Evening star., 1937-08-05

nam Green hctped II through the
Senate by his support.
By the Associated Press.
The wage-and-hour bill-passed by
the Senate and approved by the House
Labor Commlttee-ran up against op-
position today from members of the
House farm bloc.
They said they would try to tie up
the measure in the Rules Committee
unless they win their objective, con-
sideration Of bill to resume general
crop loans.
The Rules Committee has the power
to determine whether bill can come
before the House at once. BY with
holding approval, it might prevent a
vote at this session.
There were differing statements on
the committees probable attitude.
Chairman Norton of the House
Labor Committee, which agreed late
yesterday to recommend the revised
waee-hour bill, said she had been in
formed by Chairman O'Connor of the
Rules Committee that no obstacles
will be raised.
Debate May Start Tuesday.
She said she expected the bill would
be granted special rule Monday
which would permit the House to be-
gin debating it Tuesday.
O'Connor, however. told reporters
he could not predict what the COM
mittee would do. He said he would
be in New York during the week end
and did not expect to return until
Tuesday.
Later Speaker Bankhead said the
House would take up the bill late next
Week-posslbly Thursday The Rules
Committee will not consider the leels-
lation before Wednesday. he said,
adding that housing legislation PROB
ably would occupy the House the first
part of the week
The Speaker said he was still hope
fur Congress would be able to adjourn
by August 81.
The wage-hour bill came out of the
Labor Committee stripped of the dras-
tic Wood amendment, which would
q. have permitted the proposed Labor
Standards Board to fix minimum
wages as high as 70 cents an hour and
work week as short as 35 hours.
The committee adopted amendments
designed to safeguard collective bar
gaining" and lessen powers of the ad-
ministrative board.
In its revised form the bill retained
the Senate-approved sections prohibit
= ing the board from fixing minimum
wages higher than 40 cents an hour or
work week shorter than 40 hours
Mrs. Norton told reporters she
thought retention of these standards
enhanced prospects for House passage,
although she personally considered
them too low.
Strike Contract Section.
At the beheSt of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor the committee struck
from the bill section giving the board
supervision over Wage-hour sections of
the Walsh-Healey government con-
tracts act. 1t inserted others prohibit
ing the board from lowering wage rates
fixed by collective bargaining or from
fixing wages below the prevailing
rate"
The committee retained its own
amendments to prohibit shipment in
interstate commerce of imports pro-
duced in violation of the bills provi-
Ssions. 1t eliminated Senate-approved
exemption of employees of local retail
ers. except commission salesmen.
Besides the wage-hour bill the farm
bloc also threatened to tie up housing
legislation.
MidWestern wheat, corn and hog
belt Representatives joined Southern
cotton States Representatives in in
sisting that something be done to
help farmers" before Congress ad-
journs.
Representative Eicher, Democrat, of
Iowa, chairman of the prairie States
congressional farm bloc, called meet
ing for next Monday to discuss the
situation. He said Representatives
from Southern cotton and tobacco
States would be invited
Three recent developments have
tended to arouse the farm bloc.
They are: First, decision of the
House and Senate Agriculture Com
stabilization and crop-control legisla-
ton until next session; second, de-
clineS in prices of farm products,
and. third, the statement of President
Roosevelt that he could not approve
renewal Of crop loans, in the face of
falling prices, unless Congress enacted
crop-control legislation
: The cotton bloc authorized a dele
cation to call on the President in an
attempt to win his approval to r.
cent cotton loans.
Elcher said his group will decide
Monday whether it would join with
the cotton bloc in trying to block the
wage-hour bill
1T is not that We are against labor
and housing legislation" Eicher said,
H'but We feel that if farm legislation
is to be postponed until next session
the other measures should be treated
similarly"