Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-06-26

is the sO-called Analysis of the In
terchufch World Movement Repor,
on the Steel Strike by which Mr.
Marshall Odds defends the 12-houl
day. This volume, although 1t car
Iries an introduction by a well-knowr
| writer on economic subjects and ever
a certificate of accuracy by a promi-
nent firm Of New York accountants
is teeming with errors and mislead-
ing statments. Quotations are mutt
lated, statistics are garbled, facts
are falsely reported. Notwithstand-
ing this. the book has apparently
been adopted by the United States
Steel corporation as it's own defens,
and has been freely circulated b.
Judge Gary, the chairman of the
board.
when economists and public &C.
| cOuntants, miss the mark so widely
| churchmen are not likely to take
| very seriously the admonition t.
keep away from economic questions
The fact remains that the pro-
nouncements of churchmen IN the
steel industry have been remarkably
accurate as compared with the alb
surdly misleading documents which
the industry has circulated in its
own defense.
| mo line can be drawn between
| technical questions and moral ques-
tons. If industry objects that we
churchmen are invading a technical
realm when we dicuss engineering
problems, we must reply that whe
industry employs men 12-hours a
day 1T is committing a moral tres
pass and challenges the churches in
| their own field.
"HhiS nannhfet hnurovor 10 NIT
the result of swivel-chair inve stiga-
ton. 1t is a collection of data from
trained investigators. 1t represents
/ an effort on the part of a church
group to furnish the public with facts
| which the public has been encour-
| aged to hope the steel Industry
| would itself furnish.
when the manuscript was es-
sentially complete it was presented
| to high official of the United States
Steel corporation with the request
that any inaccuracy be pointed out
and that statment of the maEu-
facturers' side of the controversy be
prepared for inclusion in the publish
ed document. The request was cour-
teously received. but it was insisted
that criticism would be submitted by
the corporation only if it were to lie
l ~ AhSSu "lklOoS SOllllllSIIL anu Will.
out opportunity for us to have con-
ference with the steel corporation
officials on disputed points. L. was
the same old story-no conference.
| These conditions We could not ac-
cept.
"The problem Of the 12-hour day
Is, briefly. a problem of providing
three shifts of men to do the work
| now done in continuous operations
, by two shifts. It means more men
and 1t means higher average wage
rates. but we have found the Steel
Institutes e3timate that the three
shift systeEl will mean an increase
in cost of Is percent unsupported by
the facts. Experience show that, in
general, men so greatly appreciate
the added leisure that they will COM
promise on wages. The Colorado
Fuel & Iron Company raised hourly.
tonnage and piece rates ten percent
and the president of the company
testified that the men were quite
wiling to accept that arrangement in
; order to shorten their day. The
change was actually accomplished
! without loss, for production was In
creased. A similar achievement is
recorded for other establishments,
"A major difficulty in the way Of
installing three shifts would be
! overcome. as the present report
shows, If the steel industry as a
whole would improve its labor pol
Icy. The provision Of some method
| Of conference and agreement and
orderly negotiation over wages, hours
and conditions Of work, would 70 far
toward bringing about the co.opera.
ton necessary to a. successful
| demonstration. So say competent
| engineers and so the experience of
| the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company
proves. We hold no brief for any
| particular type of collective bargain
| ing machinery but we are 100 per-
cent against regime in which the
men have no voice.
F, The data recorded in our bulle-
tin are not complete since we do not
know how many men are at the
! present time working ~ hours a day
in the steel industry. The report OF
the American Iron and Steel Insti-
tute, given out May IS. while claim
ing credit for past efforts toward
reduction in the number Of 12-hour
men. was strangely silent as to the
present tendency in the industry.
THE Iron and Steel Institutes
! extraordinary defense of the 12-hour
day Is very disquieting. Is it posi-
| bic that with the revival Of business
the Steel Corporation has abandoned
all pretense at reducing the number
, Of 12-hour workers?
3! THE public is forced to the con-
clusion that, as has been pointed
out before. any considerable reduc-
: ton in the number of 12-hour men
/ waits on q lesSened demand for