Evening star., 1932-07-28
SURVEY Of 5-DAY
WEEK IN INDUSTRY
ASKED BY HOOVER
report to Be Me Monday
for ParIey on New Eng
land Job Plan.
NATIONAL ACTION HELD
NEED IN JOB SECURITY
Study Made by Former Head of
Labor Bureau of Statistics
to Be Utilized.

being studied today by experts of two
President Hoover and report will be
submitted to him by Monday when he
meets representatives of the New Eng
land Conference on Re-employment
President Hoover issued a call late
yesterday for the meeting at the White
House for discussion of what further
co-ordinated steps can be taken" to
shcrten working hours and spread en-
ployment.
Gov. Winant of New Hampshire had
asked President Hoover to receive the
delegates. The conference was Sched-
uIed Tor today, but postponed for the
convenience of the visitors.
Requested Information.
After announcing he would talk with
the New Englanders, the President in
structed the Commerce and Labor De
partments to obtain information for
him on the flve-day week. Depart
mental officials explained today that
they would resurvey the entire field.
IN resolution adopted by the New
England conference it was concluded
that cooperative national action to
acn-eVe Jcb security by job sharing
seems imperative"
N~ 4ocI SATURDAY WnSn President
Hoover indicated that he would call
the conference, the Labor Department
ana three independent Government
bureaus have adopted the five-day work
week. The Government Printing Of
nee, neld workers of the Navy Depart
ment and the per diem workers of the
OlsCrlct OF Columbia had adopted the
ment.
New England Resolution
The New England conferees at Bos-
ton IaSt week went on record with the
1olloWlng resolution, in part:
New employment may be offered tn
some mllnons OF people, approximating.
1t IS hoped, an additional 10 per cent
10 Ine number OF people now EMPLOYED
thls plan to be put into effect without
Increasing operating costs of business,
without necessarily increasing plant
investments and without increasing in
LentorleS, by small contributions to be
deducted from pay rolls of wage earners
SUI! employed at least two-thirds of
thelr normal hours and by the neces-
sary remaining contributions for SAL
AIRED executives and owners of busi-
ness"
The conference representatives claim
tnH nexlble employment plan would
eoo 100000 persons to the Nations
industrial pay rolls on the basis of
the currant volume of business.
Prior to his retirement from Govern
ment service July /, last, Ethelbert
Stewart, former commissioner of the
Labor Departments Bureau of Statis-
tics, completed a study of the progress
made by the five-day week as a perma-
nent labor policy.
Sent 1887 Questionnaires.
CfPua ri cay1t
1887 establishments in IT different
industries. The establishments ques-
toned were those that regularly CO.
operate with the bureau in making
monthly employment reports and hav-
ing at the time on their pay rolls a
total of 3,94l, 1872 employees
The bureau survey shows that "a
per cent of the establishments report
ing had permanently adopted the FIVE
day week for all or a part of their
employees. 1t further shows that 5.6
per cent Of all the employees covered
in the survey were on a permanent
flve-day week basis. In some plants
where the short week was in effect
In part, employees In certain depart
ments were still working more than
flve-days per week because it was not
practicable to put all departments on
1ve-day week basis.
porarily because of the present depres-
sion were not included by Mr. Stewart
in the fiye-day group; only industrial
concerns that have adopted as a perm
anent policy the short work week were
SO CLASSIFIED.
The automobile industry is in the
lead so far as the percentage of workers
OF the five-day week is concerned, 443
per cent of the employees in the eStab-
lishments reporting being on that work
basis. The radio industry, with 344
per cent, the dyeing and finishing tex
tile industry, with 27 per cent, and the
aircraft industry, with 24.9 per cent.
followed the automobile lead.
Matter Of Evolution.
In the foreword of Mr. Stewards re-
port, which it was understood today
will be used almost in its entirety in
the data to be submitted by the Labor
Department TO President Hoover prlol
to Mondays conference, the Statistician
said the reduction OF working hours
has been a matter Of evolution, the
history of labor in the United States
showing that there has been a constant
"A century ago" Mr.. Stewart said
ga mans work was from sun up to sun
aown-ll, IL and IS hours day. Ihese
were the hours of the building trades
and Of shop and factory workers. DuI
ing the years, hours have been reouceo
gradually to TO- to 9. to 8, and IN some
instances to 7, this movement being lee
mainly bv the organized bullolng traces
Outside of the workers in the pulio-
Ing trades few employees in lnoustIN
we're on an 8-hour- -Workday paSlS prloi
to the beginning of the World war:
During 1915 and 1916 certain work
e,S engaged in the manufacture OF wal
munitions demanded the establishment
Of an 8-hour basic day.
Eight-Hour Day in War.
AFTER the entrance Of the Unite'
States into the war the various govern
mental agencies gave considerable I'M
petuS to the movement for shorte
working day by establishing an Chou
day for all Government work connected
with the building Of camps and canton
ments and work in Shipyaros.
The next move for the reduction o
working hours was for shorter work
ing day on Saturday. Between l9l!
and 1919 the Saturday half Gay OF wori
became quite general in the organized
building trades and in business olnces
and was not unknown in manufacturnl
establishments.
In more recent years there has com
the desire for full holiday on Saturoa
the flve-day week. The annual union
wage surveys made by the Bureau sno'
an increasing extension Of the five-da
week in the building trades. In 1881
b5.5 per cent Of the building -trade
workers In the localities covered by Tn
had uawdaU N,nnkP