Evening star., 1937-08-08

LuOttNteU IN lHG UuQe-HOUI Olt.
silk and rdyOn manufacture, c
efficiency as the determinant of busi-
ness success.
The outstanding feature of the
proposed legislation is that it sets the
rules of the industrial game. Employ
ers with social conscience are assured
they will no longer be compelled to
conform to the standards of competi-
tors with blunted social senSibilities.
This is not to say that the proposed
legislation will curtail competitive
action, it only determines the manner
in which the. competition will take
place. 1t seeks to create situation
in which the ideals of the better rather
than OF the worst employers shall pre-
vail 1t aims to establish by law
a plane Of competition far above that
which could be maintained in the ab-
sence Of Government edict."
Doubtful About Results.
Despite this enthusiasm for the pur-
poses of the legisla ton, however Lubin
was less optimistic when he got down
to discussion of the tangible results
That may be expected from the bill
Estimating that the number Of workers
who would be directly effected by the
bill would not be in excess Of 1000 900,
he said:
The industries that will be affected
to any large extent are relatively few
in number. You have the saWmill
industry, cotton goods, silk and rayon.
corsets, mems furnishings, shirts and
collars, confectionery, cigars and Gig
arettes, cottonseed. fertilizers and one
or two others. Those would be the
industries where the big proportion Of
the workers would be affected. In
other industries, it would be scattered
firms here and there"
The average hourly wages paid In
these Industries as of February, 1887,
were:
Sawmills. 444 cents; cotton goods,
80; silk and rayon, 423; corsets, 43.9;
mems furnishings, 329; shirts and COL
lars, 37.3; confectionery, 429; cigars
and cigarettes, 434; cotton seed, 22.7,
and fertilizers, 356
Cottonseed professors, the lowest
paid of the group, have since been ex-
empted from the bills provisions.
Overtime or Extra Men.
Questioned by Senator La Toilette,
Lubin refused to hazard a guess as to
the number of workers who would be
affected directly by the maximum
hours provision, explaining this would
depend on whether the Labor Stand
ards Board permitted overtime with
pay and half as the bill provides
Should this be the case, he said some
employers, particularly in the skilled
lines, might prefer to work their men
overtime at the higher pay rate. while
others would engage additional help
at the standard rate.
Likewise, Leon Henderson, consult
ing economist for the Works Progress
Administration. praised the stated
aims of the bill, but was only slightly
more hopeful as to the tangible bene-
fits that can be expected.
Firm standards as to minimum
wages and maximum hours are of high
desirability. he told the commit
tee. They will be almost indispensable
In efforts to maintain economic bal
ance If this country should suffer a re-
lapse in business activity and compe-
tition for lessened markets should then
as 1t did in 1929, seek focus on the
depressing of wages.
If the effective demand for goods
and services is to be fortified and sus-
tained, it is necessary not only that
the lowest paid be afforded additional
buying strength, but that gains sc
dearly won since 1882 be kept in force
The time to consolidate those sub
stantial gains is now, 50 that what
ever adjustments are required In the
structure Of production can be made
under the favorable circumstances od
strong business activity"
Sees 5000, 900 Affected.
Henderson estimated that something
under 100000 workers would be af
fected by the wage provisions-an esti.
mate roughly 331s per cent higher
than Lubin's. In arriving at thi.
figure. he submitted some interesting
statistics to the committee.
On July /, 1896, he said, the popula-
ton Of the country was estimated al
128, ,429, 900. and in March. 1887. the
National Industrial Conference Boarc
estimated the labor force for all enter
prise, public and private, was 52,.
$685. 900. agricultural employment rep.
resenting about 10000 900 of this.
This would leave approximately A..
900 900 potential workers IN. non-agri'