Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-18

throughout the country to concede
that they know what they are talk
ing about.
Shorter Hours And Turnover
Problems
A Washington expert on indus
| trial relations who is considered an
authority on the hours of labor With
relation to efficiency says that the
twelve-hour day Will be abolished
in the steel industry just as soon as
the men in control Of the industry
realize that it is the only solution OF
their labor turnover problem.
THE big problem OF the steel IN
dustry just now" he said, is
where and how it is to get a steady
supply of common labor with Euro
| pean immigration restricted as 1t Is
under the present law. Whatever
the facts may be as to whether the
twelve-hour day is unduly hard on
steel workers it is unquestionabIe
that the turnover in the class of Ia
Dor that is required to work such
hours is enormous. Men do not stay
long in those jobs and it is signiti-
cant that Judge Gary is the head
and front of the movement that seeks
to bring about an amendment of the
immigration law so that there will
be a return to the old days when
there was a constant and abundant
stream of labor pouring into the
steel mills from Europe.
1T is my belief that if the twelve
hour day were done away with and
the eight-hour day with a fair living
wage inaugurated it would be found
that the men would be more con-
tented and disposed to stick on the
job, with a resultant reduction of
the turnover to a normal basis. And
when they find that our immigration
policy is not to be liberalized' as
they call it, 1 predict that they will
turn to the shorter workday as the
real solution of their problem.
Judge Gary also says that it would
require about $4,000 additional
workers in the steel industry if the
eight-hour day were adopted. 1
doubt that. Practically every study
that has been made of the subject
shows that workers will do almost
as much in eight hours as they will
in twelve if they are fairly treated
as to pay, and 1 believe that the
steel industry could make the change
to the eight hour basis without ad-
ding more than a fraction of Judge
0d4 y > ootVub new EN- pIDye 10 the
payrolls."
In this connection there may be
cited a report on condition of en-
ployment in the iron and steel in
dustry, based on a study in a found
ry at Granite City, Inn, which was
published as an official document by
the 62nd Congress. This report was
summarized as follows:
THE workmen in the open hearth
department and boiler room were
changed in 1912 from a system of
two twelve-hour shifts to n of
three eight-hour shifts. To do this
required increasing the number OF
/ men in open hearth department from
% to 33. but in the boiler room II
was necessary to increase the num-
Der only from 8 to 10. The hourly
wage rates of all the men concerned
were increased an average of 20 per
cent. Exactly the same products
were made under the two systems OF
working hours.
Under the eight-hour system. in
spite of the increase in hourly rates.
there was a slight decrease in the
cost of production, owing to the
higher efficiency Of the work ers
There were also very considerable
reductions in the amount of pig
iron charged and in the amount OF
fuel oil consumed. Also, the quality
of the product was very much i'm.
proved"