Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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. HOW TO ACCUMULATE $1,000.00 Profit Sharing Trust Bonds Sold on Monthly, Quarterly, Semi- Annual or Annual Payment Plan TEN YEAR 5% COUPON TRUST BONDS $500.00, $1,000.00, $2,500.00, $5,000.00 Interest Coupons Payable Semi-Annually Write for our new booklet—It is free Guarantee Trust & Banking Co. Atlanta, Ga. Bond Department Established 1899 Capital - - $500,000.00 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.