Evening star., 1937-02-28
zoo ARE EXPECTED
AT TTEXT|LEPARLEY
Chief Producing Countries
to Attend Preparatory
Talks April 2.

About two hundred delegates and ad-
visers from the chief textile producing
countries are expected here April
for the opening of the Tripartite Prep
atory Textile Conference that is to
be held under auspices of the Inter-
national Labor Office at the invitation
of President Roosevelt.
The conference will be the first con-
voked by the I. l.. o. in this country
since 1t became a member Of the Or
gani1ation in 1884, although the First
International Labor Conference met
here In 1919 at the invitation of PreSi-
dent Wilson.
All textile producing countries, in
eluding Germany have been asked to
send delegations consisting of Govern
ment, employers and workers repre-
sentatives as well as advisers for each
OF these groups, to the textile con-
ference. Among the countries that
have already accepted are: The United
States, Great Britain, France. Belgium
and Czechoslovakia.
40-Hour Week Accord Is Aim.
The agenda of the conference will
include discussion of all aspects re-
lated to the improvement OF social
conditions in the industry. Particular
effort will be made to pave the way for
the adoption of a 40-hour week con-
vention at next June's session OF the
International Labor Conference.
An attempt to obtain such con-
vention was made last June. However.
the British government and various
employers delegates objected on the
ground that the conference did not
have at its disposal sufficient informa-
ton.
Thereupon John G. Winant, former
chairman of the Social Security
Board. and Miss Frieda Miller of the
New York State Department of La
Dor, the United States Government
delegates, introduced a resolution CALL
ing upon the governing body of the
I. L. o. to convoke a special prepara-
tory conference. bringing together ex-
perts from all the textile countries.
The resolution was adopted b. the
conference and referred to the gov-
erning body at its regular quarterly
meeting last November. After the
governing body had decided to call
the preparatory conference. it ac-
cepted an invitation from President
Roosevelt to hold the preparatory con-
ference in Washington.
/. L. o. Experts to Attend.
A staff of experts from the T. L. O.
eecretariat in Geneva is expected here
shortly to organize the conference
Two official languages-English and
French-will be used; but by means
Of special telephone system dele
gates unfamiliar with these languages
will be able to listen to translators in
German, Spanish and japanese.
The United States is about the only
country in which the textile industry
is now on a 40-hour week In most
other countries the weekly hours range
from 48 to so.
Experts declare that the textile in
dustry is peculiarly suited to regula-
tion by international agreement. 1t
Is one OF the industries employing the
largest number Of wcrkers-ll ,0O0, ,U00
in some 20 countries-and is subject
to keen international competition.
Moreover, there is heavy unemploy-
ment in all its branches and the bro
portion of female labor employed a.so
Is high.
Three government, three employers
and three workers representatives on
the governing body of the Interna-
tional Labor Office will represent that
body at the conference.
Copyright. 1897. by New York
Herald TrlbuneD