Evening star., 1935-11-04
MANY PROBLEMS
FACE D. c. JOb[ESS.
INSURANCE BOARD
Size of Tips Is Only One OF
PerpIexing Subjects at
First Hearing.
NO REPRESENTATIVES
OF WORKERS PRESENT
Adjournment Taken for 10 Days
to Give Time for Filing Sug-
gestions, Inquiries.

A barrage OF problems ranging from
how much a tip should be, to what
ought to be done about UNEMPLOYED,
transients. greeted the Districts Un-
employment Insurance Board at Its
first public hearing today in the board
room of the District Building.
Many OF the questions raised by
room full of interested citizens were
conceded by board members to be as
baffling to officials as to employers
coming within the provisions of the
new District of Columbia unemploy-
ment compensation act.
After about an hour and half Of
round table diSclS sion, during which
no representative of employees. as 8
class, took the floor. the board ad-
iourned with an announcement that
10 days will be allowed all interested
parties in which to file suggestions.
inquiries and specific problems for
consideration by the board in drawing
up final regulations under the act,
which becomes effective January !.
Quinn Raises Tip Question.
The tip question was raised by
Carey E. Quinn. attorney for the local
Beauty Shop Employers Association.
representing shops having some 5000
girls on pay rolls. Quinn pointed out
that most of the permanent wavers,
eyebrow pluckers and facial masseurs
Thus. if a girl receives Sc for per-
manent wave she puts So in the cash
register and So in her own pocket,
together with whatever tip she may
eet-often dollar.
E. Barrett Prettyman. member Of
the board. said the act compels the
board to take into consideration the
girls tip as we'll as commission in
fixing her compensation for unem-
ployment insurance. Prettyman de-
clared the whole question OF tips and
how to obtain an accurate check on
them to compute compensation rates
is one that is quite puzzling to the
board at the present time.
Prettyman said the board probably
will have to strike an average on tips
for certain classes of workers, which
brings up the perplexing problem of
the average tip for walters, bell boys
BARRIERS and others.
Average Now Under 10 Pct.
District Commissioner Melvin Hazen.
also a member Of the board, inquired
II it wasn't customary to pay waiter
10 per cent Of the total check. A rep
resentative of the hotel industry.
whose name was not obtained, replied
that the percentage plan had been
used in past years. but that the aver
age waters tip today is considerably
under 10 per cent of the total bill
rendered the customer.
The question of unemployed trans
tents who come into the District of
Columbia was one Of several raised
by Joseph A. Cantrell, representing
Elisha H. Hanson, counsel of the
American Newspaper Publishers AS
sociation.
That is the biggest problem which
confronts the board at the present
time" Prettyman responded. THE
whole matter must be correlated with
the Federal Board. It's a question that
must be worked out somehow. but
nobody seems to know just how it can
be handled"
Regulations Tentative.
Representatives of various classes of
employers received permission from
the board to file memoranda or briefs
concerning the tentative regulations
prepared by the board as basis for
drawing up final rules and regulations.
Engineer Commissioner Dan I. Sultan.
a member of the board, stressed that
the present regulations are merely
tentative and that today's hearing was
informal and that statements made
by board members in the hearing must
be regarded as informal and ten
tative.
Permission was given insurance Or
ganizations, merchants groups and
other organizations of employers to
file written suggestions with the board
within 10 days.
Other members of the board are
John Marshall, present director of in
surance, who will become chairman
OF the board; Daniel ]. Callahan, rep
resenting employers, and John Locher,
representing employees. Asked why en-
ployes had no representatives in to-
days discussion Locher said that the
Central Labor Union and all its atiili-
ated bodies were notified of the hear
ing and that apparently they are all
satisfied with the tentative regula-
tiope