The Washington times., 1938-11-14
Al STATES SEND.
DELEGATIONS TO.
LABOR SESSIONS.
RooseveIt's Gree etingS
Read to Farley

dert Roosevelt for the "yeoman
service" previous conferences per-
formed in support of the wage
hours act. the fifth national con-
ference or labor convened today
to discuss State cooperation under
the new law.
Regretting his inability to be
present, the President had his
message of greeting read by Secre-
tary of Labor Frances Perkins.
In her opening address, Miss
Perkins stressed the need for
further labor legislation. She
SAID there are still % States with
ou; minimum wage laws, 80
without a legal eight-hour day,
ana IS with laws legallzing
work week of in excess OF 48
hours.
Representatives of Al State gov
arnments are attending the con-
ference.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
The Presidents message said:
Previous sessions, such as
this, have resulted in the formu-
lation of a progressive program
for the raising of labor stan
dards in the interest of wage
earners. employers and the gen.
eral public. Moreover, since
these conferences were lnaugu-
rated in 1888, they have been
instrumental in the passage OF
many forward looking laws OF
benefit to workers in the
States and the Nation,
In a message to your confer
ence last year. 1 stressed the
need of Federal wage and hour
legislation in behalf of workers.
The delegates adopted resolu-
ton calling for the adminiStra-
ton of such law by the United
States Department of Labor,
with participation and coopera-
ton Of State labor depart
mentS.'
ON1 NlC"o "NAN clNSPS~N ~
the congress and you are de-
serving of thanks for the yeo-
man service you rendered in
helping to make the people of
your States conscious of the
need and desirability of legisla-
ton to put a floor under wages,
ceiling over hours and end
child labor in interstate in
duStry.
SENDS CONGRATULATIONS
Il congratulate you upon the
constructive work accomplished
and I wish you all the success
you So richly deserve IN your
work for a sound and we'll
rounded program Of forward
looking State labor legislation"
In opening the conference. Sec
retary Perkins said that within
the last five years, the whole pic
ture of labor and social legisla-
ton in the United States has
changed.
standards governing hours,
wages, child labor terms Of en-
ployment, physical working con-
ditions, have been set in many
new fields and materially raised
in others. Compensation for
accidents and industrial diseases
has been extended and COM
pensation for other types Of in
come loss such as unemployment
and old age have been intro
duced and given wide applica-
ton.
NEW LAW PRAISED
while it is too early to eVal-
uate fully the effect of the ma
tional fair labor standards
(wage-hour) act, there is no
reason to doubt its ultimate con-
tribution to social and economic
betterment in this country.
All the progress of recent
years, encouraging as it is, must
be balanced against needs still
outstanding. On the debit side
we still have % States without
minimum wage legislation, 30
States without a legal limit of
eight hours. even for women,
and 26 States with legal weekly
limit in excess of 48 hours, in
cluding eight States with none
at all. We have to face the fact
that most hours laws fall short
of covering all workers, and that
the various exceptions and omis-
Sions are based. not so much on
the nature of the work, as on
the pressure of special inter
ested groups"