Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-05-10
CLEAR PATH SEEN
FOR WAGES BILL
Two G. O. P. Members of
House Rules Group Willing
to Permit Early Vote.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
After long stalen,ate and refusal
OF Rules Committee to make pos
sible debate on ,oage-and-hour bill,
21S members OF House signed dis
charge petition. making mandatory
consideration May %. Because OF
irish OF members for early adjourn
ment. Rules Committee ntoued for
earlier consideration. The bill has
been on the Presidents must"
program. for year. The House
spurned it last fail. 1t has since
been REVISED.
BY the Associated Press.
A switch Of two Republican mem
bers of the Rules Committee may bring
the controversial wage-hour bill be-
fore the House carly next week.
Representatives Mapes, Republican.
Of Michigan and Mclean, Republican
Of New Jersey. who previously had
helped block the legislation, said last
night they were willing to let the
House vote in advance Of May %, the
date on which petition would force
the bill to the floor.
People want Congress to adjourn -
said Mr.. Mapes "A majority of the
House has clearly indicated that it
wants to vote on the bill There is
nothing to be gained in delay"
His statement, in which Mr. Nc
Lean concurred. indicated they would
support the O'Connor resolution to
waive the rules and permit the bill to
be called up at any time. Their votes
would reverse the 8-to-6 ballot by
which the Rules Committee refused to
give the legislation right Of way.
May Come Up Monday.
Other committee foes of the wage
hour bill-five Southern Democrats
and one Republican-gave no hint that
they would change their viewpoint.
If the committee approves the
O'Connor resolution, the bill probably
will come before the House next Mon
day. Leaders did not expect to take
it up this week because of the debate
over the administrations $4,000, 000,-
UVU IcuOlLS.SQeuQlnG DILL.
Although President Roosevelt's lieu
tenants were confident the House
would approve the wage-hour legisla-
ton, rough course lay ahead of its
final enactment.
The House bill provides for a grad
uated scale Of labor standards begin
ming with minimum wage of Is cents
an hour and maximum work week
of A hours. The Senate passed a bill
last summer, however, permitting a
board to fix maximum wages up to
40 cents an hour and maximum work
week Of 40 hours or more.
Opposition Is Undetermined.
Because Of the differences between
the two bills, the Senate either would
have to agree to the House provisions
or ask that joint committee work
out a compromise.
Administration leaders expressed
concern that Senate foes would try
to prevent appointment of such a
committee. Senator Barley of Ken
lucky, the Democratic leader, said it
could not be determined how much
opposition there would be.
Senator Harrison, Democrat, of
Mississippi. one of the Southerners
who fought the original bill, declared:
There will be opposition" He would
not say, however. that a filibuster
might develop and perhaps hold up
adjournment until late in the summer.
While the bill was picking up mo-
mentum, the American Federation of
Labor announced that unemployment
stands at about the 1885 level. Its
March estimate gave a total of H.
232, 900 idle men and women-1, 900
below March, 1885, but 1850, 900 above
March, 1887.