The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-07
CRUSADE FOR WAGE LAWS
Fly FLORENCE KELLEY 'ecretnry National Consums' League

(Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.)
 The decision of the United States su- preme court in the pending case of the Oregon minimum wage law may reason ably be expected during the winter. the oral argument having been heard on De- cember F, 1914.
 Should this decision be adverse, there would necessarily follow a. diversion of energy to the task of changing the con stitutions in order that American women may be protected against Restitution while working, as hundreds of thousands of wage-earning men and women in Aus tralia, New Zealand and England already are protected.
 If, however, as Is confidently hoped, the decision proves to be a favorable one, a nationwide effort for the enactment of statutes modelled more or less exactly upon that of Oregon will immediately fol- low. During the year 1915 40 legislatures will be in session.
 State Commissions
 A brief survey of the status of mini mum wage legislation in the United States is thus timely. Such legislation was a favorite subject throughout 1913, and state commissions were authorized to establish wage rates in California, Colo rado, Minnesota, Nebraska. Oregon, Wis consin and Washington. Commissions were authorized to prosecute inquiries as to the desirability of such legislation, or as to the living wage of women and minors. in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Con- necticut. In 1915 New York. Missouri on nd h da Ina suits of such inquiries.
 Utah dispenses outright with commits sion and wage boards, and establishes a fiat rate of wages specified in the statute for girls IA to IS years of age, for minors over IS years and for adult women.
 The commissions of Oregon, Washing ton. Massachusetts and Minnesota have. during 1913~ and 1914. promulgated wage rates. and the difficulties peculiar to our system of legislation are nof conspicuous ly manifest.
 American Laws Compared to Foreign
 The outstanding characteristics of American minimum wage legislation com- pared with that of England, Australia and New Zealand are three: The first is its omission of men; the second is its ref erence to the welfare of the people as a whole: the third. which is responsible for both the others, is its subordination to the courts on grounds of constitution ality, entailing the practice of placing upon American states the burden of proof that they are acting within their police powers when they create state wage com missions and wage boards or conferences. In several states the name industrial commission" or industrial welfare com- mission," is deliberately intended to sug- gest that here is no apparatus intended merely to facilitate haggling between em- ployers and employees, but an organ of the whole of society created to serve the whole, by protecting the health and nor als of women and minors.
 Many of the laws provide that the com missions or wage boards shall include in their membership representatives of the public as well as of employers and em- ployes. and some specify that at least one member shall be a woman.
 Despite these precautions. however. progress is for the moment halted. Un- til the decision of the United States su- preme court becomes known. no legis- lature is likely to experiment further in. the new field. But this is not all. The Minnesota wage rate established October g, 1914. to become effective November %, has been met b a temporary injunction by Judge Catlin of the second judicial district of Minnesota, op the grounds that the questions presented are im-