Evening star., 1932-08-28
Five.Day Week Appears
Probable for the World
Continued From First Page.)


tition comes from across the Atlantic.
Unless the United States joins in the
reform, protection will have to be
sought by Europe's industrial countries
! through tariff barriers and trade re-
StrictionS
Washirgton's plan for a one-month
! furlough annually, without pay (Which
! Is equivalent to a five-day week. for
! Federal employees, which is expected to
! save 100000 900 annually, and Cali
! forniaS scheme of reducing working
hours Of State employees have already
been instituted By several European
governments. Others are watching the
experiments both in America and ever
here, closely.
In the French Parliament a bill,
| sponsored by lat Socialist deputiec,
providing for a 40-hour week has been
introduced. Under present legislation
hours of work in most French indus
tries may not exceed eight per day for
siT-day weeks The new law would
establish a five-day working week in
principle. but allows a siX-Worklng day
week with a maximum Of 40 hours. 1t
further provides that application of the
shorter week may not in any way be a
determining cause for reduction of
workers earnings. The measure would
apply also to French colonies and pro-
tectorates. Another bill, up for con-
sideration, advocates a seven-hour day.
Although legally the French working
week is now 48 hours, the government,
acting independently. has reduced
overtime and limited exceptions. Ac-
tually 51.2 per cent of French work.
men are now working less than the
permitted 40 hours. If the 40-hour
week is applied internationally, or at
least among industrial countries. France
will be among the first to sign the
treaty, according to Minister of Labor
M. Dalim.er.
Germany to Aid Jobless.
Empowered by the emergency decree
of June 5, 1881. to arbitrarily reduce
working hours to 40 per week, the
German government. now that the
elections are over and Hitler has been
brushed aside, has been instructed by
President Won Hindenburg to take &C
tive steps to alleviate unemployment
Chancellor Won Papen prefers that the
adoption of the 5-day or 40-hour week
should be voluntary, and a mixed
commission of trade union leaders. en-
ployers and government representatives
are negotiating collective agreements
among specific industries as start.
Until the wisdom of the reform has
been demonstrated the government has
egreed to refrain from instituting stat
utory regulations, leaving the matter
to the goodwill of industry and labor.
In CZechoslovakia, despite the heavy
opposition of the Agrarian party, the
Social Policy Committee of the Cham
ber of Deputies has placed the 40-hour
week on it's agenda. Czechoslovakia is
one of the countries which has put into
effect the Washington 48-hour week
treaty. Various government bureaus
also have already instituted the 40
hour week without reduction of wages.
The International Association for
Social Progress, which has just fin
ished its London conference, recon-
mends unanimously that propaganda for
reduced working hours, with mainte-
nance of existing earning power, be in
tensified in all industrial countries. Re-
ports from Austria, Belgium, Germany,
Britain. Czechoslovakia Finland. France
and Poland indicate that the movement
is progressing rapidly. Not only is the
reform regarded as imperative to relieve
existing unemployment, but it IS con-
sidered as vital in arresting the grow
ing army of idle and bringing about
new relationship between industry
and labor.