56 SEVENTEENTH REPORT. 



Extra pay is deinaiuled for over-time and extra shifts because the 

 uniou desires to discourage continuous work for more than eight 

 liours. Work for a longer period is harmful to the journeymen's 

 health, and the dangere accompanying work in the dark should be 

 avoided. In addition to these two reasons, such extra pay and the 

 change of men on every shift shares work. The jouraeymen gen- 

 erally attribute this rule to the first two arguments but recognize 

 the influence of the latter. (*34, 12-15, 17.) The journeymen's 

 iittitude is characterized by one as follows : "the heavy charge on 

 overtime is made to discourage employers from working men more 

 than eight hours. The extra pay represents the additional energy 

 necessary for the hours beyond eight." Or as another expressed 

 it, ''this is to prevent contractors from working men for many. .. 

 hours. . . and impairing the employee's health." (*36,) 



The importance of the established time, place, and kind of pay- 

 ment is very important and significant. Why should Tuesday 

 rather than Saturday be the pay day, and why should payment be 

 made at a definite place and in a definite kind of money? 



In the first place, Saturday has proved unsatisfactory because 

 the men spend unwarranted sums in the saloons on Saturday aftei- 

 noons and nights under such a system. Mid-week pay-day eliminates 

 much of this practice. One jounieyman says that the purpose of 

 Tuesday pay-day is wholly to keep men from spending their week's 

 pay for drink as Avould be the case if paid on Saturday." (*-18.) 

 There is, however, another very good and definite reason for the 

 Tuesda}^ paj-day. It would be impossible for the contractors to 

 niake up the roll and get the money around to the various jobs on 

 Saturday forenoon during banking hours. ( *!(>.) 



If Saturday were made the pay-day, it would be necessary to ])ay 

 by check. This the union will not allow, ''because the men would 

 go to the saloon and have the check cashed." This increases their 

 incentives to go to the saloon, drink and jterliaps treat others, out 

 of courtesy to Ihe saloonkeeper, who has cashed their checks. The 

 practice of cashing the checks at the saloon and the consequent 

 evils of drinking led to the requirement for payment in currency. 



Why should the union insist upon a definite i)lace of payment? 

 Tin; great number of carpenters at work make it impossible for 

 the unions to supervise the pay envelopes unless all the men are 

 l)aid on the job. If payment could be made elsewhere the journey- 

 man could accept less than the union scale of wages, and the union 

 officials would know nothing of it. (*47.) In the second place, if 

 carpenters were paid at the office of the contractor or other than at 

 the place of work, he would lose time and carfare collecting his 



