Evening star., 1937-06-06
BY HERBERT NJ. BRATTER.

Child operator in a Yonkers
N. Y, curtain factory.
BY HERBERT NJ. BRATTER.
A LMOST on the eve OF congress
n sional action to establish
~ minimum wage and maximum
4 a working hours for men and
| women on q Nationwide basis, a
liberal Congressman puts his finger on
vital spot. Representative Kvale OF
Minnesota asks 4 question that is OF
importance to each Of us, whatever
our business or the source OF our in
come rs the manufacturer to 60 on
raising retail prices at fast as in
creased wages and shorter hours
affect his production costs? Or is he
to do his part by applying modern
science to his production methods and
lessening costs so that prices may be
kept down."
In other words, what Mr. Kvale
fears is that a rise In the cost of living
will follow any material increase In
pay rolls.
We cannot raise production costs
overnight without incurring higher
retail prices. II manufacturers do
successfully meet larger pay roll costs
by chronological improvements, many
Of the workers now employed in fac
tories will be earning more. but some
OF them will probably have to be laid
OF. The matter is not to be simply
disposed Of.
The proposed national wages and
hours legislation Is explained as an
attempt to eliminate unfair labor
practices on the part of sweatshops or
| chiselers. The idea Is to insure to
unorganized and economically helpless
workers in the depressed stratum Of
the employed working population
certain minimum pay and working
conditions in keeping with the rich
resources with which nature has
endowed this country.
Black -Connery Bill.
While the Black-Connery bill spec
ifies no minimum wage, SIS is the
smallest amount that is currently
mentioned. Eighteen dollars is a more
likely figure. According to Assistant
Secretary Of Commerce Draper, not
more than about IS per cent of the
manufacturers engaged in. interstate
commerce would be affected by the
imposition OF fair labor standards. and
these are in any case charge on
society AS the Labor Department
has stated: when other employers
drive down wages to the lowest pos
sible depths. the more progressive
employers are forced by this unfair
competition to lower the wages of
their workers also" A minimum wage
law gives the public protection
against subsidizing industry through
supplementing low wages by relief"
1t is pointed out. for example that
in = certain food-products industry
the N. r. A. raised prevalent wages
from IS or S6 to $l4; yet, within a
few months after N. R. AS invalida-
ton, the rate slipped back to So for
a 48-50-hour week Obviously this
Is not living wage, and workers
receiving it cannot support themselves
in decency. The payment OF such
low wages has come to be regarded
by many as = matter OF more than
local concern.
That the unemployed shall not
roam the land hungry and in rags is,
with US, fixed principle We take
1t for granted. Why, then, should not
all those who have employment earn
enough to conform to at least mini
mum national standard? To this
question there IS only one answer !:
They should. But this minimum can
not IN the nature OF things be guaran-
teed without legislation, because there
are always some who for one reason
or another will not voluntarily pay
labor more than they have to.
Encouraged to Seek Law.
Now that the Supreme Court has
upheld the administration in . series
OF decisions, and with Mr.. Justice
Van Devanter's place on the bench
vacated, the administration Is en-
couraged to seek Federal law. The
Black -Connery bill, containing as
reinforcement provisions for the elm
ination OF child labor which are un-
likely to meet any opposition, has
now been introduced. The bill would
create = powerful labor board. Some
such measure promises to be passed
easily this Summer, following deter
mination by Congress of the exact
number Of hours, dollars, ETC. which
are to constitute the national standard.
But just there lie the most impor-
tant dangers. There Is risk, II the
bill is to satisfy its more ambitious
hackers. For example, the measure
has the full support of the c. I. O.
During the recent hearings on the
Ellenbogen bill Sidney Hillman, textile
labor leader, announced that he
favors 35-hour maximum week and
an SIS minimum wage. If applied
universally, these standards might
prove very hurdensome to recovery
Rightly or wrongly. the impression
has got abroad that those groups OF
organized labor which support the
Black Counery type Of bill do 10 only
because they see In it . means OF
increasing the weekly pay envelope OF
all workers, and not merely Of those in
sweatshops.
Not shorter week actually worked,
but . pay envelope swelled by more
overtime Is what this faction of labor
Is said to Be after. They help milk the
COW, and they want bigger dipper OF
the milk than they have been getting
Well, We can't really blame them for
that. But We should be nightly care
ful not to spill any Of the milk In the
process. II We do, therell be less
I. for all Of us. Yet thare Is . real danger