Evening star., 1940-04-25
House Opens Debate
On Wage-Hour Law
Changes Today
Administration Pushes
Bill to Clarity License
Power of President
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Widespread confusion surrounded
the start OF House debate today on
complicated proposals to exempt
certain white collar and agricultural
workers from the wage-hour law.
So many factors were involved
that neither proponents ofsamend-
ments nor those who prefer the law
IN its present form would guess what
the outcome might be. A final vote
probably will be taken tomorrow
night or Saturday.
There was possibility that the
House might even refuse to take up
the question, by rejecting strict par
liamentary procedure governing
debate.
Before disposing of the wage-hour
Issue, the administration was
anxious to obtain quick passage of
a bill clarifying the Presidents
power to require licenses for trans
actions in foreign-owned securities.
Majority Leader Barkley hoped to
put it through the Senate in 10
minutes this afternoon and House
leaders agreed to sandwich it into
their program.
Attorneys Question Order.
The bill was submitted after Ger
tain New York attorneys ques-
toned President Roosevelt's execu-
tive order freezing the assets of
Danish and Norwegian citizens in
the United States and requiring IL
censes for further transactions in
volving them. The President took
the action after Germany invaded
Scandinavia.
The principal uncertainty in the
wage-hour fight centered on two
bills to define agricultural opera
tions which would be exempted from
the law. At present exemptions ap-
ply to operations carried on in the
''area of production" as defined by
the wage-hour administrator.
The House Labor Committee pro-
posed partial exemption from the
hour standards for 16 operations not
necessarily performed on the farm
such as vegetable canning. Repre-
sentative Barden, Democrat, of
North Carolina sponsored another
amendment which would exempt
these same general occupations from
both the wage and hour provisions.
Would Exempt "White Collars"
Both bills would exempt white COL
lar workers receiving more than
$50 or 5000 a month, along with all
employees in Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands. A third bill, by
Representative Ramspeck, Democrat,
of Georgia omits amendments relat-
ing to farm operations, but otherwise
corresponds to the other two meas
ures
The law currently requires a min
imum wage of 80 cents an hour and
a maximum work week of AZ hours
for employees in interstate commerce.
Time and half payment is re-
quired for work in excess of AZ
hours.
The Wage-H Hour Administration
has said that about 256 1000 workers
in covered industries would be ex-
empt from wage standards under
the Ramspeck bill, 273,000 under the
Labor Committees proposals and
1,183000 under Representative Bar
den's bill.
About 969, 900 Exempt.
About 969, 900 workers now are ex-
empt from the hour standards.
officials estimate that 1,181 900
would be exempt under the RAM
speck bill, 1,433, 900 under the Labor
Committee bill and 1857 400 under
the Barden measure.
Many farmers and their organiza-
tions have Endorsed the Barden
amendments on the ground that the
professors of their crops should be
exempt, lest their own marketing
costs be increased.
But Chairman Norton of the La
Dor Committee described the Barden
bill as Cheat" and declared that
it would mean little to the farmers
She and other administration sup
porters have contended that Repre-
sentative Barden's proposals would
exempt from the law manufacturing
industries that Congress intended
to include.