Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-06-08
ENGINEERS CONDEMN GARY
FOR HIS REFUSAL TO END THE
BRUTAL TWELVE-HOUR DAY

/ Bespan ibIha Of management a.
expressed IN planning, supervisors
+ and control must hc a higher
quality than usually prevails under
the lwelse#hour shift operation lie
/ eaneluaeds
The evidence clearly indicates.
Nben the change has been made after
careful consideration, wise planning
and close attention given to execution.
| that the results ef changing ftem "A
| l2=huaf II a shorter smn have been
| satisfactory 10 all concerned The
| general conclusions Ga be- drawn from
this study are
= Tie shorter SHIFT has resulted
in a satisfactory improvement of
quantity and quality nf production
and Ia a reduction of abscnteeism and
industrial accidents, where good man.
| aRemeM prevailed and the cooperation
II labor va secured,
= In general no economic lass
inherently obtains because 81 such
ehange. provided management uses
discretion. carefully plans and conn
netenily administers productive pro
eedure aud further provided THAI labor
sincerely aud fulls does lis part.
-. In general the tendency has
been 10 increase the rate per hour
under the shorter shift, SO that the
daily earnings of the Workers are the
same as they Aere before the change.
In some Instances compromise was
made whereby the workers received
an increase in hourly rate sufficient
10 compensate them Tor one half the
number Of hours hy which the length
of the shift was shortened,
1.-THE evidence shows that there
are no technical processes that pros
hihlt a shorter shift and furthermore
the extra time Tor leisure has ia
eenelal been used to advantage by the
workers
The conclusion Il Inevitable that
greed and inefficient management Ia
the steel industry are responsible for
the continuance of tho twelve heaf
day and fer the economic wastes that
tend to keep wares down.
Heres How Engineers Condemn
Steel BOSSES.
The famous repo,l Of the euRineef
thai led TO the appointment hy Judge
Gary Of iis star chamber committee
Of hoases eafs.
"rhe principle Of the twelyc.hour
shift Is survival Of the time when
Il vas custom to work men long
] hours, and When The mechanical side
vt tiir ffuH amF strvi 'staaSs 40 ssgnp
less perfectly developed, 70 that
periods Of enforced idieness pf the
mill and the men occurred much mere
frequently than at present hui
now practically all the heavy labor
at the blast furnace is handled by
machinery What reasons ~.
main why the steel industry does not
divide the "a hours into three shifts
instead of two rt Executives
hesitate to take the step because they
do not know what the result will be.
The American iron and steel
industry ie ut a disadvantage because
II never has had we'll developed re-
search department. Most Of
the important technical advances of
great magnitude, even though invent.
cal in America, had 60 be tested nnd
exploited In foreign countries before
they were generally adopted in
American industry
There h the cTuA Of the 4iiuAtioh
Management in part of the stcN In.
dustfy Judge 6ary's pafD Is not on
il toes but prefers 10 stick to out
Worn conditions, and Co autWorn
gfoeds and pfeiudieos. And the report
Of the engineers concludes Igniiieant.
ly@-"if il Is not possible (to make
the ehangel and II profits at present
cannot stand the extra production
cost then the twelve hour shift must
be continued until a change occurs"
1t does not cay what viii bring
about change. II is significant,
however, that changes Of this kind
have IN most instances been brought
about by the organization Of the
wotknen. Organized labor will have
more influence In the long run than
any number Of fearful appeals from
President Harding or from welfare
workers.