Evening star., 1938-06-12
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

By G. GOULD LINCOLN.
wage-hour legislation took a big
leap forward yesterday when the Sem
ate and House Conference Committee
unanimously agreed to report COM
promise" measure.
With the agreement, the probability
of adjournment of Congress at COM
paratively early date also advanced.
However, leaders said last night Con-
gress would be lucky if it could wind
up its business by next Saturday
night, with railroad legislation knock
ing at the door for consideration.
Both camps, the blue and the gray,
the North and the South, claimed VIC
tory in the compromise" wage-hour
bill.
Outstanding in the agreement, how
ever, was the fixing by statute of the
minimum wage of 25 cents an hour
for the first year and of 80 cents for
the second year Provision is made
also for a minimum wage of 40 cents
an hour at the end of seven-year
period-it may be reached even earlier
provided the boards" set up under
the law so order There is provision,
however, that the 40 cent wage may
be delayed indefinitely if it is proved
that such a minimum would result
in substantial unemployment in an
industry.
Administrator Called For.
The compromise bill calls for the
appointment by the President of an
administrator, to be under the Labor
Department, and this administrator is
to appoint boards for each industry,
composed of equal numbers of repre-
sentatives of the public, the employees
and the employers. The administra-
by the Senate.
These boards are to pass on eX-
emptions and to listen to protests
against increases in minimum wages
and demands for such increases. They
will be the governing bodies for the
minimum wage region between 80
cents and 40 cents an hour.
Under section 9 of the bill, the
so-called flexible provisions, the
Southerners, who have fought for
differentials for their section, believe
they have accomplished their ends
in great part. The Senators from
the North and West, however, who
oppose sectional differentials, main
tain that this victory for the South,
so-called, is a mere shadow, without
substance. They point to two pro-
visions written into this section. The
first provides that no differences, or
differentials, shall be granted along
territorial or regional lines. The Sec
ond provides that the boards cannot
make rates that will discriminate be-
tween employees in the same industry.
These two provisions, Senators
Borah of Idaho and Walsh of Massa-
chusetts insist, do away with Sec
tional differentials. While the boards
may set up wage standards governed
by local conditions and determined
by the size of plants. the wages must
be the same for the industry, North
and South.
Say South Is Protected.
The Southern Senators, Ellender
Of Louisiana and Pepper of Florida,
on the. other hand maintain that
their section of the country is amply
protected by the flexible provisions
of the bill. They point, moreover,
to the fact that Senators Walsh and
Borah both voted against section 9
as it now stands, along with Repre-
sentatives Welch of California and
Hartley Of New Jersey, in substan-
tiation of their contention. Senator
Murray of Montana did not vote on
that section. The rest of the Con-
ference Committee all supported it.
Senator's Walsh and Borah opposed
section 8, they said, because they
were opposed to any flexible provi-
sions.
They both approved the conference
bill because they wished to give to the
lowest paid workers the minimum of
Is cents an hour in the first year of
operation of the law and 80 cents in
the second. They admitted the bill
did not 60 as far as they wished,
but they pointed out that during the
next two years Congress has ample
(see wAGE-HOUR, Page A-s.)