E IGHT-HOUR duty, the dream of all private duty nurses, has at last come true for us in St. Louis. There does not seem to have ever been a time when shortening the hours of the private duty nurse has not been a subject near the hearts of all of us, but eight hours seemed the all but impossible Mecca. Now we are actually experiencing it and finding the results as splendid as any of us ever hoped for. We want to pass on to all of you just how we accomplished our purpose, how it is working and the actual results. Unemployment among the nurses reached its zenith about the Summer of 1933. Very few of us were making enough to pay for 'bare existence. Something had to be done, and we were ready to try anything which would give employment to a greater number. Of course, here, as, I expect, everywhere else, the pros and cons of eighthour duty had been cussed and for years, getting nowhere, for fear the public would think we were asking for a little something for the nurse as an individual, and that would be considered a criminal offense. The subject of eight-hour duty was first introduced into our group at least four years ago. But then, I am afraid, only a few radicals gave it a serious thought. Then two years ago Father Schwitalla, President of the Catholic Hospital Association, discussed it before a meeting of the Private Duty Section. Even then we were not prepared to make what seemed, at that time, so drastic a change. However last August, when the whole country was concerned over shorter hours and the division of work, the time seemed ripe. So a special meeting of the Private Duty Section was called for the purpose of discussion, and to find out the consensus of opinion among the nurses. Only a small minority were opposed, and we found, in almost every instance, that the objectors were nurses who had not felt the depression, and they did not object to shortened hours, nor was it consideration of the pati nt's welfare, but an unwillingness to share even a small part of their income with others not so fortunate. We had been getting $6.00 a day for twelve-hour duty, the patient paying $1.50 a day for each nurse's meals, the total cost thus amounting to $15 for twenty-four hour nursing care. It was felt that it would be unfair, and no help to unemployment, to put any greater burden on the patient, so the final decision was to charge $5.00 for the eight-hour day, and buy our own meals; the patient thus still paying $15 per day. This was taking a big reduction in our day's fee, but increasing our hourly fee from 50 cents to 621/2 cents, and giving us four extra hours to ourselves. We then asked that the District ratify our plans and try and put them into effect by October 1. Realizing that the good-will of the doctors and hospi als was a necessity in successfully operating a plan which so radically changed the nursing schedule, a meeting was called to which representatives of the hospital associations, the medical associations, and the health bureaus were invited. The plan was explained in detail and open discussion held. Most of the hospital representatives we e very cooperative. They realized that nurses had been having an exceptionally hard time and that they were trying to help themselves with all possible consideration of the patient. Also, that they were following the