Evening star., 1937-06-08

IN turn provide larger and larger do
mestic market for the farmer"
Again, in his inaugural speech, the
President promised to put an end to
conditions under which ne-third OF
the population were ill-nourished, ILL.,
clad and ill-housed.
Seeks to Implement Promises,
1t is to carry out all Of these prom
lses OF the President and of the Demo-
cratic party that the Black -Connery
Dill has been introduced-promises to
the wage Garner and to the farmer
promise to the humanity and to the
economic common sense Of the whole
Nation-promises which were to be
performed as soon after election As
possible.
In those industries which sell their
product in interstate commerce, the
bill would eliminate child labor:
trouble-breeding, privately paid strike
breakers and labor spies; and those
unnecessarily long hours which wear
out part OF the working population
While they keep the rest from having
work to do. In addition it would pro-
vide way by which those who get
less than $1,000 year in non agricul-
tural employment may, within that
limit, get wages fairly representing the
value Of what they give and the cost
OF what they need to live on.
Last week over a national radio
nook-up. I tried to tell what the bill
proposed to do. I will be be glad ia
send copy Of that address and a sec.
tional analysis OF the bill to any one
who will send a request for them to my
office in Washington.
To summarize brihy, the Black.
Connery bill applies to the working
conditions in non-agricultural indus
tries whose product is transported
across State lines or coSnpetes locally
with products from other States. The
bill does not apply to workers on
farms.
1t does not apply to workers in
purely local services like restaurants
and hotels and laundries and stores
and newspapers. All these are left to
the States to handle.
For those industrial employees work.
ing In interstate products to whom 1t
does apply, the bill proposes first to
set number Of hours per week and
a number Of cents per hour as stand
ards below which, except under excep-
tional circumstances or in exceptional
localities, American working conditions
should not be chiselled. At present
no figures have been set in the bill for
the number OF hours or the number Of
cents per hour. From 80 hours up to
40 hours a week have been suggested
and from 40 cents to 80 cents an
hour. The committees have not yet
decided what figures to recommend to
Congress.
Board Fixes Rates.
Then the bill gives Labor Board OF
Ave members-appointed by the Presi-
dent and passed upon by the United
States SenAte-power to fix for par
ticular industries, crafts and localities
wages at rates differing from the fig
ures which will be written In the bill.
The top limit Of this power in the
board as the bill IS now drafted is to
give workers as minimum fair wages
for particular industries, crafts or To-
calities, 80 cents an hour or an annual
income of $1,000 a year. A bottom
limit to which the board may reduce
hours is as yet blank in the bill.
The law contemplates that the dif-
ferent parts Of the United States shall
be recognized In the appointment Of
these members, 50 that the board shall
be familiar with the industrial, COM
nercial and agricultural problems OF
all parts OF the United States. The
board is given q flexible power to fix
these higher wages industry by in
dustry, craft by craft. locality by local
ity, after separate Investigations and
hearings and according to certain di-
rections which lawyers call stand
ards" written in the bill. Those stand
ards require. for instance, that in de-
what shall be a minimum
wage. the board shall take into con.
sideration the cost Of living; the wages
stablished for work Of a like nature
by collective labor agreement; the
wages paid for work Of a like char
acter by employers who voluntarily
pay fair wage; and facts whicn
would influence court In determining
. fair and reasonable value Of serv-
ices rendered. There are similar
for the establishment Of the
basic work week.
The bill then tries to stop employ
ment at lower wages or at longer
hours than have been fixed by the
board as fair. It also tries to stop
the use Of strike breakers and the use
Of labor spies In the ways that Senator
La Follette's recent investigation has
shown are the practice of some, and
fortunately only some, employers. To
accomplish these things, the bill for
bids the transportation across State
lines of the products Of businesses
which do not obey the law.
Differs From N. r. A.
Now notice how different this bill
Is from the N. r. A.
First. 1t applies only to interstate
industries and those local industries
which substantially and materially
compete with interstate industries. It
leaves the entirely local employer and
the small employer alone.
Second, it deals with labor condi-
lions only-it has nothing to do with
liking prices, with trade practice, with
production controls and with monop-
olies.
Third, all the wage and hour regu-
lation is done by the Government
Labor Board itself-not by private
,ode authorities In the industry. Under
this bill one crowd In an industry cant