Evening star., 1923-11-18

IVY Y ITH the acceptance of the
AH eight-hour day in substi-
" " tuition for the twelve-hour
trick in the steel industry
II must not be understood that the
shorter day is now universally ac-
cepted in the United States and Can
ada It has been difficult to get reli-
able data as to its. prevalence. That
compiled by the federal bureau Of
labor statistics is quoted, and Is per-
haps the latest obtainable.
Again. the steel industry, with the
| substitution of the short for the long
trick. will not then be an eight-hour
prevail. In a letter to the writer
the president of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor says: There are
some entire industries that are on
| the eight hour basis, while In others
only a portion OF them. AS you know.
the steel industry cannot yet be in
cluded in eight-hour industries. In
fact, the reduction of the twelve-hour
day to eight Is misstatement. Ac-
cording to the Iron Age, the ten-hour
day will prevail. A few employees
1
eight-hour shift"
1t is a fact, however, that with the
/ carrying out of the pledge that has
been made the eight-hour day will be
introduced in the steel industry. II
the experience with 1t is as salts
factory to employer and employe as
the testimony of other industries
; seems to support, 1t will win its way.
1t will in the end prevail.
Work Day Shortened.
"At the beginning of the nineteenth
century men worked almost univer-
sally from sun to sum-" say Adams
; and Summer in their book entitled
| Labor Problems" "At the present
time many important trades work
only eight hours day. and the aver
age working day, excluding agricul-
tural and domestic labor. is probably
less than ten hours. This great re-
form Is a distinctive accomplishment
of organized labor. and In the past 1t
has met with the Endorsement of the
diSinterested economist as we'll as
. the labor leader himself. Both justify
| 1t will Civ ethe worker more time for
rational amusements, educational,
civic and family duties. and that this
increased leisure will result In more
Intelligent, contented and efficient
working population. Both agree,
moreover, that in the long run and
within reasonable limits wages are
strongly affected by the standard of
life, and that a tenacious refusal to
work an excessive number OF hours
will to a degree remove the necessity
for it. But here the average econo-
mist and the average trade unionist
part company.
Position OF Labor.
"The former defends the reduction
Of hours under present conditions be-
cause he believes 1t will not diminish
the product Of industry; whereas the
| labor leader advocates persistent and
radical reductions precisely because
he believes that 1t will diminish the
. product per Individual and furnish
work for the unemployed. The idea
| that man will produce as much in
eight hours as In ten may occasional
! ly be advanced by the labor leaders.
| but 1t Is not their general position;
and even II one does advance II, he
| Is likely to bring forward in the next
paragraph ideas that are entirely in
consistent with 1t. The argument
which really carries weight with them
| is based on the opposite idea It Is
that tho reduction Of hours wNl re-
duce the supply Of labor power on
the market and SO will ra tse its price.