Evening star., 1938-06-15
Wage-Hour
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Of petition to discharge the Rules
Committee again.
She obtained the necessary 2lS sig
natures to her petition within couple
Of hours. on the day its signature was
on record The House then put the
bill through May "a by a vote of
3l4 to 81.
Rewritten BY Conferees.
The measure was sent to conference
and the conferees finally completed
their rewriting of the bill last Sum
day. AS reported from conference
the bill provides for q minimum wage
of Is cents an hour for the first year
and 80 cents an hour the second
Thereafter boards for each industry,
appointed by an administrator of the
new law, will pass upon minimum
wage increases. with a proviso that at
the end OF seven years the minimum
wage shall be 40 cents an hour, unless
it can be shown that the higher wage
will result in substantial unemploy-
ment in that industry. Various fac
tors are to be considered in arriving at
the decisions regarding the increased
wages, including standards Of living,
the cost Of living. freight rates, etc.
While the compromise is generally
recognized as a concession to the
Southern industries. Senators and Rep
resentatives from the North point to
the fact that written into the law is a
proviso that no differentials shall be
granted on geographical lines. and that
all employers must be treated alike
within an industry. The House bill
was rigid measure, providing for
definite increases in wages and de-
creases in hours year by year until
4O-cent minimum wage was reached
and 40-hour maximum work week.
The bill as it passed the Senate orig
1nally called for similar wage and hour
tandards-immediate set up
labor standards board authorized
to grant exemptions and differentias.
The American Federation of Labor
and c. I. o. both got behind the bill
In its final form. The federation had
opposed the bill as it originally passed
the Senate
The bill now provides for a 44-hour
work week at the commencement.
which is to be reduced to 40 hours
at the end Of two years. In seasonal
occupations, work week as high as
56 hours may be granted by the boards
and the administrator.
The administrator is to be appointed
by the President and confirmed by
the Senate, and to received a salary
OF $4,000. He must appoint an
equal number of representatives Of
the public, of the employees and of
the employers to each board set for
the various industries.
The act is calculated to fix the
minimum pay and maximum hours of
100000 industrial workers, as well as
the hours of another 1,500, 900 unaf-
fected by the wage provisions.
The bill also prohibits child labor
Tor all persons under Is years of age,
with certain exceptions. The theory
Is that the Supreme Court, as now
constituted. will uphold the constitu-
tionality of child labor act.
Widespread Effects Seen.
Senate debate yesterday demon
strated how widespread will be the
effects Of the law If 1t is upheld by the
Supreme Court.
Senator Borah contended its consti-
tutionality, as far as the IS and 80
cent wage minima are concerned,
could be sustained on the ground the
Federal Government has police power
to require payment Of sufficient wages
for the health and wellbeing Of indus
trial workers.
He said its application to interstate
industry could be broadened to in
clude all persons who produce for
commerce." If that production were
part of an unbroken system which took
the commodity into interstate COM
merce.
Thus, if mine produced ore and
shipped it In interstate commerce, all
employees engaged in the production
would come under the bill.
Senator Bailey contended that only
those actually engaged in interstate
commerce could be included
Senator Glass. q Lynchburg, Va,
newspaper publisher, asked Senator
Borah whether he would be considered
to be carrying on interstate commerce
If only 10 copies Of his paper were sold
outside Virginia.
II think you would be dealing in in
terstate commerce." Senator Borah
said.
II don't" Senator Glass retorted,
and sat down.
The passage of the wage-hour bill
gives to the President all Of the major
pieces Of legislation which he has de-
manded Of Congress during the pres
ent Congress, with the exception Of
the bill to increase the membership
of the Supreme Court, beaten last
year when the measure was recon-
mitted to the Senate, and the bill for
the reorganization Of the executive
departments and agencies Of the Gov
ernment, which was recommitted IN