Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1938-07-14
WASHINGTON
National +"
BRUCKART LII
National Press Building WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON. - Considerable
doubt seems to be arising IN many
quarters whether
Doubt the New Dealers
Arises are quite as much
concerned over
uplifting living standards of the
poor as they are concerned over
their votes in the fall elections.
These doubts which are now in the
form Of a food of inquiries obvi-
ously arise from two incidents
which have occurred here in the
nations capital. Rather, there were
three incidents, for it was the first
action that made the other two in.
cidents significant. Let US take them
up in order to get a good view of
the circumstances:
First, President Roosevelt lately
has signed the new wage and hour
law. Under its terms, wages paid
employees and the hours which they
work throughout the nation now be-
come matter Of federal jurisdic-
tion-if the employers of those work.
ers buy or sell anything outside Of
the state in which the plant or fac
tory actually is located. That is
to say, any business operating in
interstate commerce must now COM
ply with federal law as to wages
paid and hours worked, and meet
the regulations laid down by a
Washington bureaucrat after the law
becomes effective-October "a, 1888.
None of these employees may
work more than A hours a week
Give and one-hah days of eight
hours) nor can they be paid less
than Is cents per hour during the
first year of the law. In the second
year, the number of hours is re-
duced to AZ per week and the rate of
pay rises to 80 cents per hour.
Thereafter, the work week is fixed
at 40 hours and the lowest rate Of
pay at 40 cents an hour. The pro-
visions naturally will apply to near
ly all individual manufacturing es-
talishments because few Of them
can exist by selling only in their
home localities. Agriculture is not
affected by the law, so that farmers
are privileged, for once. to pay for
what they get in the way of services
and not be under orders from Wash
ington.
This Is the law that was fought
OF 80 long by senator's and repre-
sentatives from the southern states.
They demanded that some consid-
Grafton be given the employers Of
the South where conditions are de-
cidedly different from other parts
Of the United States. They did not
get q complete differential in the
scales but they obtained a compro-
mise that permits the new bureau
crat, the wage administrators, to
consider the costs Of living to some
extent. Living costs in the South
generally have been lower than else
where and some types of labor in
southern areas are recognized as
not being as efficient. Passage Of
the act with some leeway Of hexi-
bility was believed likely to solve
these problems Of the South.
That brings US now to the second
Of the incidents.
Mr.. Roosevelt's signature to the
wage and hour bill was affixed on
Saturday On Sunday. Harry Hop
kins, chief of WPA, the professional
reliever of the administration, IS
sued an announcement. BY the
terms Of the order he released, all
unskilled workers in the Is southern
states - something like 100000 -
working on relief payrolls were
treated to a pay raise. In addi-
ton, some other classes Of WPA
workers we're given a pay boost,
but the numbers were not disclosed.
Certainly, they are fewer than the
class known as unskilled workers.
Ths action was taken, Mr.. Hop
kins exclaimed in his announcement,