THE SIX-HOUR DAY.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 67, 21 June 1912, Page 14

THE SIX-HOUR DAY.

Sir,- The increasing use ; of laborsuviiiji machinery and the concentration of industry have rendered the further miiiiil.tinin'tx <>' tlie day a menace to the working-class. With the present hours of labor tlie nrmy of the unemployed grows fast. Tlie competition of'this industrial reserve army will not allow improvement in either wage or conditions. We must reduce tlie" hours ol labor, find thus destroy competition among tlie workers for jobs. Labor power is a commodity and by the sale of this commodity the work-ing-class procure tlie means to live. His to the interest-of tlie, workers to get atf high a price us they can for their commodity, and to do this thov must restrict the output so that the siippiv is never greater than the demand. For them to; work eight hours a day is to scab upon the unemployed and to glut the market for labor. Therefore, let us adopt the six-hour day and Id us <1o it ouickly. That accomplished, labor power will be scarce, consequently, its value will immediately rise, men will forsake those jobs where condition* are worst. Something hotter than 9s. a day will he required to tempt men to go t° Pi (, ' c a ehovol w<nk in the backblocks. With a sixhour day in operation, the men now out on strike could be instantly absorbed in other industries more healthy and pleasant. The workers could be quite unconcerned as to whether operations were recommenced or not in the deadly occupation of quartz mining. The question arises: Are we able to reduce the hours of labor r . Yes, wo. are able. No worthy end desired by Labor could be accomplished so easily. A general strike for a six-hour day wotdd succeed because of tlie solidarity that all sellers of labor power would display for it. A strike for anything else would be opposed by many, even of the ordinary working-class, but all would join hands for shorter hours. It is not a question requiring years of strenuous propaganda work. Let us prepare for action now.—-Yours, etc., Iluntly. J AS. AY. PATTERSON.