Evening star., 1942-02-27
House Leaders
Fight toSave
.4O.Hour Week
Administration Reps
Repeal Proposal;
Vote Due Today
BY the Associated Press.

Advocates of a wartime suspen-
sion Of the 40-hour week and
overtime bonuses ran into the
opposition of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration leadership today,
but clung to their claims that a
majority Of the House would vote
prompt support of suspension.
Administration leaders at the
Capitol said the outcome depended
on how the Republicans lined up
on the proposal to make the sus-
pension a part of the pending Sec
ond war powers bill
Dow1tonwn, President Roosevelt
spoke disapprovingly of the idea of
attaching what he called riders.
that ought to be vetoed, to meas
ures which cannot be vetoed.
Sponsors Defend Plan.
Sponsors Of the amendment to
suspend the laws for a 40-hour
week and e-and-half overtime
pay for the duration of the war
have contended that their proposal
is germane to the war powers bill.
which covers several subjects.
1t was learned from a high ad-
ministration official that leaders
think the general effect Of this
amendment would be principally to-
eliminate payment for overtime, and
that this would apply in non-defenses
industries as well as in war in
dustrieS.
This authority said that at present
men in some industries were work. =
ing as much as so hours a week
and that the average now probably
is A to IS hours.
1t was made plain that the ad-
ministration disapproved the amend y
ment to abandon the 40-hour week
chiefly because it felt that it would
mean a reduction of the sum in
many pay envelopes.
Senators Call Davis.
The Senate Labor Committee, con-
fronted with demands for definite
national labor policy. called an ex-
ecutive session for today to discuss
with Chairman William H. Davis OF
the War Labor Board whether such
a policy was needed.
The House faced its most impor-
tant decision on a labor question
since it voted overwhelmingly in
early December for the bill of Rep
resentative Smith. Democrat, OF
Virginia outlawing jurisdictional
strikes, freezing the closed shop
issue for the duration and pro-
viding for registration Of unions.
That measure still Is awaiting
action in the Senate Labor Com
mittee.
House Debate Is Hot.
Representative Smith yesterday
also offered the proposal to suspend
the 40-hour week by an amend
ment to the second war powers
bill. His plan stirred up such
heated debate that administration
leaders put off a vote until today to
let tempers cool.
The debate was carried on for
several hours mostly among the
Democrats. Most Southerners lined
up with Mr.. Smith, while fasteners
and Midwesterners from big manu-
featuring centers vigorously op-
posed the amendment.
Most Republicans sat idly in their
seats apparently enjoying the intra-
party row on the other side Of the
aisle.
Mr. Smith, in asking suspension
of II laws providing for the 40-hour
week and overtime pay. asserted the
war effort had been Handicapped
enough by strikes and silly actions,
not by the men themselves, but on
orders of some arbitrary labor
leader who has the power to say
whether they can work or not"
Smith Explains Proposal.
He contended that suspension
would not mean invalidation Of
existing Government war contracts
dIlu ulllOll COIlCl dCCo Will pAAFdOC AL
dustry, but would only remove the
Federal requirement that they con-
tain the 40-hour week and time and
half pay for overtime. .
Majority Leader Mccormack told
the House the Smith proposal was
"anti-labor" and said if adopted it
would only aggravate the conditions
it sought to correct.
Representative Cox, Democrat, Of
Georgia declared that Mr.. Smith
was not trying to "punsh labor" but
was making an effort to speed up
prosecution of the war. He con-
tinued:
I'VE already are living under q
labor government, which is rapidly
leading into a labor dictatorship
and, which if not checked. will soon
run into labor despotism."
After the House adjourned, Sidney