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THE ATLANTIAN
13
WORK SEVEN DAYS A
WEEK.
30.000 Steel and Iron Men Have
Long Hours— Mr. Nagle
Submits Report.
Special Investigation by Depart
ment Reveals Startling Condi
tions in Industry—Sunday Like
Other Days—Many Labor 12
Hours in Every 24—Wages are
Beggarly.
Secretary Nagel, of the Department
of Commerce and Labor, yesterday, in
a special report to the Senate, on
conditions of employment in the iron
and steel industry in the United
States, stated that “out of more than
90.000 employees covered in the re
port, the customary working week of
one-third of them was a seven-day
week, Sunday not differing from other
days; and approximately one-fourth of
the 90,000 worked 84 hours or over
per week, which, in effect, means a
twelve-hour day every day in the
week, including Sunday.”
Special Investigation.
Secretary Nagel’s report was the
result of a special investigation made
B. LEE SMITH.
Popular Labor Leader Who Has
Announced for the Office ot
Labor Commissioner.
in response to a resolution of Senator {
Borah. It covers practically all of
the iron and steel plants in the United j
States, numbering 344.
“The fact that stands out more
strikingly in any study of the labor |
conditions in the iron and steel in- j
dustry in the United States,” says the
report, "is the extent to which the |
twelve-hour day and a week of seven
days still prevail in this industry.” I
The seven-day working week is not
confined to the blast furnace depart
ment where there is a metallurgical
necessity for continuous operation,
but was also found to a considerable
extent in other departments for com
mercial reasons only.
Much of the Sunday work is no
more necessary than in other indus- :
tries, says the report, in pointing out
that in other industries where contin
uous operation is necessary entirely
practicable systems have been found
by which ond day of rest out of seven
can be secured for each employee.
Compared With Other Lines.
Added significance attached to the
conditions of labor in the iron and
steel industries, in comparison with
I the general tendency in other indus
tries for years past toward a shorter
working day.
“It is, therefore, in striking contrast
to this general tendency in other in
dustries,” says the report, “to find in
a great basic industry that approxi
mately only 15 per cent, of the 90,000
employees in special iron and steel oc
cupations work less than 60 hours a
week, and almost 50 per cent. 72 hours
or more a week.”
Nearly 60 per cent, of the employees
are foreign born, and neardly two-
thirds of these are of the Slavic race.
Almost half of the 90,000 employees
receive less than 18 cents an hour,
one-quarter under 25 cents an hour,
and the other one-fourth 25 cents and
more an hour. A few very highly skill
ed employees, however, receive $1.25
an hour. Those receiving 50 cents and
more an hour number less than one-
twentieth.
A LIVE ISSUE.
(From the New York Evening Post.)
The large total vote cast at Bay
onne, N. J., in spite of the rain, shows
how live an issue the commission
form of government has become in
this part of the country. The result
was a defeat of the proposal by two
votes out of a total of 4,468; and this
was after the exertion of the most
tremendous efforts against it by the
united efforts of the Republican and
Democratic machines. Other New
Jersey towns will soon be voting on
the question, and the near approach to
victory at Bayonne will encourage
friends of the commission plan to
work energetically for success. The
cry raised by the machine politicians
against the commission plan is the
familiar one that it takes the govern
ment out of the hands of the common
people; but every one of the common-
people has a vote that counts exactly
as much in the election of the mem
bers of the commission as does the
vote of the wealthiest or most learned
man in the town. What the machine
politicans are anxious about is not
the powers of the thousands of com
mon people who vote, but the per-
JAKE GORTATOWSKY.
City Editor, The Constitution.
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Representatives Wanted
quisites of the handful of common peo
ple who are made aldermen—and who
make aldermen. What the common
people do when they vote under the
commission system is to pick out three
or four men, to whom they deliberate
ly intrust great powers and responsi
bilities; what they do under the coun-
cilmanic system is to elect three or
four dozen men whom they don’t trust
with great powers, but who have
enough power to do a great deal of
| harm, either by positive mischief and
| dishonesty or by mere incompetence
or inertia. Nothing very dreadful will
j happen to American ideals of democ
racy if a few of our New Jersey and
! New York cities are given a chance
j to see whether the commission plan
! works better than the councilmanic
plan.
EVADING THE FIRST QUES
TION.
(From the Chicago Daily News.)
He had been calling on her twice
a week for six months, but had not
! proposed. He was a wise young man
and therefore didn’t think it necessary.
“Ethel,” he said, as they were tak
ing a moonlight stroll one evening,
“I—er—am going to ask you an im
portant question.”
“Oh, George,” she exclaimed. “This
j is so sudden! Why I”—
“What I want to ask is this,” he
interrupted. “What date have you
'and your mother decided upon for our
wedding?”
PURE FOOD HAS COME TO
STAY.
The manufacturers of food products
in the United States, if for no other
reason, would, from a selfish stand
point, find it best to obey the pure
food law, because in the present tem
per of the people unwholesome foods
will no longer be tolerated. The sale
of food products now depends upon
the ability of the manufacturer to
prove that what he sells is healthy and
wholesome. The public will have
nothing else, and the manufacturer
who would seek to impose upon the
public would find himself out of busi
ness. The restrictions of the pure
food law are so severe that no manu
facturer dare violate them with im
punity. For our part we believe that
the manufacturers of food products
generally are honest and well-mean
ing.—Leslie’s Weekly.
THE IMPORTANT QUES
TION.
(From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
The new fireman was telling his
wife about the fire.
"It broke out at midnight in the
Von BIffers’ house on the avenue,” he
said, “and just as we got there Miss
Von Biffer came stumbling out of the
flames and smoke, carrying her little
niece all wrapped up in her arms. It
was the bravest act I ever saw.”
“What was she wearing?” inquired
the fireman’s wife.