The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-11-11

proposed by anyone else.
 At the last session the Senate macerated and passed once.aim- bilious administration wage-hour bill, The Houre labor committee made further changes and approved this measure. Then a combination of Republicans and Southern Demo- crast on the rules committee stifed it. House leaders promised to move to get the bill onto the floor at the next session as promptly as possible
 That's the way 1t stands now, except that in intervening months
 a strong, well-fininced propaganda campaign has been organized
 against the bill. The administra-
 ton takes the attitude that most
 of the current criticism Is design-
 ed not to improve the bill, but to
 kill 1t.
 Honest Doubt There
 The House bill provides for la bor standards board which would be empowered to establish maximum hours not lower than 40 @ week and minimum wages not higher than 40 cents an hour. These standards would be set only for industries ill interstate commerce (with numerous exceptions), industry by industry, and theoretically would be delayed in application where threat of harm full effects existed.
 One of the big surface Issues is
 the question whether 1t Is more
 dangerous to have board with
 discretionary, arbitrary powers or
 flat. legally set wage and hour
 standards which would be infleX-
 ible. Such Q board, 1t is charged,
 might be harsh and dangerous.
 Such an inflexlble standard, 1t is answered, would surely be harsh and dangerous.
 Much honest doubt exists as to the effect of a wage-hour law on industry, although the pending bill decrees that the board find out In advance of each order. Some agree - and some do not agree - with Roosevelt that resultant in. creased purchasing power will lead to increased sales volume which ought to lessen the cost of production so that even a con- siderable increase In labor costs can be absorbed without imposing higher prices on consumers"
 Nothing Is Certain
 If the administration continues to stand on the House bill, It's forces will have to get 2l8 mem bers' signatures to discharge the measure from the Rules commit tee or some of the Democratic and/or Republican Rules mem bers must cave In. None of these possibilities Is certainty and 1t isn't at all sure that the House measure could pass the House without emasculating amendments.
 Roosevelt has little organized, articulate support for this bill.
 Opposed to it are the southern
 members associations, farm 0r-
 ganization lobbyists and the more
 conservative groups in the A. Y.
 of L. The C. I. o. appears to be
 for the bill, but has given 1t no
 effective support.
 Plenty of amendments and various substitutes are being urged, although not by the ad- nninistration,
 Too High, Too Low
 Senator George Berry of Ten nessee, the millionaire labor leader, offers one of the substi- tutes, which is said to be backed by such A. F. of L. conservatives as Vice President Matthew Woll. and President Bill Hutcheson of the Carpenters Union. Berry's plan calls for a flat 40-hour max mum week and @ minimum wage of 30 cents an hour in all inter- state industries. Chief objection raised to this and similar propo- sals is that the $12 e week nini- mum wage standard would be rec gared as too low in northern Industrial areas and too high un- der certain conditions in some southern areas.
 Without the possibility of varia- ton, 1t is contended, an inflexible standard can't be imposed with out forcing many persons out of employment. Furthermore, Ber- rys bill provides for enforcement by the Department of Justice, whereas experience shows the need of some special body to ad- minister, investigate and at least recommend prosecution. The ad- ministration won't take BerryB bill If 1t can help itself.
 Copyright, 1897, NEA Service, Incl
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