Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-01-25
s1EEL INDUSTRY FINDS
S.HOUR DAY Efficient.
With men SATISFIED

r, t.,synational Labor News Service.
washington. D. c., Jan. 22.-What
a;,e1 labor long ago predicted
otsa .arse IN pass. Steel is finding the
1I ~. W., 5ay more efficient than the old
l.i tSo.issi91 that the S-hour day is
,! aoi,,i increased efficiency is made
PM IL Iron Age. leading organ of the
" 'D ",J .teel Industry. According to
HO anr @,sa made by the Iron Age, es-
s.gsbmept Of the S-hour day has
' asy.,i completed in the plants of
W Tinted States Steel Corporation
sD9 in 70 per cent of the plants OF the
;ngspendent companies.
The Iron Age reports that there
.as some temporary dissatisfaction"
'r r, steel workers at the change,
S any to reduced wages. This con-
anon soon gave way to general salts
faction at the advantages resulting
tam the additional time left to the
man the trade journal adds. The re-
sDt has been a noticeable increase
of efficiency at many plants, the IN
yestgators say.
I'VE have never had better
shirt among our employees, and
feel that the additional leisure
fine afforded them will prove So
Gally and industrially benefi-
gal.b said Z. g. Grace, President
Of the Bethlehem Steel Company.
End of l2-Hour Day Outstanding
Event.
In presenting reports from various
steel centers on the success of the
S.hour workday. the Iron Age says:
"The outstanding event of the
year 1923, so far as the relations of
employers and employees in the steel
industry are concerned. was the de-
cision Of the leaders to abolish the
l2.hOur day as urged by President
Harding.
This decision was promptly fol-
lowed last August by the beginning
Of the establishing of the shorter
hours by companies representing a
large percentage of the iron and steel
manufactured in the United States.
Although it was soon apparent that
the United States Steel Corporation
was making rapid progress and that
some Independents were doing fully
as well, there has been much doubt
as to what has really been accom-
plished
"The Iron Age, through its staff
representatives in important manu-
featuring centers, has made care
full Investigation to determine exactly
what has been accomplished in this
Important movement, which followed
years Of agitation.
Change Virtually Completed in Many
Plants.
The result, given in detail below,
shows that the United States Steel
Corporation and a number of the in
dependents have virtually completed
the change from the 12-hour shift
70 shorter hours. The estimate of
the Pittsburgh district is that all of
the employees of the Steel Corpora
a0n and 10 per cent of the indie
pendent plants are now working less
man IL hours, while at Chicago and
some other centers the change has
een carried out with admirable zeal
70 an even greater extent.
Definite and final information as
70 additional cost of making steel I'M
Oef the new conditions may not be
available for a year or more, but up !
70 cate the estimate that the cost |
e making a ton of steel is from 50
70 70 ton higher seems to be fairly |
sss This increase is largely in
.ae steel works and rolling mills, |
s s blast furnace operators having
mau e the change at surprisingly |
small increase of cost.
As to the effect of the change
~ improving the relations of
employers and employees, there
Is strong testimony that despite
Sol.e temporary dissatisfaction
Usllg 10 the reduction of wages,
mel, as rule, are now thor
tyIughly satisfied and some of
s meIi, as Is shown in the testi-
p Sosy OF the steel workers in the
bpuialo district, are enthusiastic
because they have more time to
IFy S;9 at home and in recreation.
LIalciehcy has increased at many
=.s.s-. . but whether this is due