Evening star., 1935-03-15
Administration Victory Ger
tain as Wagner and 0'Ma-
honey Speak for RusselPs
Compromise Plan.
BORAH QUIZZES PAIR
ON DIFFERENCE IN PLANS
Only Federal Buildings Blanketed
In on Prevailing Wage-Hop.
kins Jubilant as Number on
Rolls Shows Slight Decrease.
Reversal of Trend Seen.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Defeat of the McCarran prevailing
wage amendment to the Presidents S
work relief bill TO-DAY became assured
when Senators Wagner of New York
and O'Mahoney of Wyoming told the
Senate they would support the So
called Russell compromise. A vote on
both was expected today.
Senator Wagner took the floor as the
session opened to explain his change
o. attitude toward the McCarran
amendment. He said the President
would veto the work relief bill If it
were sent him with the McCarran
amendment included. He said that
on the other hand the President would
approve the Russell compromise.
The New York Senator declared
nothing should be done by the Senate
to delay fatally the passage of the
work relief bill. He praised highly the
record Of President Roosevelt. both as
Governor of New York and later as
President of the United States IN his
relations to labor.
Let us not forget" said Senator
Wagner, 'the humane slnglenesS OF
purpose of President Roosevelt
Applies to U. S. Buildings.
Senator Wagner said the Russell
amendment, in the nature Of COM
promise. provided for the payment of
prevailing wages on all Federal Build
lnps which would be erected out OF
the appropriations carried in the bill.
Senator Borah of Idaho interrupted:
What is the distinction between
the McCarran amendment and the
Russell amendments"
There is very little distinction be-
tween the two" replied Senator Wag-
ner. He added, when Senator Borah
continued to press him:
There is no difference between the
McCarran amendment and the Rus
sell compromise except that the Rus
sell amendment has the approval of
the President. and the President will
veto the McCarran amendment"
Senator Borah wanted to know II
Senator Wagner believed that under
the Russell compromise the prevailing
wages paid to labor and industry
would be maintained Senator Wag-
ner said he believed such would be
the case.
Senator OMahoney also insisted
that the Russell compromise would
give ample protection to labor and
industry.
Explains Types of Work.
"Then what's the differenve between
tho MCCorraY1 pnCca11
tion?" Borah again demanded.
Senator O'Mahoney replied that
Under the McCarran amendment the
President would be required to pay
the prevailing wage for all kinds of
work under the relief bill.
There are two kinds of work" said
Senator O'Mahoney. There is the
MADE work and there is the useful
public work. If the McCarran amend
ment were adopted it would have been
mandatory on the President to pay
the prevailing wage for made work"
Senator McCarran of Nevada, au-
thor of the prevailing wage amend
ment which has been strongly op-
posed by the President since it was
first offered, asked if it were not true
that under the Russell compromise
the payment of the prevailing wage
was limited to work on public build
1ngs Of a permanent nature erected
FOR the departments of the Govern
ment. Senator O'Mahoney demurred
to this.
Senator Hastings of Delaware. Re-
publican. called attention of the SEN
ate to the fact that it would take a
year for the architects and officials of
the Government to prepare plans and
let contracts for permanent public
buildings. Yet the work relief bill. he
said, is expected to take care of $780,
900 workers. beginning Immediately.
The Delaware Senator also called at
tention to the fact that many of the
States have prevailing wage laws and
that there might be conflict between
the Federal and State laws.
Text of Compromise.
The text of the Russell compromise
amendment follows:
"The President shall require to be
paid such rates of pay for all persons
engaged upon any project financed in
whole or in part, through loans or
Continued on Page 2, Column 3D.