Evening star., 1937-03-30

DOeS LQe OlStIlCG Oh OOluHlDld nave
a minimum wage law for women and
minors today, or is further action BY
Congress necessary?
While lawyers in and out Of Con-
gress debated this question as a result
of the majority opinion Of the Su-
preme Court yesterday in overruling
the 1928 decision that held the Dis
trict law unconstitutional, Chairman
King of the Senate District Commit
tee took the view that, in any event, a
new and more specific statute should
be enacted for Washington.
Chairman Norton Of the House Dis
trict Committee also stood ready to
introduce a new bill II 1t is found
necessary.
Corporation Counsel Elwood Seal
announced last night he would advise
the Commissioners they could proceed
to appoint a new Minimum Wage
Board. He pointed out that the orig
inal act of 1918 never has been re-
pealed, and that yesterdays decision
has the effect of reinstating the law
Senator King, nevertheless. sug-
gested that a new measure should be
drafted and passed, containing more
stable and certain provisions"
Just before the Senate adjourned
yesterday evening several members
indulged in debate that emphasized
the divergence of opinion over whether
yesterdays decision brought the Dis
trict law back to life after IA years of
invalidity.
What the Supreme Court did yester-
day was to uphold the validity Of the
Washington State minimum wage law
a statute virtually Identical with the
Districts old law, and in the course
of the opinion the majority of the
court announced the conclusion that
the case in which the District law was
invalidated IA years ago (Adkin VS.
Children's HospitaD Should be, and
it Is, overruled"
The local minimum wage law was
enacted September 49, 1918, and un-
der it the District Commissioners ap-
pointed a Minimum Wage Board
which functioned for nearly five
years, until the act was held uncon-
stitutional The validity Of the meas
ure was tested through the local
courts in two cases, one brought by
Children's Hospital and the other by
an employe Of hotel
While it functioned the board laid
down wage rates for several indus
tries, which, it was estimated at that
time, benefited 12,500 women. They
we're: For women in the printing and
publishing industry, $3.50 per week;
mercantile establishments, hotels and
restaurants, $3.50, and laundries and
dry cleaning establishments, SIS.
Three-Member Board.
Under terms of the law the board
consisted of three members, chosen
by the Commissioners as follows: One
to represent employees, one representa-
tive of employees and the third repre-
senting the public.
The board served without compen-
sation, but there were operating ex-
penses Of carrying out the law, linn
tied by the act to $4,000 year.
Although Corporation Counsel Seal
is preparing to advise the city heads
they may bring the board back into
existence, funds to cover the expenses
of administration would have to be
obtained from Congress. With the
District appropriation bill about to
start on its legislative journey, if an
amendment should be proposed to pro-
vide funds for the wage law, this de-
velopment probably would bring to a
head in Congress the legal issue Of
whether the law has been brought
automatically to life without the ne
cessitv for re-enactment.
Lawyers said that even if the old
law has been revived, employees would