The Washington times., 1938-06-11
Southern Bloc Approves
Revised Wage Measure
COnfereeS Certain
OF Final Action
On Bill TODAY
BY ROBERT A. McGILL

senatorial Southern bloc as "our
BILL" the wagehour legislative
compromise today was submitted
tn the IA Senate.House conferees
striving to formulate an accept
able minimum wage-maXlmum
hour measure with all hands hope
ful OF adoption before night.
So certain were the conferees
Of final agreement today that they
went into executive session early
this morning to consider minor
changes and odds and ends"
DRAFT APPROVED
Last night the compromise
draft was given virtual approval
by II Southern Senators who re-
Gently served notice they would
fiIibuSter any wage-hour bill lack
ing necessary" exemptions or
d.fferentials to industry in the
South.
Carrying some Of the principal
provisions of the House and Sen
ate bills, the so.called Southern
compromise measure would pro
vide:
A ascent minimum wage at the
start, 80 cents at the beginning
of the second year, and 40 cents
wherever economically feasible"
in five years.
When the legislation goes into
effect Industrial boards would be
authorized to recommend to an ad-
miniStrator in the Labor Depart
ment that pay rates be increased
to 40 cents when it was found
that to do so would not create un-
employment Of dislocate industry.
ECONOMIC FACTOR
In determining exemptions to
the Accent minimum wage, the
boards would be instructed to take
into consideration a number Of
economic factors bearing on an
industry. These included unem-
ployment, prevailing wage rates,
and cost of living.
The threats of a filibuster came
when the conferees tentatively
adopted a bill which would have
authorized exemptions from the
Accent minimum only on the
grounds that it was causing un-
employment. This provision would
have gone into effect seven years
after enactment of the measure.
Although final details remain
to be worked out, the hours Sec
ton of the compromise would
provide for a maximum work
week Of A at the start, ~ the
second and 40 the third Although
exemptions could be made, a cell
ing would be fixed at A hours.
The compromise was said to be
acceptable to the representatives
of other sections of the country
because Of its provision which
would initiate a universal mini
mum wage of 80 cents per hour
in the second year.
LIFTS STANDARDS
ConfereeS from the Northl
pointed out that even the 25-cent
minimum the first year of the act
would do much to raise the
standard of living in the South"
and eliminate much of the COM
petition to industry above the
Mason-Dixon line.
Senator Thomas CD of Utah,
chairman of the Senate conferees,
reported he was we'll satisfied with
the compromise measure, as did
Representative Mary T. Norton
CD Of New Jersey, chairman of
the House conferees.
The original House bill called
for q flat Is cents per hour mini
mum pay the first year, with an
increase of S cents per year
until the minimum reached 40,
with no exemptions, except as re-
CARDS agricultural workers, sea
SonaI Industries. and the So-called
professional fields. Hours would
have begun at A and dropped to
40 within two years.
The bill passed by the Senate
last year would have created an
industrial board of five members
to bring about "40-4O" standard
wherever possible. Exemptions
would have been permitted, based
on economic factors similar to