The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-06-02
Steel CHIEFS
MAY BATTLE
REVIVAL ACT
Yelled Threat Made to Block
Law If Organized Labor
Comes Into Industry.
BY RUTH FINNEY
Times Special Writer

WASHINGTON, June "A yelled
threat from the biggest Morgan
controlled induStry-iron and steel
to block operation of the national
recovery act if it brings organized
labor into the steel mills today con-
fronted the Roosevelt administra-
ton.
1t left Washington wondering if
this new move, following closely
upon attack by a Morgan utility
company on the federal power act,
is part of a counter offensive de-
signed to offset disclosures of the
senate banking committe.
Speaking for the American Iron
and Steel Institute, of which the
Morgan Company, United States
Steel Corporation, is the biggest
part, Robret P, Lamont told the
senate finance committee at its final
hearing that the industry stands
positively for the open shop" and
that it most strongly objects to
inclusion in the pending bill of any
provisions which will be in conflict
with this position"
Court Attack Threatened
He concluded: IF this position is
not protected in the bill, the indus
try is positive in the belief that the
intent and purpose of the bill can
not be accomplished"
This last statement was inter
preted as threatening a court at
tack on the recovery act.
The Lamont statement did not
mention the thirty hour week, which
the recovery act is designed to
establish, nor the matter of mini
mum wages.
1t did recall to officials here, how
the part of labor and government to
abolish the twelve-hour day in the
steel mills.
Long Hours Worked
In 1919, just after the big steel
Church World Movement, Federal
Council of the Churches of Christ
in America, and the United States
senate disclosed that so per cent of
the employees in the United States
Steel Corporation were working
twelve hours day, and half of
those were working seven days a
week.
1t was found at that time that
80 per cent of all steel workers in
the country were not earning as
much as the minimum subsistence
standard fixed by the government
for family of five, and that 70 per
cent were below the minimum-o of
comfort standard fixed by the gov
eminent.
In 1922, with the big strike lost, it
was discovered that the twelve-hour
day still prevailed.
PrObed Many Times
President Harding called on the
Steel Corporation to abolish it, and
received an answer from Ebert H.
Gary saying that it was mot
practicable to abolish" the twelve
hour day.
In 1890, the Federal Council of
Churches of Christ in America made
a new investigation of steel, and
that out of 248,000 men
covered in its survey, $500 were
working more than twelve hours,
and 10000 were working more than
ten hours. 1t found one plant in
which men worked fourteen hours
a day, seven days a week Wages
for common labor ranged from "a
to Sc cents an hour.
In 1881 the United States bureau
of labor statistics found that aver
age working hours for skilled work
ers in five steel mill departments
ranged from ffty-two to f1fty-six
a week.
For April of this year the bureau
of labor statistics reported that pay
roll totals in iron and steel were
24.2 per cent of their 1926 level.