The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-01-04
Prompt aggressive
Continued From Page One)

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vailing minimum wage prescribed by
the Secretary for the industry in the
locality.
"Since the inception of the Act
which went into effect on September
%, 1886, to July /, 1889, some l4,70C
government contracts valued at ST..
001 ,l34 LAP have been made subject
to the Walsh Healey Act. Of these
6,396 government contracts valued at
S528, 8,392,756 have been awarded under
the Act in the last fiscal year ending
July l, 1889.
During that year the Public Con-
tracts Board has held "a informal
panel conferences and conducted Is
public hearings for the purpose OF
recommending prevailing minimum
wages in specific industries. In the
same period the board made its rec
concentrations to the Secretary of
Labor as to what the prevailing min
imum wage should be in 10 industries
Eight of these recommendations are
now under the consideration of the
Secretary of Labor. They involve the
following industries: Cement, paper
and pulp, fertilizers, ammunition and
related products, explosives, milk con-
densing, aerial photography, flour
milling.
"In addition, hearings involving 1s
other industries were scheduled to be
held before the Public Contracts
Board"
The convention included in it's dec
laration the following list of the final
determination of the prevailing min
imum wage and the stipulations re-
garding differentials made by the Sec
retary of Labor in twelve industries
during the three years operation of
the Act.
Furniture-Metal office furniture,
As cents, no differental; wood furni-
ture, so, 35, and 80 cents, differential
by regions; public seating, 37la cents,
no dfferential.
Tobacco-32ha cents, no differen-
tial.
Iron and steel (made imperative by
temporary injunction issued by the
U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia on applica-
ton of the Bethlehem Steel Corpora
tion)-6212, 60, 5S12, as cents, by
regions.
Bobbinets-371a cents, no differen-
tial.
Aeroplanes, aircraft engines, pro-
pellers, accessories, and the manufac-
turing and finishing of parts-5O
cents, no differential.
Tags-33 cents, no differential.
Fireworks-37R and 31A cents,
no differential.
Wood, carpet and rug-40 cents, no
differential.
Speciality accounting supply manu-
facturing-40 centsSllo differential.
Photographic supplies-40 cents, 32
cents rate for learners during learn
ing period of not more than 60 days.
Drugs and medicine--37l Y cents, no
dfferential.
Soap-40 cents, no ditferential.
Turning to the geographical varia-
ton of minimum wage rates estab-
lished under the Act and the legal ac-
ton against employers found guilty
Of violating it, the convention said:
"Snce the beginning of the opera
ton of the Act minimum wages
which must be paid on all supplies
manufactured under government con-
tract have been fixed for 90 indus
trial subdivisions. The prevailing
minimum wages thus fixed by the
Secretary of Labor range from a low
of 80 cents an hour for furniture
workers in the South to a high of
67l2 cents an hour for workers en-
ployed in the manufacture of mems
caps.
"Of the % wage determinations 7
provide for geographical differentials.
'In 6 determinations employment
of handicapped workers at less than
the prevailing minimum wage is per-
mitted. A tolerance for learners is
permitted in 5 industries and for ap-
prentices in 2 industries. In permit
ting subminimum rate for appren-
tees it is required that the employ
ment of apprentices conform to the
standards of the Federal Committee
on Apprenticeship.
23l Firms Guilty of Violating the Act; /;
Speedier Enforcement Urged
During the past fiscal year the
enforcement activities of the Division
of Public Contracts have resulted in
the recovery of $76,102 in wage resti-
tutions to 1903 workers who had suf-
fered from violations Of the Act.
There were 23l firms found to have
violated the Act and compelled to
make restitution.
"The average amount of wages re-
covered through the enforcement pro-
ceeding was little over $40 per en-
ploye. The bulk of the back wages
recovered was for violation of over
time requirements in cases where en-
ployers failed to pay the time and
onehalf overtime rate and amounted
to $70,33s. Minimum wage violations
brought relatively few restitutions
amounting to only $4,000.
"The experience of the past year