Evening star., 1939-10-22

EtHtST r. AHuIeUS, " TIgHt, Tue HeU
One Of the New Deals most ambitious
devices for installing new gears into the
Nations economic machinery-the wage
and hour law-will be one year old next
Tuesday.
The first anniversary Of the infant
division of the Department Of Labor.
however, will not be an altogether joyful
occasion. One or two discordant notes
will mar the singing Of Happy Birthday"
by the somewhat shaken ranks Of the
divisions personnel.
Last Tuesday, the long shift
Of calm, mild-mannered Elmer Frank
Andrews from the post Of administrator
to more obscure place in the Recon-
struction Finance Corp. was announced.
He will be succeeded by the hard-boiled
soldier, 1t. Col. Philip Fleming-of Reset
tlement Administration and P. w. A.
fame. How the change in administrators
will affect the future of the wage and
hour law has every one guessing.
All in all, however, wages and hours
first anniversary will be one for celebra-
ton. And, well it might
For as of Tuesday of this week, an es-
timated 650,0OO workers employed in in
terstate commerce or in the production Of
goods for interstate commerce, will have
their pay increased to at least 80 cents an
hour-a raise of $3.50 per week. This
means, according to wage and hour
statisticians, that mass purchasing
power in the United States will be in
creased by approximately $50 ,000, 900 an
nually.
In addition, on the same day approxi-
mately 2382,50O workers will have their
work week reduced to not more than AZ
hours-with time and half their regu-
lar rate of pay for overtime.
Group Already Receives Benefits.
Textile and full-fashioned hosiery
workers already are receiving greater
benefits under the law. On September
18 of this year, former Administrator
Andrews, acting upon recommendations
of industry committees, issued wage Or
ders setting the minimum wage for textile
workers at 321a cents an hour and 40
cents an hour for the hosiery workers
The maximum work week for these
workers is also ~ hours week.
1t is this phase of the law which
enthuscs officials of the Wage and Hour
Division. Last year nine Of these in
dustry committees-represen the
public, employers and employes-were
set up. Seven have made recommended
tions. Besides those for textiles and
hosiery the other five include shoes,
millinery, wearing apparel, hats and
woolen manufacture. Two others-for
knitted underwear and knitted outer
wear-have organized and begun work.
Wage and Hour officials estimate that
If all the recommendations made thus
far by the committees are accepted by
the administrator and put into effect
by wage orders, somewhere around half
million workers In these industries will
receive wage increases above the mini
mum required by law.
When the Fair Labor Standards Act
as it Is known on the statute books
went into effect on October "a, 1898, it
established Immediately a minimum
wage of Is cents an hour and a maximum
work week of A hours for the first year.
For the second year it fixed 30 cents an
hour as the minimum wage and ~ hours
as the maximum work week. These
benefits become effective Tuesday.
Next year, on the same date, the maxi
mum work week will be reduced to 40
hours, with the minimum wage remain
ing at 80 cents an hour. These benefits
will continue until October "a, 1945, when
the minimum wage rises from 80 to 10
cents an hour. Then the major OBJ
jectives Of the law, decreed by Congress
after . bitter two-year fight-a minimum