The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1925-09-25
Industrial Five-Day Week
Makes Gains In New York,
Says State Bureau Report

By International Labor News Service.
Albany, N. Y.-The movement for
the working week of five days is max
ing great progress in New York
state, says the state bureau of women
in industry, which reports that fac
tories are following the lead of de-
partment stores in establishing the
five-day week in summer.
The bureau says:
larger New York city department
stores close all day Saturday during
the months of July and August. Each
year the small stores are adopting
this same policy in increasingly larg-
er numbers. Fifth, Madison and Park
avenues look as deserted on Saturday
morning as they do on Sunday.
Where a store used to advertise we
close all day Saturday during July
and August now that the Saturday
closing movement has made such
headway it is necessary for store
to advertise that it is open on Sat
urday
Results Are Beneficial
"The opinion of the managers is
almost unanimous as to the beneficial
effect it has had on the morale of the
working force. They also agree that
with all day Saturday closing SO uni
versal, but little shopping is done on
that day, with corresponding mini
mum loss in weekly sales.
"In the smaller communities closing
all day Saturday or even half day
for the stores is next to impossible, be-
cause Saturday is the one day in the
week the farmer stops work early and
comes into town to do his shopping.
Stores in these communities, there
fore, close one afternoon during the
week, usually Wednesday or Thurs
day.
"This all day and half day closing
in mercantile establishments through
out the state is limited, however, to
the summer months. In the fall, win
ter and spring the stores are open,
almost without exception, six full
days.
Factories Following Suit
'This custom of closing on Satur-
days is rapidly spreading also to fac
tories throughout the state. In a
study made by the bureau of women
in industry on Vacation Policies in
Manufacturing INDUSTRIES it was
brought out by number of manufac-
turers that they did not give vaca-
tions with pay to their production
workers but did close all day Satur-
day during July and August with full
pay.
"While Saturday off for factory
workers, however, was originally
adopted as summer policy, it is be-
ing gradually extended to a year
dustry in one community after an
other Nor is the Saturday closing
limited to the large factory; it is quite
as common in small factories in small
communities as in large factories in
the larger industrial centers. In one
of the smaller cities, with total of
five factories, every one closed all day
Saturday. In a second-class city of
this state, nine of the largest factor
les closed all day Saturday Natur
ally when the wages remain the same
the workers are delighted with five
day week instead of six. Some en-
ployers automatically reduce wages
from 10 to Is per cent when the fac
tory goes on a five-day basis. Even
in these factories many Of the work.
ers prefer it, although there is, Of
course, opposition, some of the work
ers preferring the six-day week and
the higher wage. The important
thing to consider in such opposition is
the reason for it, rather than the
opposition itself.
TwO-Day Respite Valuable
'sMany employers have placed their
closing policy on production basis;
that is, they say If the weekly pro-
duction can be reached by Friday
night the factory will close all day
Saturday.
"The benefits of two days holiday
both to management and men alike
are recognized. The continuous two