Evening star., 1942-04-21
Smith, Mrs. Norion
Praise and AssaiI
House Labor Bill
Controversial Measure
Weighed by Lowmoker
I'm Forum Broadcast


Labor legislation was discusses
from tTo viewpoints by Repre-,
sentative Smith. Democrat. OF Viz.
ginia and Chairman Norton of tn,
House Labor Committee last nizhi
over the National Radio Forum ar.
ranged bv The Star and broadcast
over WMAL and the Blue Network
The text Of Mr.. Smiths address
follows:
shall discuss the pending bill
sponsored jointly by Representative
Ytnson Of Georgia and myself. The
object Of this bill is TO suspend the
<O-hour week and increase the i'm
itation on hours 70 48 hours. TO
freeze the closed shop and TO limit
ititiation fees, dues and assessments
d labor unions. and 10 limit profits
On war contracts
EOther legislation passed by the
Mousse December 3, l94l. and nov
4ozen in the Committee on Educa-
ton and Labor in the Senate. would
MeyeDt Jurisdictional strikes and
Bycotts. require 30 days notice Of
Moposed strikes and a secret strike
1sllot. and require registration and
Ansncial accounting OF labor unions
That bill passed the House by a
hpll-calI vote of TO !.
shall confine my discussion TO
TIE labor provisions OF the so-called
Vinson-Smith bill which covers two
Proposals. First, the suspension Of
he 4o-hour week and. second. the
feezing of the closed shop.
[ Applies 10 War Production.
The bin is confined solely to those
Industries engaged In war produc-
ton and is limited to the period OF
the war. ! wish to emphasize that
the bill Is purely an emergency
measure expressly limited in its OPP
grafton to the period Of the war
And then only insofar as it affects
production for the war.
I realize that both the issues I
an discussing tonight are contro-
versih and that much heat has been
engendered on both sides, but !
~ould like to discuss them calmly,
coolly and logically. and with the
dignity that benefits any important
public debate In democracy.
I have certain fixed views on the
cosed shop and the 4o-hour week
during this emergency which I be-
Heve are shared by a large proper
ton Of the people of this Nation.
Those who entertain those views
have the right to do so and the
further right to express them freely
and publicly. That right I propose
TO exercise without malice or i'll
feeling toward any one who may
entertain opposite views. In that
spirit I approach this discussion.
AS to the 40-hour week or eight
hour day. there have been some mis-
statements that I think should be
first corrected.
It has been said that there is no
law that prohibits any person from
working over 40 hours week. This
Ia only partially true. There are
q number of laws that prohibit work
IN excess OF eight hours day or
20 hours week which have been
suspended by executive order. but
in order to give the President the
power TO suspend them, it was nec-
essary for Congress TO pass addi-
tional legislation.
Changed walsh Healy Act.
The so-called Walsh -Healy Act
fatty prohibits work on Govern
ment contracts in excess of 40 hours
q week. Recently Congress quite
properly amended this Law TO give
the President power at al times TO
suspend the hour provisions OF that
act.
In an act signed by the President
on June 2S, 1910. ii is provided that
during the national emergency, pro-
visions of law prohibiting more than
eight hours of labor in one day of
persons engaged upon work COW
cred by Army. Navy and Coast
Guard contracts, shall be suspended.
But in q subsequent section, it
further provides that this suspen-
sion shall terminate on June 80.
1912 unless the Congress shall
otherwise provide"
And later, Congress by an act
signed by the President on October
10, 1910, suspended all provisions
OF law prohibiting more than eight
hours of labor per day on Maritime
Commission contracts, but in the
same act provides that this sus-
pension shall terminate on the 30th
day OF June, 1912. Congress sus-
pended these eight-hour laws be-
cause there are some II acts that
in one way or another limit hours
Of labor affecting defense contracts.
When these suspensions expire
on the 3oth day OF June, 1s42-just
about two months sway-we will
be back where we were before unless
Congress acts to continue the sus-
pensions during the period of the
war.
But the bare question of hours of
work is not all that is involved by
any means We have the question
Of huge burden Of cost being i'm
posed upon the American taxpayer
by reason Of stupendous payments
for overtime at time and half in
excess OF 40 hours a week
know It is not popular to talk
about economy in Government or
saving money for the taxpayers,
but 1t is going TO be more popular