ABSTRACT
In the pre-war period of the twentieth century there was little reduction in hours of labour. The energies of the Trade Unions were largely occupied in overcoming legal difficulties and maintaining the standard of life in face of a rising cost of living. Employers accepted this situation far more readily than they would have accepted a legal maximum working day; for its elasticity enabled them to meet sudden increases in demand and to fulfil contracts to date. To all proposals for ratification of the Washington Eight Hours Convention they presented a united opposition; nor were the workers completely united in its support. The recuperative powers claimed for Capitalism were manifested to a remarkable degree between 1924 and 1929, and despite the economic unsoundness which the slump was to reveal, the possibility of real progress was implied in the fall in costs of production due to the application of scientific knowledge to industry and agriculture.
