Henderson daily dispatch., 1939-03-08
Barrett In
Final Appeal
On Wage Bill
Daily Dispatch Bureau,
In the Sir Walter Hotel.
D. VIM NTSRET

By LYNN NISBET
Raleigh. March 8.-Public hear
ings on the two pending wages and
hours bills be closed by the joint
corsmittee tomorrow Making the
concluding argument for adoption OF
the bills will be one Of the most
colorful and oftimes dynamic fig
ures in the ranks of organized labor
in this section-James F. (Jim)
Barrett, one-time president Of the
North Carolina Federation of Labor,
and a craftsman who has moved
along from membership in an Ashe-
vile topographic union to the i'm
portant post of publicity director for
the American Federation of Labor in
ten southern states.
The joint Senate and House COM
mittees are considering two wage
and hour bills. Senator Edwin c.
Gregory, of Rowan, is author Of the
bill which adheres most closely to
the Federal wages and hours regula-
tionS which became effective last
fall. The other bill, sponsored by
the North Carolina Department of
Labor, was introduced by Senator
Edgar H. Balm of Wayne Generally
they are classified as the Federation
of labor bill' and the "administra-
ton bill"
The difference between the two
measures is slight. Both provides for
a minimum wage of 25 cents an
hour; but the Gregory measure calls
for a maximum week of A hours,
while the Balm bill would permit IS
hours. The federation of labor pre-
fers the Gregory bill, but will accept
the other. In fact, though Jim Bar
rett processes complete confidence in
passage of one or the other, labor
generally will be much pleased if it
gets any considerable portion of the
advantages provided in either bill.
The unusual parliamentary situa-
ton is that proponents of the bills
will have the last word. When pub
lie hearings began on February 81,
representatives of the federation of
labor and of the department of labor
waived the opening. More than two
weeks have been. devoted to hearing
opponents of the bill. Representatives
of manufacturing, merchandising,
saW-milling, fishing and processing
of varied kinds have appeared and
declared that enactment of the pro-
posed legislation would spell disaster
for them. All of the opponents of the
bill have had their day in court
and tomorrow one man will present
the other side. He says that he will
use a little bit less than two hours
to do So
Jim Barrett is no stranger to legis-
latiVe committees. Several years be-
fore he headed the State Federation
of Labor in 1921 he had made the
front pages. He was one of 16 men
named by the late President Wilson,
upon recommendation of Samuel
Gompers, to carry the chief execu-
tiNe's war message to the workers.
In that capacity he worked in %
states.
Barrett yields what old timers call
wicked pen" His writings are
penetrating and scintillant Though
always an ardent advocate of the
rights of labor, he prides himself
upon the fact that he has never ad-
vocated a strike One of the points
he will emphasize tomorrow before
the legislative committee will be that
during 1893 there were only two la
Dor strikes in North Carolina, both
together involving less than 800
workers.
Barrett regards this as the most
important fight in his 30 years of re-
lentleSs, and sometimes turbulent, la
Dor activity. He pins lot of faith on
Governor Hoey. He recalls that it
was Speaker Clyde Hoey, a young
ster from Cleveland county, who in
troduced the bill creating the State
Labor Department. Incidentally, he
says that Labor would have no OBJ
lection to making the office of COM
missioner of labor appointive, rather
than elective.