The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-06-16
WAGES AND HOURS BILL WOULD END
THESE STARVATION-PAY ENVELOPES


With consideration of the Federal Wages and
Hours Bill by the present Congress guaranteed
through the action of 218 Representatives sign
ing the resolution to discharge the Rules Com
mittee, which by a vote of 8 to had denied men,
bers of the House the right to vote on the measure
from further control of the bill and placing it d-
rectly before the House membership, it is inter-
esting to note the effect which the enactment OF
the bill into statute law will have on the wages OF
low-paid employees.
1t is quite generally claimed that the measure
would to large degree be limited to the Southern
States The inaccuracy of this view is shown IN
the statement by Representative Hamilton FISH
of New York in presenting to the House OF KEEP
resentatives reliable information he received
about low wages paid to mill workers in that State
The low pay facts were presented to the New
York State members of Congress in special COM
mittee meeting by a number of the underpald
workers themselves.
Pointing out that the New York State Members
of Congress in a special committee meeting had
been presented with loW-Wage data by number
of underpaid New York workers, Mr.. Fish said:
81 thought | knew something about the econ
omic conditions in my own State, but found out
| was woefuly ignorant of the, deplorable and
tragic conditions existing in my State MIR. Fish
said 81 knew that certain wage earners there were
paid So, SO, $40, and $12 week, yes, but these
people brought in slips and presented them to our
committee showing where they had received l0
cents an hour So week, SD week, $4 week,
S. a week, and Sc week. | would not have be-
lieved it if some Member had gotten up on the
floor of the House and made such statement.
was under the impression they paid from Sc to $12
a week in these sweatshops. But the facts are as
have stated Them
Asserting that he believed 'the rank and file
of the American people want to put an end to the
terrible conditions of our wage earners In the
sweatshops who are being exploited by human
vultures," Mr.. Fish announced his full and COM
plete support of the pending wages and hours bill
as practical means to realize this objective
Representative Fish is right. The Wage and
Hours Bill unanimously supported by the officials
and members of the American Federation of La
bor. would definitely end the starvation wages
cited by the New York Congressman by providing
a universal, nationwide minimum rate of pay or
25 cents per hour with provision that it shall be
increased to 40 cents an hour within period Oh
three years 1t will also end abnormally long hours
on employees through the provision which
fixes a maximum work week OF Al hours WIN d
provision that it shall be reduced to 40 hours With
in period of two years.
These virtues of the bill have been trenchantly
set forth by President William Green of the
American Federation of Labor, who said
"No employer and no member of Congress from
any section of the country can dare to assert that
a minimum wage of $l1 or $12 week would be
an oppressive imposition on American industry.
Any industry which depends for survival on sweat
shop wages and sweatshop conditions of labor
should cease to exist in the public interest Sweat
shop labor is like an infection which spreads it's
poison through the whole physical and
system of the nation. 1t has been out
lawed by public opinion. 1t should be outlawed
by statute
Every member of Congress, regardless of
party aftiliation," Mr.. Green added, should vote
for this new Wage and Hour Bill.