Social Problems And Their Peaceful Solution.

desideratum sought by the experienced mechanician ; and so , how to apply this process to the machine here in questionthe working-man—is the purpose of the present investigation . In days gone by , our forefathers , putting

into practise the dictum of our wise Grand Master— " to everything there is a season " —divided the twenty-four hours into three equal parts , one portion for work , a second for sleep , aud a third for meals and recreation ; aud thiseven in these days of

high-, pressure , seems to he the best and most natural division , Ask the real son of toil , the man whose time is his money , one to whom "the hope of reward sweetens labour , " that is one who is paid by the results of his work—the quantity he does ,

and not by time—a collier for instanceand he will tell you that he cannot well do more than nine hours' work at a stretch , and that he would be better iu all respects for one hour less . At the very outset , then , in the division of timewe should do well

, to go back to the ways of our anc « stors , who , 'though they marked their hours by the waning candle , were far too wise to burn it at both ends .

We do not , of course , here mean to say that an inflexible rule can be laid down for all occupations alike , but we do assert , and that without fear of contradiction , that the hours of work at the present day , are far too long either to keep the machine ia

good running order—that is to preserve the worker in health , or to return a good staple product—that is to yield an adequate quality of work for the time and material consumed in its 2 > roduction . Thus then these long hours are profitless , alike to

employer and employed . The employer sees , perhaps , his hands busy for longer periods at a stretch , but then what a listless perfunctory service it is : the employed gets , maybe , greater present wage , for longer hours of toil , but how useless this is in the

long-run ; with the greater amount of reward comes a lessened period of its continuance , for a speedy break-down of constitution is the inevitable result , Would it not be far better for all parties concerned to shorten the hours of service

, with a distinct understanding that every moment of each and all of them were to be utilised to the full ? In offices , and still more in banks , the

rule is short hours , but those fully occupied ; why should not this principal be extended to trades in general 1 An objector may possibly say that customers cannot make it convenient to come during these shortened hours—to which we simply replynonsenseit is onl

, , y that they will not , so long as the more lengthened opportunity is afforded them . It is definitely known that unless customers attend a bank between certain well-known hours , they cannot get their business done , and so they make it their business to go

between those hours . Most assuredly the result would be the same at the shops of the retail trader , if the same rule were iu force . But , our supposed objector might here urge again , this may be all very well with those who can afford to keep banking

accounts , that is with the well-to-do , but how about the poor , with whom every minute means bread : to which we merely jiohit as answer to the savings-bank , the place of business of the poor , where the hours are most limited of all ; besides , if their hours of labour were shortened too , as we propose , for we have no class-interest at heart , they would be on precisely the

same footing that they are now . It is the public , then , with whom the matter really rests , and to whom the appeal must be mainly addressed . Only within the last few years many a change for the better has been made ; the witty , but kindly " Punch" following the lead of

, the gifted and feeling poet Hood , has appealed , and by no means in vain , to ouv fair readers on behalf of their poorer sisters j and , only recently , a worth y member of our national legislature has procured for brain-workers directly , and indirectly as a

natural consequence for all classes of the community , the inestimable boon of occa ~ sional whole-day intervals of rest and recreation . But , although these are steps iu the right direction , enough has not as yet been done , and if a thoughtless public

will not bring about a better state of things by curtailing the hours of business where they are unnecessarily long , the legislature must t ? ke the matter up , and guard alike employers and employed , from such a prodigal and useless expenditure of thenpowers of production . It has done this already to a great extent in the case of factory hands , but why should the one who