The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-04-26

VI w.
The act establishing this Com
mission was drafted by the Rev.
John A. Ryan, D. D., of st. Paul
Seminary, a recognized authority
on the question of a living wage
for the toiling masses. The bill
was endorsed by the State Fedora
ton of Labor and the State Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs. There
is no doubt that it will receive the
signature of Governor Eberhart.
The Minimum Wage Commits
sion for which it provides will
consist of three persons one of
whom shall be the Commissioner
of Labor who shall be the chair
man of the Commission, and the
others shall be appointed by the
Governor within sixty days after
the bill becomes law. One of these
must be an employer of women
and the other a woman who shall
act as Secretary of the Commits
sion at a salary of eighteen hun
dred dollars a year.
The Commission has power to
investigate the conditions under
which women and minors work In
the different industries in which
they are employed, and to fix the
lowest rate Of wages to be paid
them in any given occupation. To
that end the Commission is en-
powered to hold public hearings
at which employers, employees or
other interested persons may ap-
pear and give testimony as to
wages, profits and other pertinent
conditions in any given industry.
If this investigation shows that the
wages paid to one-sixth or more
Of the women or minors employed
in that line of work are less than
Living wages, that is, wages suffi-
cient to maintain the worker in
health and supply her with the
necessary comforts and reasonable
conditions Of life, the Commission
shall establish a legal minimum
rate Of wages for that occupation
and all employers of women and
minors shall be obliged to pay that
amount to them, and any employer
who refuses to do so shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction shall be punished for
each offence by a fine of not less
than ten nor more than fifty dol
lars, or Imprisonment of not less
than ten or more than sixty days.
In order to arrive at just esti-
mate Of the minimum wage in any
given occupation the Commission
is empowered to call to it's aid an
advisory board representing the
employers, the workers and the
public. This board shall have
power to examine into the condi-
lions that obtain in any given in
dustry in which women and
minors are employed and recon-
mend to the Commission the mini
mum wage which ought to be paid
them. If this recommendation
meets with the approval Of the
Commission it shall establish this
minimum wage in that occupation
and enforce it.
Provision is made in the bill for
reconsideration of the wage
rates whenever it is deemed neces-
sary to establish a new minimum
wage; and also for the employ
ment of physically defective
women at a wage less than the
general minimum wage.
For the carrying on of the
work of the Commission the sum
of five thousand dollars was appro-
priated and the Commission must
make a report of its work BIZ
ennially to the Governor and the
State Legislature.
This minimum wage law differs
from the one recently enacted by
the State Legislature of Oregon in
as much as it authorizes the Com
mission to fix the wage in all
trades and industries employing
women and minors, leaving it op-
tional with them whether or not
they will establish an advisory
board to make recommendations
to them in a given industry. This
advisory board is a necessary
feature Of the Oregon law as the
Commission is obliged to establish
one in each line Of industry and
abide by it's recommendations.
By this act Minnesota places
herself among the comparatively
small number Of States in the
Union which have passed mini
mum wage laws for the benefit of
women and minors employed In
different industries. The State of
Washington has enacted a law
similar to that Of Oregon, while
Utah has a fat rate for all in
dustries. The minimum wage law
passed by the Massachusetts, Leg
islature has not yet gone into
effect in that State. The advo-
Gates Of the Minnesota minimum