Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-06-15
EIGHT-HOU DAY
DECLARED BEST
RESULTS OF CAREFUL INVESTI
CATION BY THE PUBLIC
HEALTH SERVICE.
TYPICAL PLANTS STUDIED
In the Matters of Maintenance of Out
put, Lost Time and Industrial Acct
dents, the Facts Favor the Short La
Dor Day.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.

BY JAMES p. HORNADAY.
Washington.-The American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor, which for years has
been advocating an eight-h0ur day,
now has the support of the United
States public health service in its con-
tentlOn. Some months ago the public
health service undertook an inveSti-
CATION of the subject by sending mem
bers of its staff to factories in vari-
Gus sections of the country. The in
vestigatOrS devoted time to factories
that enforce ten-hour day and plants
only eight hours. The conclusion of
the service is that the eight-hour day
Is not only more efficient than the ten
hour day in Industrial plants, but is
more economical. The plants surveyed
were selected after great deal of
| care. Each Is a modern factory. EN-
plOying such a large number of work
| ers as to make any conclusions reached
apply to industry In general. The 9th
er consideration was that the machin-
cry, manufactured products and proc
eSses in the ten-hOur plant should be
sufficiently similar to those IN the
eight-hOur plant to make a fair com
parison.
The advantages are all in favor of
eight-hOur days, or shifts. as com
pared with the ten-h0ur day, and re-
late to maintenance of output, to lost
time and TO Industrial accidents.
Summary of Conclusions.
Here are the main conclusions sum-
mer;Zed:
Maintenance of output: The out
standing feature of the eight-hour day
is steady maintenance of output. The
outstanding feature of the ten-hour
system is the decline of output.
Lost time: Under the eght-hour
system work with almost full power
begins and ends approximately on
schedule, and lost time is reduced to
a minimum. Under the ten-hOur sys-
TEN work ceases regularly before the
end of the spell and lost time is fire.
quent.
StereOtyped output: Under the ten
hour system the labOrers seem arti-
hcially to restrict their efforts and to
keep pace with the less efficient work
ers. Under the elght-hour day the
output varies more nearly according
to the individual capacity Of the la
bOrer. That is: each is more likely to
do his utmost, rather than an average
days work" regulated by low stand
ard
Industrial accidents: This phase OF
the study Is of particular interest
Ordinarily accidents may be expected
TO vary directly with speed of produc-
ton, owing to sScreased exposure to
| risk. But when fatigue is taken into
consideration. there Is a marked modi-
ficatiOn Of this rule When there is
reduction of output due to fatigue
there is a rise in the number of &C.
| cidents; that is, in the last hours of
the ten or twPlve-hOur day, in spite
of employees slowing up in work, more
accidents occur. If for any reason
production IS speeded up in the last
hours, when labOrers are fatigued. the
number of accidents rises so rapidly
| as to leave no room to doubt that the
higher accident risk accompanies the
decline in working capacity of the en-
ployee.
These conclusions are based on SC
careful study by officers Of the Unit
ed States public health service and on
so large number of employees that
they may undoubtedly be applied by
Industrial engineers generally.
Want Literacy Test Dropped.
The committee on immigratiCn
Of the house of representatives
is bein importuned to let down
| the immigration bars. When this con
| greSs met In special session a little
more than year ago all the indica
tons were that additional bars against
immigration would he put up. There
was even talk to the effect that imm!
grafton might be suspended entirely
| for several years. Now the committee
| on immigration Is besieged almost
| daily by persons who represent that
the labor shortage in many industrial
centers makes 1t imperative that the
government open the way for more
| common labOrers to come in.
AS a specific remedy for the condi
| ton that Is alleged to exist 1t has beer
proposed that congress repeal or mOdi
| fy the educational features of the eX
! listing law. In support of the argument
| that strong, healthy laborers be per
mitted to come in. regardless oil
! whether or not they can read an1
write, it has been pointed out 10 the
committee that, while illiteracy II
| Great Britain and France may proper
| ly be regarded as indicative of lack OF
| character. the same thing is not trut
of many of the European countries. II
| has been asserted that many OF tn;
most dependable IabOring men II
| southern Europe are iliterate. Those
persons who would open the way fol
| this class of laborers to come in say
| that provision should be made for CIV
ing them a primary education on theil
arrival here.
According to the representations