The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-10


the British labor movement is in
tensifed by the setback given the
Ramsay Macdonald labor govern
ment in parliament on Monday. In
order to understand the British
situation You must read these ar
ticles by j. T. Murphy, British
Communist and trade unionist.
They will appear in the DAILY
WORKER during the remainder Of
this week. Today's installment is
as follows;
The 4s-Hour Week.
HE Government has practically
committed itself to the ratifca-
ton of the Washington Convention
establishing Z legal 4S-hour week
in industry. The term industry ex-
empts in this case agriculture,
transport by sea, and commerce,
under which head comes large sec
tions Of the distributive trades. 1t
is rather wide in its application Of
the 4s-hour principle, taking an av-
erage over period of three weeks
and permits a nine-hour day for
. NV AdNc NnCi lUCIt lB q
half holiday. The limit Of hours
worked may be exceeded in the
following circunn stances: I'm case
Of accident, urgent work to be done
to machinery and plant or force
majeure. Pin continuous process
ses carried on by succession o. shifts
4 subject to the condition that the
working hours shall not exceed Sc
In the week on the average. g.
where by regulation the government
may allow (a) permanent excep-
tons in preparatory and compile
n1entary work necessarily done out
side the limits laid down for the
general working Of an esta Enlistment
and, (b). temporary executions $50
that establishments may deal with
exceptional cases of pressure of
work" In the latter case the max
mum of additional hours shall be
fixed, and overtime at time and
quarter be minimum rate"
Compromise Terms.
These are typical English quail
fications which only an Fnglishman
who is past master at compromising
could have drafted. The Washing
ton hours convention was drawn up
by a commission of which Tom
Shaw. now Minister of Labor, was
chairman. and Miss Bond6ed was
a member Mr.. George Barnes was
at the time of the Washington Con-
ference the British governments
labor representative and received a
special wire from Mr.. Lloyd George
TO sign the Convention.
That it will go thru when Mr..
Henderson presents it to Parlia-
ment as his first Bill is fairly GER
tain. But the government is striv-
ing also for international ratifca-
the International Labor Movement
and second as means of struggle
against foreign commercial compe-
tition. Only Bulgaria, Czecho-Slo-
vakia, Greece, India and Roumania
ratified the convention. Attic Ger
many, France. Belgium, Switzer-
land, Italy, Spain. cweden passed
eight-hour day legislation, much of
it has vanished and Germany espe-
cially is seeking to bargain repara-
tions for the ten-hour dav. On the
other hand of the membership of
the Trades Union Congress 2 II mil
lions have the AZ hour week or
,ess. These have been achieved
thru trades union action and conse-
quently so far as the biz primary
industries are concerned the ratifi-
cation does not make any difference
to their hours. But it will mean
lot if ratification can be used to
stem the reaction in Europe. 1t
would encourage the workers in
Europe and that of course viii help
British commerce so far as advan-
tages in competition are concerned.
| Accordingly Miss Bondfeld's state
ment at Geneva can be taken as
an indication that the British gov
eminent will take the initiative in
calling an international conference
to secure simultaneous ratification.
She said: THE British Government
would endeavor to fulfil what it re-
garded as q duty in view of the
Washington, and would promote all
! practical means 10 secure slmu Ia
neous ratification of the convention
by the various countries
Ameli0ration Offered.
That both the French and the
Germans will use the separations
question as means of fighting the
Convention can be taken for certain.
But in any case the British Gov
eminent has nothing TO lose even
by Independent ratification. 1t in
PRODUCES no violent change here
whilst it will act favorsoly towards
them in Europe.
Now we can sum up the little bill
Of social amelioration which Labor
Government will be able to present
the workers and poorer Sc, tions Of
the population. Then we can turn
to what it is giving the imperial
lists.
/. Recognition Soviet Russia.
2. Abolished the gap in Unem-
ployed Insurance pay aid other an
moving features which had been the