Evening star., 1937-06-11
BY JOHN C. HENRY.


Two more powerful industry groups,
the National Publishers Association
and the Machine and Allied Products
Institute, appeared before the Senate
and House Labor Committees today
to oppose the Black Connery wage
hour bill.
Representing magazine publica tions
principally, Guy L. Harrington charged
that the bill was an attempt to impose
conditions of wage and price, fixing
which led to the fall Of French and
Roman empires.
After promising to supply the his
torical references necessary to prove
his contention, Harrington voiced his
specific objections to the bill.
Representing the Machine Institute,
John w. O'Leary charged that There
is far greater danger to the general
welfare of the American people in
conferring upon any board such powers
as are contemplated in this act than
there is in unregulated hours and
wages"
Calls Method Unsound.
Economic principles, which all So
cial legislation must take into ac-
count, make 1t impossible for compul-
sorry reduction Of hours and artificial
increases in wages to attain the goals
Of full employment, greater purchasing
power and improved working condi-
tions which many proponents expect
from this bill.
Only the uninformed believe that
there Is some limitless source out of
which higher labor costs, resulting
from shortened working hours, can be
paid without expense to workers them
selves and the consuming public"
Prefacing his objections by stating
that the publishing industry already
has wage and hour standards better
than proposed, Harrington objected to
the bill on the following grounds:
The establishment OF minimum
wage by the Government would re-
suit in graduation Of wages in the
higher brackets to the minimum. Gov
eminent fixing Of minimum wage
standards means Government fixing
Of wages.
Points to Previous Results.
governmental fixing of wages in
the past has always resulted in in
creased commodity prices, and finally
governmental price fixing of comodi-
ties.
1T Is highly probable that the fix
ing OF wages by the Federal Govern
ment Is an infringement on State
rights
There is class OF substandard
workers. Industry will employ only
those workers who will produce
minimum wage. The establishment
OF minimum wage would, therefore.
throw all substandard or marginal
workers out of employment as a bur-
den to society.
There are also substandard indus
tries, the nature of whose products is
such as to preclude the payment Of
a standard minimum wage and show
a profit"
Charles Warner, head OF a sand and
gravel company in Philadelphia. ap-
peared to ask sufficient f1exibility in
the law to allow it to meet the pecu-
liar conditions of each industry.
Low-p priced product, season fluctua-
tions In demand and other factors of
irregularity make stabiliza ton Of hours
particularly difficult in his industry,
Warner testified.
Two More Groups.
j. N. Beall, counsel for the American
Trucking Association, asked that the
trucking industry be given specific
exemption, to the extent that its
regulation is affected by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
The transportation industries al
ready are subject to overlapping and
conflicting inter and intra State regu-
lation, Beall said.
Request by Black.
Twice in the last Two days, Commit
tee Chairman Black has requested in
dustry representatives to submit
draft of bill as they would like to
see it enacted.
In both cases, the witnesses so asked
were presenting strenuous opposition
to the bill as now drawn, the first
being Arthur Besse Of the Wool Manu-
facturers Association, and the other
request being submitted to a quartet
OF spokesmen for the National Associa-
ton Of Manufacturers.
Appearing yesterday, the N. A. NJ.
witnesses condemned the legislation
on both legal and economic grounds,
their opposition being 20 sweeping