Show Proposal for Forty Hour Forty In Industry Arouses New Economic Arguments Economists Ask if Short Hours and High Wages Can Products n S Put Cl Out CV With Compete With European Long Hours and Low Wages Many Trades Already On Hour 40 Basis Hour Eight-Hour Day Has Come in Only Past 20 Years Science and Machinery Have Made Progress By HARDEN HARDEN COLFAX Special Correspondent of The Standard Examiner Standard Standard Examiner CopyrIght 1926 Consolidated Press AssocIation Oct Eco S-Eco 9 Eco Economic discussion turned sharply IY thIs week toward the hour 40 40 I week for tor workers with the pro pro- proposal proposal before the American Fed Federation of or of Labor at Its Detroit convention that this be made Bade an objective following bard on the heels of o the statement that the theFord theford Ford Motor company had been experImenting with the day live week It Is probably coincidence that attention should pave have have been fo focused upon this subject be because ause of two announcements within a few days das from the same city the first attrIbuted to one ODe of tho the largest employers ct of union non labor and the other coming coining from the lead leading trig ing organization of ot the unionized workers While Whilo there are many who ho ques- ques ques question don tion the practicability of o a 40 40 hour 0 hour bour week throughout Industry generally not only from Its eco eco- economic eco economic side but from rom Its social as ae aspects as well they are willing to concede that the United States has bas made Its greatest Industrial strides since hours of labor were reduced from the 60 and hour 70 70 week which was common only a short span of o years ago UPSET INDUSTRY There appears virtual agree agree- agreement ment that that to put all workers In Inthe Inthe Inthe the country on a hour 40 week w eek of labor over night would be ba dis die disastrous and that It would disrupt Industry as operated operate at present But as to the gradual Introduction introduction Introduction tion of o the shorter hours bours there may be ba expected division of ot opinIon opinion ion which will afford food rood for tor de de- de debate de debate bate for many months Many workers who enjoy short hours In tn their regular occupations seek other time part jobs It fl Is pointed out not only to supple supple- supplement supplement ment their Incomes but also be- be because be because cause they like to keep busy A proposal for tor a hour 40 work work- working working ing week or a day five week Is not Dot considered nearly as revolutionary revolutionary jis as was the Uie suggestion of o an hour eight day when this was fIrst advocated during the Civil war Nor is there lack of ot prece prece- precedent precedent dent for tor the hour 40 week It al- al already al already ready Is in effect among some lome hundreds of ot thousands of ot workers in this country particularly among building trades the printing trade and garment makers in many 10 lo localities Indeed Uncle Sam him him- himself himself self has some es In Washington who bo work ork only 42 hours a week and in summer months only 39 Whether such hours are economically sound throughout Industry generally Is Quite another question one of o in- in intricacies In Intricacies and speculations and con con- controversies controversies One of o the points which will be raised Is whether American Industry with Its high wages c cn can can n compete with Ith the low wages ages and long hours of ot foreign Industry it If its working hours are cut generally SCIENCE MAKES PLANS As hours of o labor In th the the United States Slates have been reduced science and invention have haTe come forward not only to take up the loss 1058 In productivity but to carry unit out out- output output put to even greater heights Probably Probably ably they can go further but not In the twinkling of o an rye eye lash Tho The hour eight day has made great progress since the World war And accompanying It has bas been the half halt holiday on Saturday so that In many lines today the working week eek is 44 hours Figures obtained by the census bureau In its data on manufactures manufactures tures and studies by by the depart depart- department ment meet of ot labor shed light on the rapid progress In shortening the working hours of o American labor I especIally since cince 1909 1903 Tho The hour 48 48 week meaning an hour eight day six days a week Is the maximum In most Industries now no It is the legal maximum In man man- man states for government employee The eight eight- hour eight hour day is h the basic working day for railroad under the Adamson law RECENT CHANGES Yet only as far tar back as 1909 only 79 per cent of o American workmen had the hour 48 week week orless or orless less By Dy 1914 the percentage had bad Increased to per cent and In 1919 it had leaped to In this year ear of ot grace exact figures are arp lacking but the proportion is much more than half halt with a number of trades working 44 U hours a week weel and some 40 Taking 1907 as the basis with an Index number of ot depart department ment meet of o labor figures show that there has been a steady annual decline In working hours with a break In la the order In 1921 and again In 1922 when the curve tilt tut tilted tilted ed upward only to start Its de de- decline decline cline cUne again in 1923 Considering Considering all trades as II a whole the time tull week now Is almost exactly tenths nine-tenths of what It was In 1907 NOT FOR FARMER The present movement in III manu manufacturing lecturing Industry to shorten the working time of ot Individual labor will accentuate the gulf gull between the Industrial and th the tha agricultural worker for tor In agriculture there can be e no hour 40 and no five day week |