The Washington herald., 1918-07-13
LABOR BOARD
DEFINES FIVE
VITALPOLICIES
Goes Farther Than En-
ployes Themselves
Went in Demands.

Five policies of far-reaching
consequence in the employment of
labor were laid down yesterday by
the National War Labor Board. They
were:
/. Approval OF the principle of
the eight-hour day.
2. Insistence on the payment to
labor of a living wage"
3. Disapproval of the employment
of children under IL years Of age on
government contracts.
4. Disapproval OF the direct or in
direct employment on government
contracts of prisoners who have
been sentenced to hard labor.
S. Adoption OF a dividing line be-
tween the war industries in which
women should be employed and
these in which they should not.
In the adoption of these principles,
applied by the board in many in
stances to labor disputes pending
before that body. the board. of
which former President William II.
Taft and Frank P. Walsh are joint
chairmen, has not hesitated to go
beyond the rival claims of the en-
ployers and the employees.
10 Cents Minimum.
This was notably the case in the
announcement by the board of its de-
cision in the dispute involving 1000
employees in eight plants at Wsynes-
boro, Pa. In this case the board es-
tablished 40 cents an hour as the
minimum wage to be paid any class
Of workers, including common la
borers. on the theory that less than
that amount was not a living wage.
By living wage. It was explained, the
board means the minimum rate Of
wage to permit the worker and his
family to subsist- in health and COM
fort" Final determination Of the liv-
ing wage question Is to be disposed
of at a special meeting of the board
July g.
The significant fact In the award Is
that the Waynesboro decision gives
to many Of the employees wage in
creases greatly in excess Of what they
themselves demanded when they re-
Gently went out on strike.
For instance" said a statement
authorized by the board, the mini
mum rate Is fixed at 40 cents an
hour. while the minimum rate de-
manded was 30 cents an hour. Until
now common laborers at waynesooro
have been receiving as little as %
cents per hour. The increase to the
lowest paid men, therefore, will be
81 per cent. Skilled workers were
awarded the increases they demand
ed"
Eight Hour Day.
The decision regarding the s-hour
basis day was announced in an award
in the controversy between the Worth
ington Pump and Machinery Company
and fits employees in the Blake.
Knowles plant at East Cambridge
Mass, and in the Snow plant al
Buffalo. ". Y.
At both places the paramount issue
was the application of the basis g.
hour day. though the question OF
wages was also involved in the East
Cambridge strike.
With regard to the child labor
question, the War Labor Board to ar
extent stepped into the breach left BY
the decision of the United States su.
preme Court declaring the Federal
child labor law unconstitutional. Its
ruling in the matter, covering also the
question Of the use of prison labor on
government contracts, follows:
"Al work required in carrying out
this contract shall be performed in
full compliance with the laws of the
State, Territory or District OF Column
bia, where such labor is performed.
A contractor shall not directly or In
directly employ in the performance
Of this contract any minor under the
age Of fourteen years, or permit any
minor between the age Of fourteen
and sixteen years to work more than
eight hours in any one day, more than
six days in any one week, or before
s O. m. or after .. m. Nor shall
the contractor directly or indirectly
employ any person undergoing SEN
tence Of Imprisonment at hard labor
which may have been imposed by a
court of any State, Territory or mu-
nicipality having criminal jurisdic-
tion."