THE EIGHT HOUR'S DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 20252, 13 August 1929, Page 8

THE EIGHT HOUR'S DAY.

i -Among tho plans of tho British Labour I Government is i the introduction of a measure to give effect to tho Washington Eight .flours Convention. Labour at Home has been pressing for action. Delay by the Baldwin i Government in putting tho convention into legislative form was criticised by tho International Congress of Miners held in Franco in May of last year, and miners in the countries that had not adopted the convention were invited to engage in a violent campaign accordingly. Later the Trades Union Council in England decided unanimously to place ratification of the pact in tho forefront of tho Labour Party’s programme at the next General Election. The International Conference of Mbtal Workers, hold in London, also took the matter up. It deplored . the proposals that had been iugde for a revision of the pact, and called on all organised workers in the world to protest against delay in ratification.’ Thus it can be understood that Mr Ramsay MacDonald and his Ministers feel committed to prompt action, and their promises will no doubt assume concrete shape when the House of Commons reassembles in October, Different points of view are put forward by two sections of British employers. One, which is concerned mainly with ..labour conditions as they affect tho costs of production, opposes the convention in its present form on the ground that it would be directly pre- ! judicial to British industry, and would j fail to bring about any appreciable j measure of uniformity in working hours in the various countries. The other [ section scorns disposed to agree to rati--1 lication with certain safeguards, the cfj feet of which would be to bring tho ' practice of other countries up to the British standard. There is every reason for caution lin the matter in Great Britain. In the | convention as it stands at present there are provisions for exceptions and modi- ; lications of tho standard eight-hour ■ day and forty-eight-hour week to meet ' special conditions. Included in those are overtime, continuous processes (such as iron and steel manufacture), the five-day week, and work in times of national emergency. It can bo imagined that tho interpretation of | these clauses leaves many opportunities for difference, and that British : manufacturers as a consequence might find themselves at a competitive disadvantage. There is no question of the benefits to Great Britain of an eighthours convention, duly ratified by all manufacturing nations, interpreted uniformly, and applied with strictness and impartiality. This is an ideal that is difficult of attainment. Hours and wages in Britain, generally, speaking, are much ahead of the conditions that ! prevail on the Continent, so that a gcnc- ' ral levelling up would bo to the advani tage of the Home Country, but it is 1 obvious that unless care is taken to 1 make the text clear and explicit ratij fiention will bo harmful to British j manufacturing interests. There is dan ; ger that the present Labour Ministry I in pursuit of its ideals may disregard the pitfalls that stand in the way. So I far as Britain is concerned, the numj her of workers whose hours of labour i would be shortened is relatively small, amounting to about 7 per cent, of tho whole, and these include many continuous process workers. League protagonists attach great importance to the convention, as it was the first notable achievement of the Labour organisation, but internationally there is a long way to go. Belgium Ims ratified, Italy will do so on certain conditions, and it is hoped that France and Germany will | fall into line. To-day's cables from Russia indicate a great industrial drive with efforts at continuous production in the country, and the suggestion of the abolition of all holidays excepting foi-l-evolutionary festivals. In these circumstances the intensely Socialistic Government at Moscow is hardly likely to welcome a restriction of the working hours of its people.