The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-07-24
The New Wage-IIour Bill
(NeW York Times)

lNeW York 11meS)
 As it emerges from the Senate committee the Fed era bill for establishing minimum wages and maxi mum hours is far less objectionable than the measure as originally drafted The extent of the discretion granted to the proposed Labor Standards Board is greatly curtailed Some of the blanks in the original measure are filled in. Instead of the board being allowed to fix minimum wages up to 80 cents hour, it is permitted fix them only up to 40 cents an hour It is longer allowed to establish fair'wages above the minimum. In expanded definition of employees specific exemption is provided for local retail" workers The board may fix maximum hours, but not below forty hours week.
 The original measure would have placed in the hands of the Labor Standards Board unparalleled powers It would have allowed that board, virtually at its discretion, dictate the hours and of the great majority of American workers It would have introduced element of uncertainty into nearly every business, which could have been subject to sud- den increases in wage costs and sudden changes up or down. in hours. It would in short have established a regimentation of labor standards unprecedented in democratic country. Because the measure as re- vised in committee of the most disturb ing features of the original bill many will be inclined to that it is now unobJechonable In its present form it will undoubtedly command strong support But if examine it as critically as we would measure, we must still Ind important objections to it.
 It remains true to the revised as of the original measure that it deals with three separate subjects and that these could be soundy regulated by separate measures. The question OI ldDOI uCaiV with in the Wheeler Johnson bill and in the new Van denberg child labor amendment, both of which have received committee approval. The Wheeler Johnson bill does not set up any Labor Standards Board or its equivalent to enforce or administer the act and no such body is necessary.
 The question of maximum hours should also be dealt with separately What is most important is that such legislation must not either directly or by implication, embody the fallacy that shorter hours create employment" No Federal body should be ho,1rc 6Ou11 fort m posed effect on employment the sole object should be legisate against hours that inhumane from the standpoint of the health and wel-being of the lndi- vdual worker The revised measure IS in this respect an improvement the original though it still appears extent to reflect the theory that shorter hours make more jobs. This is evident in the fact that 1t provides not only for a maximum week as short as forty hours but provides that shorter week, fixed by collective bargaining or otherwise shall De encouraged" Those who have drafted this measure should not forget that shorter hours below certain maximum inevitably mean reduced national produc- tion and reduced real wages for labor
 Instead of delegating this question to the discre tion of board Congress would do much better to ana
 yze the State legislation the subject and to draft Federal maximum hour law that would reflect the existing standards o the more advanced States Such legislation, without bringing any sudden or drastic change would raise the standards of the backward States while it would not prevent the more progressive States from adopting even stricter standards. It would so to speak, establish ceiling over hours.
 The question of minimum wages is far more diff fcult and complicated than either of the other two of the grave problems raised by geographical differences in wages, and the huge administrative task that the Federal Government would face, much the most desirable course would be to leave this question to State control at least until more experience re- garding the working of State regulation has been accumulated.
 But if the Federal Government is nevertheless to deal with the question immediately, the adminlstra- tive features of the present bill remain objectionable of independent board able of its own motion to fix wages and hours. it would be much more in keeping with democratic methods and existing or ganzaton to allow the Secretary of Labor to set mini mum wages for special industries, but only in each case after fact-finding investigation by special commission followed by public hearings regarding the minimums it is proposed to fix In this way the Federal Government would be following the best exist ing State practice in the matter and minimum wage changes would be less likely to be sudden or arbitrary
 We should be at least careful in drafting labor legislation as in any other. We cannot afford simply to enact emotional one-sided slogans We did that in effect in the Wagner act, and in recent months we have been witnessing the consequences
 We'd go even further than Neville Chamberlain, who urges European statesmen to keep their heads I6To,l that harm