Show thee whee EIGHT nour HOUR nys Oper operation allon ailon ot 0 the lu in I 1 spring field armory we taice talce the following interesting letter ietter from a springfield mass correspondent of the new now york sun vun eun sr bir As aa the eight hour question ia 13 of public interest I 1 trust you will pardon me for respectfully respect frilly inviting attention to the operation of the eight hour law in be the national armory col J G benton banton commanding the national armory at springfield mass in a communication comuni cation to tiie the chief of ord nance nanc e comparing the working of the eight and ten hour systems with reference to piece workmen saye baye they have managed to make under the old ta wages quite as much per day under the eight hour as under the ten hour system while I 1 believe that the day workingmen have worked harder and more faithfully und under erthe the eight hour than under the ten hour system the foreman of the milling department reports aug hh H h 1868 1863 that the average earnings of twelve of his piece workmen under the ten hour system jn in the month of june previous was 2 60 while in july under the eight hour they earned 2 88 per day in other words worda they did considerably more work for Govern government mentin in a day of eight hours than in one wherein they worked ten hours the fore foreman manof of the water shops reports that the average earnings of twenty three piece workmen in his department part ment which under the ten hour rule were 3 12 under the eight el ht hour system were 3 13 per day from statistics obtained from the armory the price of the work alluded to in the reports has been reduced over nine per cent since the passage of the eight hour law the average earnings of twenty nine piece workmen so the tile foreman reports in the filing department were under the ten hour system 2 95 and under und er the eight hour per day the workmen in this shop gradually began to earn in iti eight hours their usual wages when they worked ten hours and even more en an tb that at the omm off meers leers were able abid to reduce the price from 16 to 17 per cent cents centa 81 uce the enforcement of the law the hon mr robeson Rob eson eaon secretary of the navy testified teti tied fied before the french arms committee of the houge house relating to lo the manufacture of remington rifles that hat As aa the work could be done cheaper at the springfield armory than at att the minu manufactory factory of E remington sons an application was made to the ordnance bureau of the army for permission to have them manufactured there at the period when the guns alluded to were made the armory was working under the eight hour law the workmen being paid a full days wages e fol foi eight hours labor loor the establishment of IB remington sons at the sanne time was working under the ten hour sy system stenn stern during the late rebellion the sprin aprin springfield 9 rifle muskets cost the government when made at the national armory 1170 including interest rent aa of the establishment while those manufactured in private establishments cost 21 each tre we above facts show firsty fina that work is done cheaper under the eight hour than under the ten tun hour at the armory second that the workmen were not overpaid when the eight hour law went into operation for they produced more work for the same rame amount of expenditure pend iture than could be obtained of private establishments for the same amount of money the wages now paid in the national armory are beat best machinists 3 50 hest heat filers 3 best polishers 3 in springfield es cablish ments best beat machinists 4 50 best besl filers 3 50 best po polishers liBbers 3 and with other workmen the difference Is ia in the same ratio under the eight elgut hour bour law twenty per cent of the wear and tear of machinery cost coat of oil coal and gas is saved to the government the cost coat coltof of gas alone for the first full fuli quarter after the eight c hour law went into inlo force was 1044 less than for the same period of the preceding year the workmen in the armory fully appreciating the fact that the experiment of testing the eight hour law was waa by the petitions of workmen from aver avery every state in the union entrusted to their keeping ki have manfully manfully endeavored to faithfully perform their t er duty as the above record show t j standing the fact that the officials of the ordnance department were and are opposed to the enforcement of tho the eight hour law As the effect of the law upon the workmen I 1 nind flud that it has not produced dissipation but on the contrary has haa tended to promote mental culture and general improvement in the and their homes should the above facts find a place in your valuable paper please say bay to the workmen in new york that the government workmen wish them success and aa much prosperity under the eight hour system as has haa been enjoyed by THE family oracle yes my dear this a mere toy may become in my hands a death dealing instrument to the birds birda or of the air a and nd the beasts of the field even to the biggest beast little wife oh dear then pray take care you dont hurt yourself A number of wealthy hebrews in new york intend to start a daily newspaper there and say they are prepared to risk half a million dollars in such an enterprise or more if it be required they have made an ineffectual effort to buy several established journals in that city ety of noring offering it Is understood as much as a million dollars for one of them |