The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-01

processes ana rcDulIdlng OF Amerl
far agreed upon include:
l. A huge and early public works
program, possibly for $1,000 900 900
to be financed through the sale OF
baby bonds and expended through
federal works and loans to states
and communities.
Stressed we're such works as will
not depress wages and will be most
quickly set in motion-slum abate-
ment, grade crOssing elimination
reclamation and other projects.
Shorter Hours Favored
Miss Perkins was given a list Of
2.7OO needed and deferred construc-
ton projects totaling $500 100000
This list, prepared by the con-
struction council, would, according
to Robert Cohn of the council pro-
vide employment for 100000 men
2. Shorter hours. The conferees
favored the Black Connery thirty
hour week bill and any other means
of attaining shorter hours to absorb
the jobless.
3. Minimum wages. Whether these
were to be attained by the Hillman
plan for wartime Wage-fiXing labor
boards was not determined.
After long and sympathetic dis
cussion of this proposal the confer
ence voted to leave the question in
the hands of a continuing commit
tee composed of William Green, A.
F. Whitney of the brotherhoods, Sid
ney Hillman and Rose Schneider
man, head of the Women's Trade
Union League.
4. The early end Of child labor,
through ratification Of the child Ia
Dor amendment and state regulatory
laws.
Protect Living Standards
5. Recognition of the right to Or
ganize, through passage Of state
anti-iniunction laws, and such Spe-
cial legislation as is proposed by the
coal miners.
g. Protection Of American living
standards in the administration of
relief.
Labor wants a representative on
all local relief boards; all supplies
for the citizens conservation corps
bought from firms paying fair
wages; general administration of re-
lief so as to discourage sweatshop
labor trends.
Miss Perkins promised the con-
ference that she would have labor
adviser in the work Of enrolling men
for the conservation corps.
Other emergency matters on the
sgenda were put over till the next
conference.
Low Pay Menace Stressed
Meantime, the conference COM
mittee will confer with Miss Perkins
and President Roosevelt on labor
policies.
Although the conference program
is incomplete, the full program OF
labor's two largest groups is before
the President. It was framed for
the conference by the American
Federation of Labor and the rail
brotherhoods.
The loW-wage menace was en-
phasized again and again by speak
ers at the closed conference, who
described the spread of sweat-shop
standards.
Miss Perkins presented data
showing that weekly wages in
manufacturing industry in January
of this year averaged $l668. In
some industries average earnings
were as low as $40.
65 Per Cent Wage Decline
While the national income de-
clined 40 per cent between 1929 and
1892 the combined wage payments
by factories, railroads and con-
struction activities declined 65 per
cent.
The process of dehation in
which all prices and incomes con-
tinue to fall will not lead us out of
the depression" Sidney Holman
told the session. 1T is necessary in
the interest of all to establish con-
troll over wages, hours and labor
conditions on a nationwide scale