The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-02-29

where we work q hours a day, has
proven the correctness of this state
ment The neighbour day is for the
interest and betterment of the bust
ness no less than for the efficiency,
health and happiness of the employees.
In July, 1917 we voluntarily went
over the eight-hour day, though from
time immemoriaI flour mills had been
operated with two shifts Of II hours
each. At the time some Of our milling
friends offered gratuitous advice to
the effect that we were doing an I'M
necessary, therefore, a foolish thing.
We were establish an unfortunate
precedent in the milling industry, too.
Why make apparently unnecessary
concessions to labor and increase our
annual payroll by thousands of dol
lars? But the owners of our business
felt otherwise, and with proper vision
made the Ballard Mills the pioneer
milling industry in inaugurating the
eight-hour day some twelve years ago.
Our day of "a hours was divided into
three equal shifts-from o'clock
morning to 8, from afternoon to IL
night, and from II night to the next
morning For some months after maxi
ing this change we gave close attention
we have been working women, too)
and we found that 10 men had no diff
ficuIty in doing in eight hours the
work of packing flour formerly done
by % men in - hours. In February
of this year we put into effect 1-2
hour day for the office force (about
so peopIe), the office hours now being
from a. m until noon and from
until 80 afternoon. Analysis shows
| that we are accomplishing much
work by intensive application in 1-2
hours as we formerly did in IL
hours, while it has not been necessary
| to increase the office force by even as
much as one additional clerk since
| the change.
Our Mr.. Thruston Ballard has put
| himself or record as the result of
! our experience with the eight-hour
| day, as follows: 81 am absolutely con-
WINGED that for hard or laborious work
| any individual in the long run can
/ do more work in eight hours per day
| than he can in either 10 or II hours
per day. In very light work, where
| people sit and handle machinery, and
where there is very little attention
required and practically no physical
strain no doubt one can accomplish
more in II hours than in eight, but l
am very sure that that person in the
long run will wear out much quicker
working these long hours than if he
worked only eight hours per day. OF
course, if a person takes the extra
leisure hours and spends them in
saloons, or in riotous living, he will
probably be worse off the more leisure
he has. But taking working people
as a whole, and as we find them in
/ our mill, I am very sure they are
better mentally, morally and physic-
ally working only eight hours. From
the standpoint of the manufa cturer
I believe the laborer. on the eight
hour basis, is more contented in the
| long run, will maintain better living
conditions and q better spirit of friend
: ship and cooperation towards the
concern to whom he sells his labor"
Possibly we can go back for 100
years in the industrial life and show,
without trouble, how the work day has
been gradually shortened. not infre-
| quently by law as a result of agita-
| ton. To those especially interested
| In the study of the eight-hour day,
would recommend the comprehen-
| sive report of the U. S. senate docu-
| 4iACII W. 1s1S9s puDIlSueu III r eDTudTyr
1913, under the head of the Eight
| Hour Day" Without submitting any
| further briefs in favor Of the eight
| hour day, let me conclude my reference
! to the senate report by correcting the
/ general impression that the eight
! hour day has been largely adopted in
/ this country during recent years. Ger
/ tainly such was not the cast at the
time the senate report was published
| (1913), as the following surprising
| statement testifies: The proportion
| Of eight-hour establishments in the
United States to the total number of
| establishments is exactly the same now
as half a century ago and includes a.
diversity Of trades It seems that at
that time less than 2 per cent of the
firms investigated had adopted the
| eight-hour day. Surely, however the
| present condition of social and indus
| trial unrest points to the fact that
| this world would be better place to
live In IL men would voluntarily give
eight hours to sleep, eight hours to
play, and eight hours to work.
Employees as Stockholders.
The most progressive step ever
taken in the industrial life of our com
pany was on July 1, 1919, when the
| sole owner of the business, S. Thrus-
| ton Ballard, opened the door wide
| to employees for purchasing stock
| and becoming bona fide partners in
the business. For nearly 40 years the
| Ballard Flour Mills had been owned
| by two brothers and was the closest
| OF corporations As II by the rubbing
! Of Aladdins lamp our COMPANY sud-
denly becomes a cooperative partner
snip, implying by the very act that
| service of the public is more impor-
tant than self-interest. BY the blend
| ing or the ideal and the real, the bust
ness has gotten a new lease on life