The Washington times., 1922-12-31
Rulings Handed Down by Su-
. preme Body During Year
Nationwide in Importance
STATUS OF WOMEN Defined
Famous Decision in Minimum
Wage Suit Held Special Pro-
lection Was Not Due Sex

been aCCeQ upon III luc Sooie va
Appeals and the District Supreme
Court during the past year.
The most important OF these
cases, both from a national and
a local viewpoint, is the minimum
wage law case, which resulted in
an act of Congress, designed for
the special protection OF women,
being declared invalid. In de-
claring this law invalid the Court
of Appeals reversed ltself-hav-
ing once before declared it valid.
STATUS OF WOMEN.
The court held that women were
no longer entitled to special protec'
ton, and that the law was confisca.
tory. The decision, until the United
States Supreme Court reviews H.
will affect similar laws in the States
and also the decisions or the State
courts on minimum wage matters.
Foremost among the decisions by
the District Supreme Court are the
cases involving the steel and coal
Industry. The Federal Trade Com
mission went down to defeat on two
separate decisions when it tried to
investigate these two important IN
dustries with q view to making pub
lie the inside facts concerning manu-
facture and distribution.
COAL MEN WIN.
The coal men drew the first blood.
The Maynard Coal Company,
member Of the National Coal Asso-
citation, sued on it's own behalf and
that of other members and obtained
an Injunction against the commits
sion preventing the latter from de-
manding answers TO questDnaires
regarding the cost Of mining, prOduc-
tion and distribution. The facts con-
cerning this case can best be learned
from review of the victory by the
steel men as the principles involved
are the same.
Twenty-Five large Eastern steel
corporations, including the Midvale,
Bethlehem, Republic, Cambria, West
Penn. Inland and others applied for
IN injunction and obtained it.
Federal Prohibition Commits
sioner Roy V. Haynes met the
purveyors of malt and hops and
was defeated. Raphael F'ransione,
who sold the "makings" for home
brew, took action against Mr..
Kramer for seizing o couple OF
truckloads of "makings" and won
out in court-an order for the re-
turn of the goods being Obtained.
The final decision in this case re-.
suited in the sale Of malt and hops
and such things being declared le.
&al and the sale now goes mer.
rily on.
GAMERS LOSE FIGHT.
The California COOPERATIVE Can.
neries. big concern on the Pa.
cffic Coast, set up a protest about
the way the Government took the
"Big Five" packers by the neck
and compelled them to get rid of
every line of business but the
meat business. The Gamers wanted
10 continue to do business with Ar
mour & co. and launched Wig
crous attack on the Department OF
Justice for enforcing the decree
which denudeG the packers OF
everything but meat.
The Gamers lost their fight. Jus
tice Bailey refused TO let them
Intervene in the proceedings after
apparently ignoring their charges
that the decree was unconsti-
tutional.
BERGDOLL CASE
Mrs. Emma c. Bergdool mother
OF Grover G. Bergdoll, the draft
Stacker, who is now reported try
ing to sneak back into this coun-
try, lost her fight to recover about
S1,000,000 worth of property which
had been seized by the Alien Prop
erty Custodian. A lot of this prop
erty belonged to Mrs. Bergdoll, but
Il was so interlocked with that
belonging to her son that the Gov
ernment could not tell which was
which.
When the case came on for trial
Mrs. Bergdoll refused to answer
certain questions, although she was
fined $50 for talking too much.
The fine was later remitted. The
woman also refused to produce cer-
tain documentary evidence de.
manded by the Government. JUS
tice Bailey dismissed the petition
for the recovery Of the property
and Mrs. Bergdoll appealed, but
later withdrew her appeal.
MRS. VAN WINKLE CLEARED.
Lieut.. Nina Van Wrinkle, chief OF
the Women's Bureau, locked horns
with the Police Trial Board and won.
The trial board, it seemed, had in.
formed Mrs. Van Wrinkle that she
was not guilty of the offense
charged, but she mustn't do it again.
The case began after Mrs. Van Win.
kle had decided to use her own judg.
ment, and not that of Inspector
Evans, in the matter of releasing two
runaway girls. She was hailed be.
fore the trial board, found not guilty
of insubordination, but told that she
did not have the proper concept OF
discipline. She appealed from this