Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-05-22
WACE-H0UR BILL
VICTORY IS SEEN
Southern Foes Place Hope
of Defeating Measure
on Senate Action.

c1gIlllIlS pOillIS IllulCipllCu io@u ilAoA's
to beset the revised wege-hour bill
when it is called up in the House to-
morrow but members of ell groups
were inclined to believe that the modl-
fed administration measure. defeated
in its earlier form, would be passed
and sent to the Senate.
Leaders of the unofficial Steering
Committee that marshalled the 2l8
signatures for the petition forcing the
legislation back to the House floor.
continued hopeful that they could
block amendments which they fear
might lead to another defeat. They
believe they can put through the
standard. without regional differen-
tails, rising from IS to 40 cents an
hour in three years, and maximum
vork-week standard decreasing from
"a to 40 in two years. Nevertheless.
they we're confronted with strong
movements in behalf of changes based
on sharply conflicting viewpoints.
Representative Lawrence J. Con-
nerr. Democrat. of Massachusetts,,
brother of the late Representative
William P. Connerv. jr.. sponsor of
the original administration bill. said
he would propose an amendment for
an immediate. uniform Accent 40
hour set of Standards
Why wait three years." He de-
manded He claimed substantial sup
port for his proposal among members
OF the Steering Committee. but recog-
nized that they're SO eager to get
wage-hour legislation, as I am, that
they're afraid of any amendment"
Battle Lines in Senate.
The Southern opposition. claiming
at least 100 volts, meanwhile. placed
its chief reliance for ultimate defeat
of the legislation on the Senate. where
battle lines already are forming and
the situation has been complicated
by the injection of a related uniform
minimum wage W. P. A. provision
In the new notwithstanding bill.
This group prepared. however. to
fight in the House for adoption of a
substitute bill to be proposed by Rep
resentativcs Ranspcck of Georgia and
Dies of Texas, both Democrats. Their
proposal calls for minimum wage
not more than five cents above the
weighted average of pay in given
labor classification and a maximum
4s-hour week, to be revised gradually
toward tine 40-40 standard by
board, which would be directed to
take into consideration living costs
end value of services in different To-
calities and industries.
On the other hand, Representative
Fish, Republican. of New York. who
spoke and vited against the original
bill. last night declared himself in
favor of the revised proposal and
urged Republican support for its
passage. The defeated bill, he said,
would have created a supar-bureau-
cracy by giving a strange hold to
the (proposed) commission over both
labor and industry whereas the
revised bill sets up uniform stand
ard of hours and wages throughout
the Nation, by law and not by bureau
cracy."
Fish's Contention.
Mr. Fish, who spoke over National
Broadcasting Co. network, contended
that the revised bill gives fair OPP
portunity to Southern mill owners to
put their house in order in the next
three years"
Il am not blaming the Democrats
from the South. who may have dlf-
ferent issue confronting them in those
States" he said, but I am saying to
Northern Republican members of Con-
ere5s, that if they vote against this
bill cur party will 60 down as an en-
envy of labor That is the reason we
have been defeated for the last eight
years in the Nation. In the State of
New York it is the reason we have
been defeated for the last 20 years.
ALTHOUGH every member of the
House has a right to vote any way he
wants to, if the Republicans vote
against this bill, which is backed by
every labor organization. it will de-
stroy the Republican party. So
Il have heard no demands from
Cdpitdl OF Industry against lie wages
and hours bill and l do not know of
a single big industrial corporation in
America that is opposing it. -
This bill aims to do away with
sweatshop hours and sweatshop labor
with respect not only to organized
labor but unorganized labor as we'll.
! recently learned that the textile
workers from New York State in many
instances received less than Sc a week.
I admit as one who has been in poll
tics in my State and Nation for over
20 years. thought knew something
about the economic conditions in my
State, but I did not know that any
labor there was being paid under $40
week, and yet they showed me that
in city after city in the State of New
York labor was paid from SO to Sc a
week at the present time
The only amendments that would
favor to the bill are those proposed by
the National Grange and the Farm
Bureau Federation, to safeguard legi-
innate agricultural interests in regard
to overtime and seasonal labor condi-
tons
Copyright, 1898. by New York