The Omaha guide., 1933-08-05

serve to give the Negro labor in the
lumber industry Of the south with his
nearly half Of a million dependents a
fair chance of warding off the evils
of hunger and human misery. Nor
must it be supposed that the purposes
of the National Industrial Recovery
Act will be served by simply giving
Negro labor a bare subsistence wage.
A much higher minimum is necessary
If these purposes are to be achieved.
The Negro labor has been paid rid
iculously low wages in no justifica-
ton for the repetuation Of such wages
in a code of fair competition. For
these reason, then we advocate a
minimum wage of not less than 40
cents an hour in the southern branch
Of the industry.
Moreover another important pur-
pose Of the Act is defeated by the
differing hours Of labor prescribed
for workers in the several regions un-
der schedule B Of the proposed code
From the figures for laborers which
have already been given, it is appar-
ent that if the 91,816 Negro laborers
in southern lumber mills were placed
on a 40 hour week basis as has. been
done in the case of white laborers in
the western regions then the 734,5
man hours weekly which they work
in excess of these white fellow labor
ers would provide jobs for 1868 adj
ditional workers, whose pay would
amount to 1901, 1903 90 weekly or SIS,
694 ;O61 90 annually These figures
represent an understatement of the
situation, since they are laborers
alone. Many thousands more would
be furnished employment if the 40
hour week were extended to skilled
labor in the southern regions. Failure
to do this in the proposed scheduled
results in the defeat of another i'm
portant objective of the Act, namely
the unemployment Of these vast re-
servoirs of human labor now destitute
and out of work.
1t needs no statistical survey to
establish the fact that Negro labor
has suffered from unemployment to
a greater proportionate degree than
has white labor. Whatever else may
be said Of the Negro laborer in the
southern lumber mill, it cannot be
said that he is contented and happy.
He is downtrodden and intimidated
and this has been eupemistically
termed at this hearing, content
ment." He has not caused labor diff
culties because he is not organized
Despite bland assurance we have not
rebelled against the low wages paid
him has been because intimidation
and fear coupled with enforced ignor-
nce and economic restitution, have
%conspired to vitiate his bargaining
power Certainly it is the spirit of
the National Recovery Act to protect
those very classes, who will be least
able to secure a fair wage by the
strength Of their W collective bar
gaining
If the hours and wages for the
southern regions proposed in these
schedules are allowed to stand unem-
ployment will not be lesened for Ne
gro labor, Negro lumber mill work
ers will not be able for themselves or
their families to cope with the stead
lily increasing cost of living But this
is not all, the 4O,521;O62 40 in in
creased buying power which should
come to this class Of labor and Of
which it is denied under the proposed
code will not flow out into the chan
nels Of commerce to purchase the
products of the farm and factories
Somewhere this disastrous policy Of
establishing lower wage rate for Ne
gro labor must stop If it is allowed
to permeate all Of the codes which
are being presented, then white
manufacturers will find that they
have 40 sales for their products ba-
cause they have allowed the Negro
market To become paralyzed, a mar
ket, if you please, better than any
foreign market that could be hoped
for a market from ~fluctuating ira
and uncertain competition factors,
and q market large in potential de-
mand.
Certainly no code that have yet
been proposed and few which are to
follow are freighted with as much
significance to Negro labor as is this
code under discussion. And certainly
no heavier blow could be struck a
gainst the return Of prosperity Of
long suffering Negro families in the
south than the determinations con-
tanned in the schedules appointed to
this code.
1t is the earnest recommendation
Of the Negro Industrial League that
the minimum hourly wage in the
southern regions be not less than 40
cents an hour and hat the maximum
weekly hours or service be approved
for not more than 40 hour a week.