Evening star., 1942-03-27

nus InP Op-
mand for legis- David Lawrence.
lation to change the 4O-hour week
SO that penalties for overtime would
begin at 48 hours is objected to by
labor chiefs mostly because they
think what labor unions have
gained would be impaired in nom
defense work, especially since it
would be difficult to write a law
that would draw line of demar-
cation.
The debate between those who
favor some kind of legislation and
those who suggest as an alterna-
tive the working out of arrange
ments through voluntary" cooper
alton between labor and Govern
ment is getting nowhere largely be-
cause the informal and voluntary
type OF mechanism is not being
fairly administered by Government
itself.
Logically and as matter of fun
damental governmental technique,
there should be no need Of specifl-
cally written or rigidly phrased war
time legislation. Broadly speaking.
Congress should delegate power and
executive agencies should cut the
cloth to fit whatever pattern or de-
sign the job calls for, using one set
of specifications, for example, on
wages and hours in one industry
and another set in another. Uni
formity and rigidity should give
way to wartime expediency. In fact,
when the present wage and hour
law was passed. many disinterested
students urged that the law be made
flexible. so that conditions in diff
ferent parts of the country could
be met by executive regulation. But
the final result was a law with rela-
lively little fleXibility to the wage
and hour administrator.
Flexibility Held Needed.
II there ever was time for f1eXi-
bility, it is at present. The Presi-
dent and. through his Office, the
wage and hour administrator should
have authority to comply with the
requests of the War or Navy De-
partments or the War Production
Board for speed-up in any plant
in the country at any time in order
to get the necessary production.
II will be said that this can be
done bv informal, voluntary agree
ments now The President, for in
stance, harps on a statement that
the public Is being misled into the
belief that the 4O-hour law pro-
hibits people working over 40 hours
Equally misleading is it to deny that
the penalties for overtime beyond 40
hours are in many cases actually
prohibitive in cost
Instead Of consulting the wishes of
labor union politicians or manage
ment, the only group that should be
consulted is the American public,
which is lending its money and pay
ing its taxes to foot the bills. If the
American people want to pay ex-
travagant sums to proflteers of all
kinds, they haven't limited any such
desire thus far through any mani
festation in the public press or else
where. Every scintilla of evidence
points the other way.
Soon the American industrial ma
chine will be converted to so per
cent of total war economy, and it
Is difficult already to assert that
many activities indirectly related to
the war are not benefitting by the
war boom and tremendous outlays
OF public funds.
Cost Ceiling Advised.
The way to settle the wage and
hour controversy is to put a ceiling
on costs to the Government for get
ting certain work done and if it
takes 4S hours week straight time
to get that job accomplished. then
the wage and and hour adminiStra-
tor, after being given instructions
based on the facts and details of
contracts from the War or Navy De-
bartments, should have the author
ity to order that kind of a work.
week schedule. This wouldn't dis
turb in the slightest the 40-hour
week or any other labor gains in
non-defense industries.
But the objection that will be
made to this course is the same that
is being made to other things being
done by the Roosevelt administra-
ton in interpreting fleXibly written
laws and in the issuance of regula-
tions. 1t is that the rules of essen
tial fairness are ignored by the ad-
ministration and its agencies. Even
the President maintains labor
cabinet" and ignores management.
All through the administration the
KEY men are for the most part New
Dealers who follow the outspoken
philosophy of Attorney General Bid
die that the fight for New Deal re-
forms must be carried on irrespec-
tive of the war If some equally
balanced committees and boards
composed of men interested only in
winning the war. could be set up to
handle production and labor prob
lens, the controversies over prof
iteering, whether by labor or by
management, would. promptly come
to an end.
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