Evening star., 1937-12-17
WAGE-HOUR BILL
FACES TWO TESTS
Method )of Administering
Plan and Recommittal
Must Be Decided.
Ry the Associated Press.

Ey tne hsSOClated FreSS.
President Roosevelt's two major
legislative proposals-the wage-iiour
and farm bills-approached final votes
in the House and Senate today, al
though administration chieftains vir-
tually abandoned hope for their en-
actment at the special session.
They wanted, however, to get the
bills OH the floor so they could try
to pass the administration housing
bill before Christmas.
During the holiday recess, they said,
joint committees of Senators and
Representatives can work out COM
promises on the House and Senate
versions of the farm and wage-hour
measures.
To clear the way for the housing
bill, Senate leaders negotiated an
agreement to lay aside the anti-lynch-
ing bill until the January session,
when it will have right of way. 1t
otherwise would have come up i'm
mediately after the farm vote.
Besides the housing bill, designed
I stimulate private construction,
there were authoritative indications
the administration would ask for last
minute action at the special session
on legislation to hasten the inaugu-
ration OF the low-cost slum clearance
program in charge of Nathan Straus.
A legal technicality has been block
ing that work.
A night session of the House was
forecast, II necessary, to get a final
vote on the wage-hour bill. Demo-
cratic Leader Rayburn hopes to take
up the housing bill tomorrow.
Two major tests faced the vaqe-
hour Dill before the vote on passage.
One was a decision as to whether it
should be administered by a single
Official in the Labor Department or by
flve-man board as voted by the SEN
ate. The other was a strongly-backe
proposal to send the bill back to COM
n1ittee for revision.
Administrative chieftains forecast
the recommitaI proposal would be
beaten, despite last-minute appeal
Tor such action by William Green,
president of the American Federation
Of Labor.
Urges Recommittal.
Mr.. Green telegraphed every mem
Der Of the House urging recommittal,
and legislators said other Federation
onicials telephoned Congressman.
Mr.. Green's telegram was greeted
with boos from some members when
read at the desk
Yesterdays principal test on the
wage-hour bill come on a proposal
by Representative Lamneck, Democrat,
OF Ohio, to substitute measure under
which the Federal Trade Commission
would outlaw products produced under
oppressive labor conditions.
He argued the administration bill
would give the President so much
power he could remain in ONCE as
long as he pleases and name his sue
cessor."
Representative Rayburn spoke
against the substitute, declaring the
Federal Trade Commission already
was overburdened and that it would
be most tragic" to give it more work.
Representative McReynolds, Demo-
crat, of Tennessee. leader Of the
Southern bloc opposing the adminis-
tration bill, supported the substitute.
He said he would rather put admin
istration of this monstrosity" under
the Trade Commission than some one
We don't know"
Substitute Beaten, 144-95.
The Lamneck substitute was beaten,
IA to 95.
Tentative approval was given to an
amendment by Representative Bull
winkle, Democrat, of North Carolina,
to prohibit employment of minors be-
tween midnight and am. and to
require time and half payment for
others working those hours.
Prospects for action on the hous-
ing bill before Christmas depended
chiefly on the Senate Committee,
which was making slow progress.
Democratic Leader Barkley said, how
ever, he would make arrangements If
possible for it to report during the
week end, so the measure could be
considered Monday.
This would leave a heavy schedule
for the outset Of the 1898 session.
First would come conference reports
on the wage-hour and farm bills.
Then the anti-lyinching bill would
be taken up in the Senate, to be fol-
lowed by the administration Gov-
ernment reorganization measure.