTERiGE COMPANY AND THE EIGHT HOUR LAW.

ne SpttldtlC Ol jnt AIdShd Lightprage Company advising its men" what t0 do about the eight hour law is wondrous like the fox advising the barn yard foul to scratch little closer 70 the hedge.
 Win they fall for the bunk? That depends upon whether the company can succeed by favoritism, or what not, in corrupting the Headers" of the men or whether the men are that stupid they cannot see what this wise and just law means for them.
 First of all the move of the com, pany is in strict keeping with the fake patriotism of other big con cerns in seeking to eVade thc ope- ration of B law made for the best interests of the community, a law which the President has approved as being the "ve1dict of the best wis dom of society" by taking advant- ago of it's emerger cy fc tues not at all applicable here.
 There are three angles from winch th.s matter is to be consider cd. that of the community, that Of the Company and that of the mon. Fer the Community il must be juowu that the Eight Hour Law ~Il resa.t. in the employment of mClo men, healthier men ana men lpas liable to cxceeaes. and in time Hs...r informed and better educated =.ti-Du- 8ar business man wtl dn- #oH.t.r4 lGl inc .on-um84 DON sl ue .omluur iii he raised
 H4 H., Company. f thcy could tu. r-..s .a,.r. greed long enough they would see that they will get better results by cmy'cyuc three mon in .hIt of eight hours for twenty four, lhan io employing one mn for twenty feur, and they will nave two additional mon to each one To be- vomc patrons of their service EX- pertc.co ct ether employers goes ;o show they will have less accidents, !,sa damages and Ics3 0l goods. In the long run there will be less occasion for them 70 give to char Ity". Iicmy Ford the most sue cassrul 20th century capitalist ar lirme at ar income of sixty i've mil- lioa dollars annually in ten years. ,eatilcs that by rc@HCrr the hours in his factory lrcm nlH. ta a;aht, using precisely tha same my:. his product, in income was increased! Then he voluntarily raised their wages, enabling the men 10 live bet ter, increased their onicioncy and added tc his profits! From purely business point of view he found that both had aided him.
 Now for the men,-aud this is admittedly the point of view with vLich We gre concyrnsd. Now you n.u don't be- persuaded that the eight hour day will reduce vour m- come The company will ,ry to moke you believe that but if isn't rue. Both Ieaso1 and experience show it isn't What does experience show? What happened to the print CTS They were working twelve to sixteen hours a day, were getting twelve 10 fifteen dollars a week and were nearly all bumbs. Tramps among them went about from place taking .obs of other men at any wage they could get They orga- niz,d themselves and got an eight hour day Did their wages go down? Their wages went mp, Their wages are now forty dollars q weeh for five and enc half days ThCrn are no more tramps among them. They can and do live dccently, They can have wives and kiddies and flowers growing now. When Henry Ford 5 employees hours went down their wages went up. That has been the cX perience cvtryW here the shorter work day has been put on, the wages go up.
 What is the reason for it? As potatoes get scarce their price gees I'D, doesn't it? You may no, ike 1t but the sooner you know it the better for you That's just the way it is with your wages. Now the shorter the hours the moro obs are they net? And tho more jobs ,he fewer men there are to compete for