Evening star., 1933-07-13
PAY BOOST Plan
IS GIVEN JOHNSON
Cooperating Groups Said to
Have Offered Emergency
Program Pending Codes.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK. July 13-The Herald
Tribune says it has learned that an
emergency measure to govern the coun-
try's business pending the permanent
codiflcation of various industries has
been submitted to Gen. Hugh S. john
son, recovery administrator, by the in
dustrial, labor and consumers groups
cooperating with him.
Attributing its information to "per-
sons prominent in Gen. Johnson's or
ganization," the paper says the measure
would divide the Fations workers into
three groups-mercantile white collar"
and manufacturing-end provide min
imum wage of 40 cents an hour for un-
S1illed labor in all groups, maximum
40-hour week for the first two cate
gories. and a 35-hour week for the
manufacturing group, with certain ex-
ceptionS and notifications.
The measure is reported to have been
laid before Gen. johnson for the con-
sideration of President Roosevelt, but no
statement was made as to the Prest-
dents attitude toward it.
Agreed at Conference.
The proposed emergency measure is
said by the paper to have been agreed
upon Monday at an all-day session of
induStrialists and labor representatives
in Washington when it was realized
on all sides that the code-making
process of rehabilitation of the Nations
business was not progressing with the
speed desired, and that some far
reaching program would have to be put
into effect at once to assure immediate
boosts in wages and limitation of work.
ing hours to keep pace with the current
rise in prices and provide mere jobs for
the Nations unemployed"
Imposition of the code would depend
upon voluntary action by the industries
affected. No indication is given as to
how much authority President Roose-
welt could exert to make it effective.
The measure would not be kept in
effect for any substantial length of
time, the paper says, but only to tide
the more hard-pressed sections of labor
and industry over the gap to the time
when permanent codes on wages,
hours and practices for the various in
dustries are agreed upon"
Members cf the advisory group for in
dustry sponsoring the measure are listed
as Dudley Gates, Chicago insurance
man, who is assistant administrator for
industry Gerard Swope, president Of
General Electric Co.; Alfred P Sloan.
jr., president of General Motors; Walter
c. Teagle, chairman of the board of
Standard Oil of New Jersey; Austin
Finch, manufacturer. of Thomasville.
N. c.. Erward N. Hurley, Chicago in
oustrialist: Louis KRISTEN, Boston de-
partment store executive. and William j.
Fereen. cotton manufacturer, of Moul-
trie, Ga.
Refers to Unskilled Workers.
The labor representatives are said to
have included Edward F. McCready, as
Sistant administrator for labor and legis-
latiVe representative of the American
Federation of Labor; DR.. Leo Wolman,
chairman of the labor advisory group;
William Green, president Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor; Joseph Frank
lin, president of the International Boil
ermakers' Union; Sidney Hillman.
president Of the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers Union; Rev. Francis Haas of
the Catholic Welfare Council and Rose
Schneiderman, secretary of the Women'S
Trades Union League, with Mrs. Charles
Cary Rumsey Of New York, representing
the consumers.
The proposed measure is described as
referring only to unskilled labor and not
interfering with existing contractual re-
lations between industry and labor.
NeVeTtNeleSS, IL was asserted, SO Oe-
| moralized have the labor ranks of the
country become during the last few
years under pressure of the depression ~
the paper continues, that it has been
estimated that the great bulk of the
| Nations workers would be affected py
the proposed order"
Miss Schneiderman, who returned
from Washington yesterday, is quoted
as saying that "a definite policy has
been agreed upon by labor and industry
that there shall be no differential be-
! tween male and female workers in the
matter of the establishment of wasc
and hour conditions"
Low Pay Groups Listed.
'The minimum of 40 cents an hour
for unskilled workers" Miss Schneider
man is quoted. while by no means all
| that We would want, is quite an i'm
provement when We consider what some
of the workers in some of the industries
have been receiving
Men in the lumber industry have
been receiving IL cents an hour, girls
in the and 10 cent stores have been
getting So a week, shirt workers In
Pennsylvania have been getting as low
as 81 week and needleworkers have
been receiving cents and 10 cents an
hour and working long hours.
Il should say that this minimum is
comparatively high when applied to the
South, the canning industry, the cotton
textile factories. the lumber and gar
ment trades and other such industries
I where scarcely enough to buy bread was