The people of Washington and Oregon have also declared their interest in this legislation by the following action of their legislatures:

House joint memorial No. 3.

To the honorable Senate and House of Representatives in Congress assembled:

Whereas the Territory of Alaska is settled by a hardy, active, and energetic people, numbering more than 64,000 according to the Thirteenth Census, 1910, who have in the last 10 years added in gold and fish alone more than $225,000,000 to the wealth of the Nation, and whose trade with the merchants of the United States last year amounted to more than $52,000,000, being greater than our trade with China and twice as great in value as the trade with the Philippines; and

Whereas the development of the Territory is being greatly retarded by the want of a law making or legislative body therein to be elected by the people:

Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Washington (the Senate concurring), That the Legislature of Washington does hereby declare its most earnest opinion that it is necessary to the development of the Pacific coast and of the resources and good government in Alaska that Congress shall, at the earliest possible date, pass an enabling act creating and providing for the organization of a Territorial legislature in Alaska to be elected by the American citizens resident therein, with such powers and limitations as have been usually given to and imposed upon such legislative assemblies in other Territories; and the Senators and Representatives in the Congress of the United States from the State of Washington are hereby requested to aid and assist in the securing of the passage of such a bill.

Resolved further, That a copy of this resolution be forthwith transmitted to the Senators from the State of Washington and to each Congressman from the State of Washington, also to each member of the Committees on the Territories of the House of Representatives and the Senate for their information in the premises. Passed by the house January 17, 1911.

HOWARD D. TAYLOR,

Speaker of the House.

Passed by the senate January 20, 1911.

W. H. PAULHAMUS,
President of the Senate.

House joint resolution No. 4.

Whereas the Territory of Alaska is settled by a hardy, active, and energetic people, numbering more than 64,000 according to the Thirteenth Census, 1910, who have in the last 10 years added in gold and fish alone more than $225,000,000 to the wealth of the Nation, and whose trade with the merchants of the United States last year amounted to more than $52,000,000, being greater than our trade with China and twice as great in value as our trade with the Philippines; and

Whereas the development of the Territory is being greatly retarded by the want of a lawmaking or legislative body therein, to be elected by the people:

Resolved, by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon (the Senate and House jointly concurring), That we do hereby declare our most earnest opinion that it is necessary to the development of the Pacific coast and of the resources of and good government in Alaska that the Congress of the United States shall, at the earliest possible date, pass an enabling act creating and providing for the organization of a Territorial legislature in Alaska, to be elected by the American citizens resident therein, with such powers and limitations as have been usually given to and imposed upon such legislative assemblies in other Territories; and the Senators and Representatives in the Congress of the United States from the State of Oregon are hereby requested to aid and assist in securing the passage of such a bill. Adopted by the house January 19, 1911.

Concurred in by the senate January 26, 1911.

JONN P. RUSK, Speaker of the House.

BEN SELLING, President of the Senate.

Indorsement: House joint resolution No. 4. Chief clerk. Filed in the office of the

secretary of state January 31, 1911.

F. W. BENSON, Secretary of State.

The Democratic national platform adopted at Denver in 1908, under the head of "Alaska and Porto Rico," said:

We demand for the people of Alaska and Porto Rico the full enjoyment of the rights and privileges of a Territorial form of government, and the officials appointed to administer the government of all our Territories and the District of Columbia should be thoroughly qualified by previous bona fide residence.

In response to a demand from those best acquainted with the conditions in Alaska that her people ought to have an elective legislative body, we recommend the passage of the substitute bill, which is substantially the original bill with various sections omitted.

O

62D CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 1st Session.

}

THE EIGHT-HOUR LAW.

AUGUST 21, 1911.-Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed.

Mr. WILSON of Pennsylvania, from the Committee on Labor, submitted the following

REPORT.

[To accompany H. R. 9061.]

The Committee on Labor, to which was referred the bill (H. R. 9061) limiting the hours of daily service of laborers and mechanics employed upon work done for the United States, or for any Territory, or for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes, begs leave to submit the following report and recommends that said bill do pass with the following amendments:

On page 2, line 15, after the word "withheld," insert the words, "for the use and benefit of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Territory contracting."

On page 2, line 21, after the word "right," insert the words "within six months thereafter."

On page 2, line 22, after the word "contract," insert the words. "on behalf of the United States and the Territories."

On page 2, line 22, after the word "contract," strike out the word "or" and insert the word “and.”

On page 2, line 25, after the word "and," insert the words "in all such appeals."

On page 3, line 3, after the word "may," insert the words "within six months thereafter."

On page 3, line 4, after the word "have," insert the word "final." On page 3, line 9, after the comma following the word "market," insert the words "except armor and armor plate."

On page 3, line 13, after the word "work," strike out the words "now being" and insert the words "which have been, are now, or may

hereafter be."

On page 3, line 14, after the comma following the word "shall," strike out the word "when" and insert the words "if the same shall be."

On page 3, line 23, after the word "condition," insert the words "on account of."

H R-62-1-vol 1- -78

On page 3, line 24, after the word "declare," insert the words "the violation."

On page 4, line 3, after the word "ninety-two," inser comma and the words "or to apply to work done under contract made prior to the approval of this act."

The bill as amended by the committee will read as follows:

A BILL Limiting the hours of daily service of laborers and mechanics employed upon work done for the United States, or for any Territory, or for the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That every contract hereafter made to which the United States, any Territory, or the District of Columbia is a party, and every such contract made for or on behalf of the United States, or any Territory, or said District, which may require or involve the employment of laborers or mechanics shall contain a provision that no laborer or mechanic doing any part of the work contemplated, by the contract, in the employ of the contractor or any subcontractor contracting for any part of said work contemplated, shall be required or permitted to work more than eight hours in any one calendar day upon such work; and every such contract shall stipulate a penalty for each violation of such provision in such contract of five dollars for each laborer or mechanic for every calendar day in which he shall be required or permitted to labor more than eight hours upon said work; and any officer or person designated as inspector of the work to be performed under any such contract, or to aid in enforcing the fulfillment thereof, shall, upon observation or investigation, forthwith report to the proper officer of the United States, or of any Territory, or of the District of Columbia, all violations of the provisions of this act directed to be made in every such contract, together with the name of each laborer or mechanic who has been required or permitted to labor in violation of such stipulation and the day of such violation, and the amount of the penalties imposed according to the stipulation in any such contract shall be directed to be withheld for the use and benefit of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Territory contracting by the officer or person whose duty it shall be to approve the payment of the moneys due under such contract, whether the violation of the provisions of such contract is by the contractor or any subcontractor. Any contractor or subcontractor aggrieved by the withholding of any penalty as hereinbefore provided shall have the right within six months thereafter to appeal to the head of the department making the contract on behalf of the United States and the Territories, and in the case of a contract made by the District of Columbia to the Commissioners thereof, who shall have power to review the action imposing the penalty, and in all such appeals from such final order whereby a contractor or subcontractor may be aggrieved by the imposition of the penalty herein before provided such contractor or subcontractor may within six months thereafter appeal to the Court of Claims, which shall have final jurisdiction to hear and decide the matter in like manner as in other cases before said court.

SEC. 2. That nothing in this act shall apply to contracts for transportation by land or water, or for the transmission of intelligence, or for such materials or articles as may usually be bought in open market, except armor and armor plate, whether made to conform to particular specifications or not, or for the purchase of supplies for the Government, whether manufactured to conform to particular specifications or not: Provided, That all classes of work which has been, is now, or may hereafter be performed by the Government shall, when done by contract or otherwise, by individuals, firms, or corporations, be performed in accordance with the terms and provisions of this act. The President, by Executive order, may waive the provisions and stipulations in this act as to any specific contract or contracts during time of war or a time when war is imminent. No penalties shall be imposed for any violation of such provision in such contract due to any emergency caused by fire, famine, or flood, by danzer ti life or to property, or by other extraordinary event or condition on account of which the President shall subsequently declare the violation to have been justitable. Nothing in this act shall be construed to repeal or modify chapter three hundred and fifty-two of the laws of the Fifty-second Congress, approved August first, elztejn hundred and ninety-two, or to apply to work done under contract made prior to the approval of this act.

The purpose sought to be accomplished by this bill has been embodied in bills reported to the House and Senate in previous Congresses and the reports then made are to a great extent repeated in

The introduction of labor-saving devices into the industrial and commercial life of the Nation has greatly enhanced the productivity of the workers in a given period of time. Naturally, the workers have sought to secure some of the benefits of their increased productivity in the form of a shorter workday. In many industries in the country a maximum eight-hour workday has been established by mutual agreement between employer and employee. These trade agreements have had the effect of shortening the hours of labor in other lines of industry where no trade agreement exists. The result has been beneficial to the country at large by raising the moral, intellectual, and physical standard of the workers to a higher plane and improving the general standard of living.

It is conceded by many economists that the standard of living has as much to do with the rates of wages obtained as the rate of wages has to do with the standard of living. When, by virtue of a higher standard of living, people have become accustomed to the use of good food, good clothing, good homes, good schooling facilities, and good conditions of employment, they will not readily accept wages and terms of employment that do not enable them to continue these conditions. Notwithstanding these facts, wages do, and will no doubt continue to, fluctuate with varying industrial and commercial conditions. That is not the case, as a rule, with the shortening of the hours of labor. When a shorter workday has been established it seldom occurs that there is a return to the longer workday, and therefore the lessening of the hours of labor almost invariably results in the permanent improvement of the condition of the workers.

It has been the policy of the Government for a great many years, in dealing with its employees, to keep pace with the highest standard in private institutions, and justly so; the Government should be a model employer. That this has been the policy of this and other Governments is made apparent by a review of legislation affecting the length of a day's work.

England was the cradle of the factory system. It was there that the spinning jenny, the spinning frame, the power loom, and the steam engine were brought into existence. It was there that machinery was first brought into general use, and the division of labor became possible. Hence, it was naturally there that the physical and social evils growing out of the excessive long hours of toil in the polluting atmosphere of the factory and workshop first forced the necessity of short-hour legislation upon public attention. In 1802 a law was passed in England preventing the employment of apprentices (which most factory children were) on Sundays, and limiting their working time to 72 hours a week. In 1819, after years of fierce agitation, this law was applied to all factory children under 16 years of age. The beneficial effects of this measure upon the health and general condition of the operatives were so manifest that the demand for this kind of legislation widened and deepened with the increasing success of each experiment. In 1825 the hours of labor were reduced from 12 to 11 per day. In 1831 they were again reduced to 11, and night work was prohibited for all women and young persons under 21 years of age. In 1833 this law was extended to include woolen, worsted, silk, and flax, as well as cotton mills, and reduced the working time of children to eight hours a day.