Evening star., 1938-05-25

4 HuL UtcSSuyC OQCfsCU " JtSfet ~''sS'~
extended oDer three sessions OF Con-
gress and ended only last night.
By the Associated Press.
The revamped wage-hour bill, swept
through the House by a triumphant
combination of Northern Democrats
and Republicans, encountered last
ditch opposition today from Southern
Senators.
Senator Barkley, Democrat, OF Ken
tucky, the administration leader, said
he would seek to have Senate-House
Committee appointed at once in an
effort to work out compromise be-
tween the House bill and the version
passed by the Senate last July.
There were indications, however,
that Senate foes of the infleXible la
Dor standards in the House measure
would try to route it back to the Sen
ate Labor Committee Senator Thomas,
Democrat, Of Utah. chairman OF that
group, has contended the legislation
should establish variations in wages
between the North and the South or be-
tween industries where conditions war
rant.
Although there has been no definite
threat of a Senate f1libuster, oppo-
nents have made no secret OF their
hope that imminent adjournment
would prevent agreement on any wage
hour bill.
Score Smashing Victory.
Proponents Of the legislation scored
q smashing victory in the House last
night, showing the measure to final
passage by a vote of 314 to 81 just
about year after the original version
reached Congress.
Forty-six Republicans joinel 256
Democrats, Z Progressives. and
Farmer-Laborites in favoring the bill.
Opposing it were 56 Democrats and Al
Republicans.
The vote was reversal of House
decision last December, when Re-
publicans and Southern Democrats
shelved a different wage-hour bill.
The new measure was forced to the
floor over the opposition of the Rules
Committee.
Crowded galleries witnessed the bills
nnal passage about 10:30 pm, after the
longest session Of the year. Support
ers of the measure sat way past their
dinner hour to defeat almost every
major attempt to amend it.
AS approved, the bill would establish
: graduated minimum wage for inter-
state industry, starting at Is cents an
hour and increasing to 40 cents after
three years. Maximum hours would
start at A a week and drop to 40 in
two years.
Under the Senate bill, an independ-
ent administrative board would have
power to fix minimum wages from 40
cents an hour downward and a min
imum work week Of 40 hours or more.
Ramspeck Bill Beaten.
Southern Democrats in the House
led an unsuccessful fight to adopt
substitute offered by Representative
Ramspeck, Democrat, Of Georgia to
fix graduated minimum wages based
on the weighted average" wage of in
dividual occupations. An admins
trative board would have been en-
powered to grant exemptions, making
possible wage differentials between
industries or geographical areas.
Proponents also beat down the So
called grange" amendment to grant
sweeping exemptions to professors Of
agricultural and dairy products.
AS a concession to farm members,
however, the House leadership agreed
to an amendment exempting first
professors Of dairy products and the
ginning and COMPRISING of cotton.
It also would exempt from the hours
provisions the processing of perishable
fresh fruits and vegetables and the
slaughtering of livestock
A somewhat similar amendment by
Representative Biermann, Democrat,
Of Iowa, exempting professors of agri-
cultural commodities in rural COM
munities, was adopted over the op-
position of the bills hackers.
Held Blow at Southland.
One amendment which was approved
would exempt the Shirley Temples and
Freddie Bartholomew of the theatrical
world. Another broadened the ex-
emption for the fishing industry to
Include all phases.
= During the closing hours of debate
the House heard the bill denounced
rs "a vicious blow at the Southland"
designed to give Northern industries
6some sectional advantage"
=. Representative Mapes, Republican,
Of Michigan declared one section
would create "an army of snoopers"
TO travel around the country land
embarrass the courts in the interpre-
tation of this law"
"Organized labor will curse the day
and your memory" shouted Represent
ative Rankin, Democrat, of Mississippi,
sif you put this vicious legislation on
the statute books"
y Proponents countered with asser-
lions that it was the best possible
measure to start the elimination of
"sweatshop conditions" under which
Representative Norton, Democrat, Of
New Jersey declared more than 2,000,-
900 persons were being paid Starvation
wages and worked intolerably long
hours"
~ ~ Besides creating wage and hour
standards, the bill would ban the in
terstate shipment of goods produced
In establishments employing children
under l6.