Evening star., 1923-11-11

Article ~.
TINE recent agitation over the
twelve-hour day in the steel in
dustry and the pledge of the
men who control that industry
that there will be established as rapidly
as may be the =eight-hour day in substi-
tuition for the longer period has aroused
much interest IN the standard workway
on this continent.
1t IS not so much the object Of this
article to deal with the present status
Of the eight-hohr day as it is to trace
as fully as space will permit the
struggle to establish it. a struggle
that goes back more than a century
and that made its gains so slowly
as to be almost indefinite, and then
suddenly proceed with strides so
rapid that yesterday the workday
was ten hours: and more while to-
cay eight hours is the rule in indus
try, both where: the wage earners are
organized and where they are without
organization. The steel industry was
the great bulwark of the long trick.
Movement Misunderstood.
In the early days of the movement
for the orter workday. 1t was often
charged that the unions were not so
much concerned in securing eight
hours for health, educational and
recreation values as they were with
providing additional opportunities
for work for their members. There
was also the frequent intimation that
the unions felt that the eight-hour
day would create a shortage Of labor.
and that in the effort to secure a suf-
ficient supply Of work people by en-
ployers wages would rise. There may
have been such underlying aims on
the part Of some: Of the supporters of
safe assertion to say that the men
who were the resi- leaders OF the agi-
tation harbored no such false philos-
ophy, and that they were guided
solely by the ths change
that the needs of: the people could be
satisfied and that the shorter day
made for the promotion of health.
standard OF living and consequently
for better citizenship and better
country.
Suggested hy Employer.
Yet John Rae. in a work on eight
hours published in 1884, says that in
1888 there was a. movement for an
eight-hour day fostered by employers
who were experiencing an over
stocked market It was proposed to
bring good times back again by a
great masterstroke OF combination.
II the employers and employed in
each trade could te gotten to agree
together to work only eight hours
day instead of working twelve. they
would diminish their production of
commodities so much that the prices OF
those commodities would necessarily
rise very high, Is per cent at least. and
with these higher prices the employers
would begin to set eyes on profits
again, and still be- well able to pay
their work-people the twelve-hour
wage.
The idea took root and the agita-
ton proceeded for some months. Rob-
ert owen became one Of its disciples
He prepared q catechism early In No
vember Of that year in which 1t was
asked why .eight hours day as the
maximum, and the answer was:
Because 1t is the longest period that
the human race--taking the average
of strength and allowing to the
weaker the rights of existence as
well as Ghe stronger-cAn endure of
physical exertion so as to be healthy,
Intelligent, virtuous and happy.
Because Of the modern discoveries
in chemistry and mechanics, which
render 1t unnecessary to require a
longer period Of physical exertion.
Because by eight hours labor under