54 SEVENTEENTH REPORT. 



trained, irresponsible, and disagreeable co-worker, nor to communi- 

 cate to him the valuable information and knowledge he has ac- 

 quired from sources, which he knows have long been skilled and by 

 industrious workingmen worth their hire bj^ the principles and pre- 

 cepts and under the guidance of organized labor." (*G77.) 



The eight hour day detennines the number of hours in the "fair 

 days' work" and the time system of payment in the absence of 

 rushers and speeders determines the amount of labor to be per- 

 formed in those eight hours. The eight hour dav is also necessary 

 because of the great distances between the journeymen's homes 

 and their places of work. This trade condition served as a great 

 leverage in favor of the carpenters during their struggle in the 

 eighties for the eight hour day. Occasionally jouruej'men find it 

 necessary to cross the entire city for work. It frequently takes an 

 hour each way to get to and from work. This is becoming more and 

 more true as the process of specialization becomes more intense. 

 In the words of the journeymen, "distances are so great in Chicago 

 that if one had to work 10 hours, much of the time he would have 

 to leave home at 5:30 A. M. and not get back until 7 or 7:30 P. M. 

 This means that many of the journeymen would leave before day- 

 light and before the children are up and would not return until 

 dark after the children are in bed. Thus the family life would be 

 broken up. 



The third argument in behalf of the eight hour day is that "the 

 men can do more in eight hours than thej' can in ten hours." As 

 proof of this statement they say the Chicago carpenters do more 

 work in eight hours than the country carpenters do in ten. (*2.) 



Fourth, eight hours is all that most men can stand. They work 

 constantly and usually do very little "loafing" and talking during 

 working hours. They are quite certain that eight hours under such 

 conditions are a sufficient number for a fair day's work. (*5.) 



Fifth, their desire to share work should be considered in this 

 connection. Even though the journeymen are always quite active 

 on the job and the work is irksome under long and continuous 

 application, there is a difference of opinion upon the weight of this 

 argument in assisting the carpenters in attaining the eiglit hour 

 day. There is no general belief that the desire to share work in- 

 fluenced the rank and file ])ersistently to demand the eight hour 

 day, but their confidence of the desirability of the eight hour day 

 was more finally established because the eight hour day would bring 

 about a greater distribution of work among the journeymen. (*l-4.) 



T-/ast, the eight hour day being in the air, and popular, the car- 

 penters were able to force their demand for it through the joint- 



