Evening star., 1937-05-24

8OOAA9 WA4AA4A AA0NS SOCA4 RAOAuSCu
under conditions which meet the
minimum standards OF free labor
shall be admitted to interstate
commerce. Goods produced under
conditions which do not meet
rudimentary standards Of decency
should be regarded as contraband
and ought not to be allowed to
pollute the channels Of interstate
trade.
These rudimentary standards will
Of necessity at the start fall far
short of the ideal. Even In the
treatment of national problems
there are geographical and indus
trial diversities which practical
statemanship cannot wholly ignore.
Backward labor conditions and
relatively progressive labor oondi-
tions cannot be completely assimi-
lated and made uniform at one fell
swoop without creating economic
dislocations.
Fair Labor Standards.
Practical exigencies suggest the
wisdom Of distinguishing labor con-
ditions which are clearly oppressive
from those which are not as fair
or as reasonable as they should be
under circumstances prevailing in
particular industries. Most fair
labor standards as practical mat
ter require some differentiation be-
tween different industries and To-
calities. But there are a few rudi-
mentary standards Of which We
may properly ask general and wide
spread Observance. Failure to OBJ
serve them must be regarded as
socially and economically oppres-
sive and unwarranted under almost
any circumstance.
Allowing for . few exceptional
trades and permitting longer hours
ON the payment Of time and . half
for overtime, 1t should not be
din1cult to define general maxi
mum working week. Allowing for
appropriate qualifications and gen.
eral classiflcatious by admins
trative action, It should also be
possible to put some floor below
which the wage ought not to fall.
There should be no difficulty in
ruling out the products Of the labor
of children from any fair market.
And there should also be little dis
pute when 1t comes to ruling out
Of the interstate markets products
Of employers who deny to their
workers the right Of self-organiza-
ton and collective bargaining,
whether through the fear Of labor
spies, the bait of company unions.
or the use Of strikebreakers. The
abuses disclosed by the investi-
cations Of the Senate must be
promptly curbed.
With establishment Of these
rudimentary standards as q base
We must seek to build up, through
appropriate administrative ma
ohinery, minimum wage standards
Of fairness and reasona bleness, in
dustry by industry, having due re-
gard to local and geographical
diversities and to the effect Of un-
fair labor conditions upon compe-
tition In interstate trade and upon
the maintenance of industrial
peace.
Although q goodly portion Of the
goods Of American industry move
in interstate commerce and will
be covered by the legislation which
we recommend, there are many
purely local pursuits and services
which no Federal legislation can
effectively cover. No State is
justified tn sitting idly by and ex-
pecting the Federal Government TO
meet State responsibility for those
labor conditions with which the
State may effectively deal without
fear Of unneighborly competition
from sister States. The proposed
Federal legislation should be \
stimulus and not q hindrance to
State action.
Guided by Practical Reason.
As we move resolutely to extend
the frontiers Of social progress, we
must be guided by practical reason
and not by barren formulae. We
must ever bear in mind that our
objective IS to improve and not to
impair the standard of living Of
those who are now undernourished,
poorly clad and i'll housed.
We know that overwork and un-
derpay do not increase the national
income when n large r,rtio1, nf o,1r