Evening star., 1934-05-29
Walsh Resolution Would
Probe Conditions on All
U. S. Buildings.
EARLY PASSAGE SEEN
FOR WAGE PROPOSAL
Carpenters to Discuss Settlement
Of Strike at Meeting
Tomorrow.

The Walsh resolution for a Senate
investigation of labor conditions on
Government building projects in
Washington and throughout the coun-
try was approved today by the Senate
Audit and Control Committee. Since
the resolution had been reported ia
vorably by the Education and Labor
Committee, the Senate is expected to
pass it as soon as Senator Byrnes
Of South Carolina files the recon-
mendation of the committee, within
day or two.
AS originally drafted, the resolu-
ton was aimed primarily at finding
out whether the So-called 'kick-back
racket" is practised on Government
building jobs. This racket is de-
scribed as requiring employees to give
back part of the wages to which they
are entitled under their contract. The
committee amended the resolution TO
authorize an investigation of 1.-The re-
quirement of employees to organizations
Of employees or others in qualifying
for or in securing work"
Cost of Inquiry Reduced.
Committee members explained this
amendment would allow the commit
tee to find out whether there are any
cases in which employees are required
to make payments to employe or
ganizations or others in order to get
work.
The only other change made by the
Byrnes Committee was to reduce the
cost of the investigation from $4,000
to $4,000.
The resolution would allow the
committee to inquire whether con-
tractors who pay the prevailing rate
of wages are Disseminated against or
unable to obtain contracts because OF
undertaking by contractors paying
their employees by reason of the So
called kick-back racket or other SIM
liar practice. wages at less than the
prevailing rate"
The committee gave further con-
sideration to the McCarran resolution
for a national milk investigation, but
took no action. With the session
nearing a close. there was some in
dication this resolution may not get
through. An official of the Federal
Trade Commission attended the COM
mittee meeting and is understood to
have indicated the national milk IN
vestigation might prove beneficial.
There is believed to be feeling on
the part of some committee members.
however, that the milk problem Is
local one rather than one calling for
a national inquiry.
Carpenters to Confer.
Carpenters will meet tomorrow
morning at the National Press Club
auditorium to vote on proposal 10
end their strike, which began May /,
with an agreement which would in
crease their pay from 81 an hour to
SIPS an hour, but keep the days work
at the same eight hours. This agree
ment is a compromise between the Of
fer of the Master Builders Association
for Sl.10 an hour and an eight-hoLr
day and the demands of the union for
S137l2 and a six-hour day.
The carpenters will take a secret
vote, which will be tabulated and an
nounced as soon as the result Is
known. The decision probably will be
reached about pm. tomorrow, &C
cording to one estimate.
A delegation representing the plas-
terers' union, now on strike. called on
the District Commissioners today to
enlist their support for an investiga-
ton of the kick back"
The plasterers declared they would
not go back to work unless an investi-
cation Of forced refunds of portions
of their pay was assured. The delega-
ton included Harry Rothberg, Edward
F'rietag, Alexander Nelson, Walter
Moore, George Whitney and Michael
Enlau