Evening star., 1936-09-28
SETS RULES
F0RU.S. .SUPPL|ERS
Government Contract Hold.
ers Get New Standards in
Act Effective Today.
Bv the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A new Law setting wage and hour
standards for certain concerns do.
ing business with the Government
went into effect today.
Called the Walsh -Healey act the
law was passed in the closing days
of the last Congress. It's chief pro-
visions are requirements that holders
of Government contracts which
amount to more than $4,000 must
pay prevailing wage rates and pay
overtime wages If their employees work
more than 40 hours a week.
Although the law formally became
operative today, the wages require
ment will be applied only gradually.
Officials said it would take several
months before they could determine
prevailing wages for all industries in
volved
AS the lew went into effect. it was
criticized by the Chamber Of Com
merce of the United States. The
chamber. in its periodical Washing
ton Review" complained that the bill
was designed to force manufacturers
in all lines to accept labor conditions
imposed by the Federal Government"
Regulations Assailed.
Regulations recently issued under
the act by Secretary Of Labor Perkins
also came in for attack The chamber
argued that these regulations under
take to defeat" the intention of Con-
gress TO exempt contracts for articles
normally sold from the shelf or from
stock
The chamber declared the effect of
the new regulations, If they should be
sustained as to articles usually pur-
chased in the open market, would be
to make articles on shelves or in stock,
not produced In accordance with the
labor stipulations in the walsh -Healey
act, unsalabe in amounts larger than
$4,000 to the usual contracting agen-
cies of the Federal Government.
There Is thus demonstration OF the
correctness of the contention of those
who opposed enactment of the Walsh
Healey bill. that its purpose was TO
bring pressure upon manufacturing
enterprises of all kinds to accept labor
conditions imposed by the Federal
Government"
Secretary Perkins is expected to ap-
point a special board this week to
handle the administration of the Law.
Determination of minimum wage
rates for industries supplying the
Government will be one Of the chief
functions of the administrative unit.
Secretary Perkins said such determl-
nations would be made only after
public hearings"
Other Labor Provisions.
Although officials said 1t probably
would be several months before pre-
vailing wages could be determined for
all industries. they added that until
such determinations were made for
an industry. it would be required to
comply with the other labor provisions
of the act.
The Department of Labor will not
arbitrarily adopt the minimum wage
provisions once contained in the
codes without inquiry into present
conditions" Secretary Perkins said.
Findings on minimum wage, Miss
Perkins said, would be made available
to prospective bidders, 80 that all
persons interested in particular
contract will have notice of their
minimum wage obligations before sub
mitting their estimates"
The Secretary said the first in
dustries to be studied with q view
to fixing the minimum wage would be
those which by practical experience"
are known to be below a decent
standard of living" Other department
officials said some branches Of the
clothing industry were included in
that category.
No funds were appropriated for ad-
ministration of the law, but officials
expressed belief sufficient money would
be available to meet demands until
Congress convenes. They added the
necessary personnel probably could
be borrowed" from other Govern
ment agencies.