The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-20
HOURS OF WORK.

HOURS OF WORK.
! Canadian delegate to the international la
Dor conference, now in session at Washington
declares that an eight-hour day fo- Canada
would be suicidal at this appalling crisis in hui
man affairs. The old world, as he points out
is on the verge of starvation with less than one
third of its industries producing to full eff
cienvy. Upon what this continent can send them
the life and comfort of millions of people de
pend; and he believes that America should meet
their needs by increased rather than diminished
production.
When the forces of nature are harnessed as
they probably will be before this century has
run to its end, five six-hour working days a
week may supply the needs OF, the mass of man
kind But conditions are such in our world of
today that the old commandments Six days
shall thou labor and do all thy worl1''-is still
a wise and proper rule Of life The necessity
for continuous and grinding toll which divides
the twenty-four hours between work and sleep
has happily passed Few people give twelve
hours of the day to wearying work except our
farmers and other men who are working for
themselves. Industrial workers are not asked
to do this, and employees Of steel mills who Ia
Dor longer than eight hours day do so be-
cause they insist upon it for the added wages
chimes from lands beyond the sea where hered-
ity and habit have accustomed them to long
hours of labor They passionately aspire to
get ahead in life. Hosts of them are saving
money with view to going back; and they
have no profitable uses for otherwise idle hours,
as Americans of better mentalities have They
are something like the factory fireman who
spent his holiday in the engine room watching
his substitute work. Eight hours of exhaustive
and intensive labor are all that the ordinary
human machine ought to be asked to stand ex-
cept in emergencies requiring extra hours But,
as the Canadian delegate says, an emergency
is now upon the world and any Immediate slack
ing of our efforts would bring calamity on other
lands, and perhaps on our own
Business is good the land over and in this
5he Guaranty Trust Company of New York sees
proof of the optimism over present conditions
hat has confidence in the ability of this people
10 find right and sensible means of solution
If its problems. Such optimism is traditional
With US and all good citizens will hope that it |
s the underlying cause Of business prosperity. |
But talks with businessmen and producers
make it evident that there is less gertrude in
lis optimism than is usual; there is hopeful /
hess, courage and will to do what can be done
But there is confessed lack of knowledge as to
What is coming. Yet what is coming is what
his people make to come. IF we but Danish op-
,ortunism from our optimism and replace it by !
confidence and cooperation the best will be
possible for us.
Senator Calder, Of New York has introduced =
resolution that would continue the present t
mbargo on the importation of dyestuffs until
anuary fifteenth, 1920. The house has passed \
bill dealing with the subject, but the treaty '
splaced the legislation in the senate, and it t
5 feared that the bill cannot become law be-
ore the date mentioned. Meantime there is the u
anger that the country will be flooded with "
erman dyes and the American industry ruined e
lr. Penrose's resolution furnishes the neces
airy temporary protection and should be pass ;,
without opposition. t.
The farmer believes in the eight-hour day c.
ght hours in the forenoon and eight in the o
fternoon. b.
Labor wouldn't find it so hard to make bar
aims if it didn t find it so easy to break them !.