Year: 1867

Reports OF the Massachusetts Commissioners


the Hours of Labor.


BosToN, Feb 7, 1867.


The subject OF the hours Of labor which engrosses
the attention Of workngmen and capitalists throughout
the country, has been pretty thoroughly investigated
this State BY Board Of Commissioners appointed under
law Of the last Legislature After year Of attention
to the subject the Board have just submitted couple Of
reports on the matter a majority and the other
minority report The majority report states that there
is almost general disregard Of the law forbddng the
employ ment Of chldreH under ten years Of age In manu-
featuring establishments. The manner In which the
Law svaded is by the children being employed by the
oveeers while the penalty Of the law is directed only
aeanst owners, agents and superintendonts Twenty
i've per Of the operatives In the mills are under
eighteen years Of age and rather than urge the passage
Of any specific law the majority Of the Board recon-
mend the appointment Of a special officer soc that
their rights are protected Eleven hours Ia the
general rule In regard 70 labor which is regarded
700 much for women and children, q IL
Is calculated impair their health and shorten their
iivss and they believe that all under eighteen years
should only labor ten hours, ut most In the long dis.
cusson fthe eght hour ement in the report 1t
estimated that the decrease in production by reduction
Of tmeto this extent would be one-sixth and that this
would certainly result In reduction Of wages and the
laborer would bc unable TO purchase many Of the
whether the additional leisure time would be- we'll en-
ployed II the hours Of labor reduced they claim
that without corresponding reduction Of wages there
would be such influx Of foreign labor TO speedily
reduce the price according the reduction Of the hours
OF work. They dispute the idea that II Is practical 70
reduce the hours OF labor and keep up the wages
before Their conclusion Ia that since no one il CON-
PEELED by law TO work, there Is reason why any one
should be forb dden 70 work. that the governments has
control the labor OF free men, and thas can with
justice and proprety ordan that hours shs
constitute days work than that eighty cents shall
| dollar; that all attempts TO interfere with the
laws OF value must be Intellectual for any good object
that the aoorer can be oppressed by working a
perfect liberty az he peases that he never injured
BY composition unless the laws customs OF the coun-
try deprive him Of his just ghts They further be-
leve that public sentiment does not call for an eight
hour law; that oil work should be measured by the
hour instead OF the day. and wind up BY asserting that
they cannot recommend the enactment OF any eight
hour law. The minority report Of the Board urges an
eight hour law religious intellectual and industrial
grounds and maintains At length the following prin-
cples:-Frst, the doctrine Of Charming that sanual
labor the divine training TO energze the charactsr
second, that OF Eesmere that .the moro hourn men
work In any staple branch Of manufacture the les they
receive In the form OF wages and third the view that
labor 10 capital The conclusion Ia q Recommendation
for ten hour law in the absence Of contract for farm
labor aud an eight hour law In the absence OF contract
for mechanical labor The report Of the majority will
probably be the one which will strike the Legislature
| most fav0rably.