Professional Documents
Culture Documents
May 4, 1886
May 4, 1886
[Number 1089
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.Bradstreet's' collection of
statistics of the
eight-hour movement shows that thetotal number of workmen engaged in it in ill parts of
the country is 335,000. The demand for
shorter hours has been conceded to 150,000
without a strike andto 35,000 after striking, leaving 140,000 still on strike or defeated. The trades. in whichthe movement
bas been most successful are those connected
with house building, agricllltural-implement
makers, 'furniture making, and machinery
building. These are trades not
subject
to foreign competition. In those which
are subject to such competition, either in the
way of exportation of the domestic product or
of importation of the foreign, the movement
has met ivith,little success. In some cases the
employers have yielded in consequence of contracts on hand which must be filled, but have
notified the men that they shall return to ten
hours when the contracts are completed, or
close the works. The whole movement is
in fact experimental. Tn, those branches of
industry which yield sufficient profit'to warrant
an increase of wages-for that is what shorter
time most commonly signifies-the increase
will be granted. In others it will not be
granted, or, if granted temporarily, it mill be
withdrawn hereafter. While a &reat deal
of loss always attends such experiments, there is nothing to be urged against
them so long
as
the rights of neither
party are invaded and the law is not violated.
The principal part of the loss proceeds from the
stoppage of machinery. A deduction of 30 per
cent. from the producing power pf the Pullman Car Works, for example, means much
more to the community than a reduction of
one-fifth of the laboring force. But this is no
valid argument to be addressed to a man who
prefers not to work more than eight hours out
of twenty-four.
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