Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-08
44-HOUR- WEEK BILL.
ADVANCES IN HOUSE.
Measure Is Sent to SubCom-
mittee to Have Amend
ments Written In.

Another step toward granting a Al
hour week the year around to depart
mental employees OF the Government in
Washington and Federal workers gen.
orally was taken today by the House
civil service committee in referring the
Mccormack bill to subcommittee con-
sisting of Representative Gibson, YER
mont; Smith, Idaho, and Mccormack,
Massachusetts,, to have written into IL
certain amendments.
Those amendments are the same as
were written into the Jones bill in the
Seventeen Congress, on which favor
able report from the House committee
was written by Representative Dallinger,
Republican, of Massachusetts,.
The Senate. April passed bill
sponsored by Senator Jones, which is
much more restricted than the McCor-
mack bill, as it provides for the four
hour half holiday on Saturday, making
the 44-hour week for "all laborers, help
ers, skilled and semi-skilled workmen
and mechanics, exclusive of employees
of the postal service and the Govern
ment Printing Office, employed by the
Federal Government, whether on the
hourly, per diem, per annum, piecework
and other basis"
Desire to Broaden Scope.
Desiring to greatly broaden the ap-
plication of the proposed 44-hour week,
the House committee decided to support
the Mccormack bill, which includes
not only mechanical forces but
clerical workers as well.
Representative Dallinger explained
at "employes of the Postal Service
and the Government Printing Office
have been excluded from the provisions
of the bill for the reason that other
committees of the House of Repre-
sentatives and the Senate usually
handle legislation affecting those ser
vices. The field service of the Interior
Department was excluded by the COM
mittee on account of the objections
made by the chiefs of the Bureaus OF
Reclamation, Forestry and National
Parks. and the Indian Bureau, the field
services of the three latter bureaus
being very largely composed OF
temporary employees during the Summer
vacation period. The Panama Canal
employees on the IsthmuS were excluded
because the committee felt that TINS
service has other compromising ad-
yantages, and that the conditions OF
employment can be regulated py tne
Secretary of War under authority OF
the president without congressional
enactment
Emphasizing that this legislation seeks
To establish a 44-hour week the year
round. throughout the Federal service,
Representative Dallinger points out taat
it is "anendatory of the Federal eight
hour law which was first enacted on
March 20, 1867. At the present time the
clerical employees OF the GoVernmehlt
have a seven-hour day or 42-hour week,
and In addition they receive the benent
of the four-hour Saturday work-day dur
ing four months of the year. In private
industry throughout the United States
not only does the eight-hour day prevail,
but many progressive employers nave
even adopted a five-day week. Building
trades workmen in practically all OF the
large cities throughout the country ana
in many of the smaller ones now enjoy
the 44-hour week. Retail and whole
sale houses in most of the large cities
close down on Saturday afternoon. The
prevailing practice among private en-
blowers of all kinds in communities
where most of the Government plants
affected by this bill are located is to
close down on Saturday afternoon.
Keeps Pace With Industry.
"By enacting this legislation, there
fore, Congress will not be establishing
a new practice, but will merely be keep
ing pace with developments that have
been going on in private industry Tor
some time.
1.-THE cost to the Government of the
proposed legislation cannot very well
be estimated, since it does not involve
a direct cost and may or may not reduce
the quantity of work performed. In
private business the experience has been
that it has not materially reduced the
output. Many of the experts studying
fatigue maintain that persons doing
manual work will in the long run per-
form as much work in A hours as they
will in 48 hours. If, however, a small
number of additional workmen would
have to be engaged to maintain the
work load In those industrial estab-
lishments, it will have the compensat-
ing advantage of relieving the present
unemployment situation"