Evening Star Newspaper, August 10, 1937, Page 9

SPEAKER EXPLAINS WAGE-HOUR BILL Mrs. Norton, in Forum, Says Measure Will Spread Happiness. Chairman Norton of the House Labor Committee last night explained provisions of the wage-hour bill now awaiting House action ,speaking in the National Radio Forum, arranged by The Star and broadcast over a coast- to-coast network of the National Broadcasting Co. “Do not let propaganda against this bill, led by a few selfish people, scare you,” she said to the Nation's em- ployers. “This bill is not communistic, fascistic, bureaucratic or autocratic. It is merely a sincere effort to in- crease buying power, to spread hap- piness and prosperity to the average American citizen in the most equitable manner possible.” The bill. which would create a Labor Standards Board directed to fix minimum wages and maximum hours in interstate commerce industries as near as practicable to a level of 40 cents an hour and 40 hours a week. was formally reported to the House vesterday by the Labor Committee with some revisions in the form in which it passed the Senate. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1937. The text of Mrs. Norton's address: follows: Before proceeding with my subject may I take this opportunity to ex- press to the National Radio Forum and the National Broadcasting Co. my sincere appreciation for the privi- lrée extended to me tonight to present to the radio audience some facts col cerning the much-discussed Blac Connery fair labor standards bill which we hope to have acted upon by the House of Representatives within the next few days. The objectives of the bill are well known and indorsed by every fair-minded person through- out the country. Because of the overwhelming man- date which it received last November | this administration is privileged to give relief to that portion of our popu- Jation referred to by the President in his message to Congress in May of this ¥ hed, ill-clad the bill is a modest and conservative approach to the great objectives outlined by the President and properly so, it is, we all hope, the beginning of a long-range program to meet, and not to avoid, | some of the most vital problems of American life. Being a modest and conservative approach to these prob- lems the bill is aimed particularly at that small minori'y, with which we have little patience, known as chisel- lers. When the great majority of American business men are able conduct their business withou com- petition from this minority the great problem of low wages and long hours will be well on its way to solution. While under this bill a few others may suffer some inconvenience, pos- | sibly financial loss for a short time, the fact that & tremendous number of {njustices will be cured by this act fully justifies the inconvenience and even the loss. There never has been and possibly never will be a law passed the adjustment to which has not caused some inconvenience. We rec- ognize this and have worked many weeks considering this bill in our en- deavor to be fair and just to all. To write & bill embodying principles and at the same time cause no inconven- fence to any one was, of course, 1m-' possible. I wish that time would per- mit me to read some of the pathetic| letters I have received since the pre announced the consideration of th bill—letters describing a work week | of 70 to 80 hours 0 and even less | s an hour. Few people know the g conditions under which a large part of our people exist. In certain | parts of the country it is no unusual for workers to receive $5 for a 75-hour week. Main Features of Bill Briefly I shall attempt to explain | the main features incorporated in the | body of the bill, their application to| modern industrial conditions and to the improvements in the soofal and | economic spheres which would result | from their establisnment and opera- tion Broadly fery bill speaking, the Black-Con- may be divided into four| main parts. First, the establishment | of minimum wages. Second, the es- tablishment of a maximum work week and maximum work day. Third, the abolition of child labor, and fourth, | the creation of a labor standards board ! to administer the bill. | So that you may have a clear pic ture of the operation of this bill, let| me explain these four parts in greater | detail | Under the first part the labor standards board is directed to estab-| lish minimum wages at a level of 40| cents an hour or as near that level as 12 practicable and economically feas- ible. A maximum minimum wage of 40 cents will yield an annual income | of $800 a vear to those continuously employed for 50 weeks for 40 hours a week. Surely no fair-minded persoh would suggest that this amount will cause any serious economic disloca- tions or that it is too much to main- tain the minimum American standard of decent living. However, before de- | claring & minimum wage for any occu- pation the board is specifically directed | to take into consideration all relevant circumstances. | in the bill. It is further the declared policy of this act to establish only such wages as will not curtail oppor- tunities for employment. It is a fur- ther policy of the act to encourage collective bargaining in order that employes may receive wages above the minimum wage established by the board. Maximum Work Week. Under the second part the labor standards board is directed to establish 8 maximum work week ac near the level of 40 hours a week as is econom- ically feasible. Again the board must, before declaring a maximum work week, take into consideration all rel- evant circumstances. Again these cir- cumstances are set forth in the bill. It is the policy of the bill that a maxi- mum work week be established as rapidly as possible without curtailing earning power or reducing production. Employes engaged in certain seasonal occupations are exempted from the| provisions of the bill dealing with maximum work-week standards, but there is no comparable exemption from the wage provisions of the bill. To insure even greater flexibility a sub- standard labor condition is not con- sidered to exist where employes work more than the established work week 12 they receive time and one-half pfiy \ to | | employes engaged in the production | of certain goods are contained in the | working on any goods.” The term “em- These are set forth! for the overtime employment. This provision is safeguarded from chisel- | ling. however, for the bill provic s that | | if this privilege is used to circumvent the policy of the legislation the board | may declare a substandard labor con- | dition to exist and therebv bar the | goods in question from interstate | | commerce. Under the third part goods made by child labor may not be Lransportedl in interstate commerce. However, | this is modified slightly to permit the | employment of children under 16| years of age if such employment will | not interfere with their schooling and ‘lf the conditions under which they work will not interfere with their | health and well-being and if they have | a certificate attesting to this fact is- | | sued by the chief of the children's bureau | | Under the fourth part there is cre- | ated a labor standards board charged | with the responsibility of applying | | the provisions of the bill to nrcupn-i . tions affected by it. Divisions of Measure. | In order to give you an even clearer | | picture of this bill T shall divide these | | 4 main parts into 16 sections. Of | course, it would be impossible because | of the various exemptions for me to | summarize the bill so that each of | you listening might know whether or not it applies to you. I wish that I might do this and thus set at rest | many of the needless fears I have heard expressed by men and women with whom I have had the opportunity | of talking and which I know are| | shared by many of you. However, | | times does not permit me to go that | deeply into my subject. As a substi- | | tute for this I can only suggest that | you write your Congressman asking | for a copy of the bill when it has| finally been enacted into law. Until| that time there is, of course, the pos- | sibility of revision both on the floor of the House and later in conference | between the House and Senate, and | | thus you might be needlessly upset by a serious study of it now. Of course, the main objectives, as I have already outlined them, will remain when the bill is enacted into law and | I hope and pray that for the benefit of the terrifying and discouraging | working conditions of too many of | our people that it will be so enacted in this session of Congress. Now to summarize | 1. The bill has been drafted in ac- | cordance with the principles of con- | stitutional law, particularly those | enunciated in the recent minimum | wage and Labor Relations Board de-‘ cisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, and we have thus tried to safeguard the constitutionality of the Black-Connery bill so that our work for the improvements of work- ing conditions ma, not go for naught | as has happened too frequently in the | past. 2 It applies only to industries en- gaged in the production of goods for interstate commerce or directly af- fecting interstate commerce. It does | not affect - the purely intrastate | business. 3. Legislative definitions of terms | used in the act clearly express the congressional intent for the guidance of the board. Most of the exemptions of certain types of employers and | definition of the word “employe.” The term “produced,” as I have used it, is defined in the bill to mean “produc- tion, manufacture, mining, handling, transporting, or in any other manner ploye” is clearly defined in simple language and contains the exclusion of executives, administrative employes and professional men; those employed in agriculture, seamen, fishermen and certain types of transportation com- pany employes. Throughout the bill are -distributed other exemptions from the hour provisions of the bill where the type of work is of the sort that must be performed immediately be- cause of the seasonal nature of the work. Administration of Act. 4. The administration of the act is placed in a board of five men, ap- pointed by the President in accordance with the requirements of geographical, industrial and labor differences and must be confirmed by the Senate. One member of the board must be from the Northeast, one from the North- west, one from the Southeast, one from the Southwest and one from the cen- tral part of the United States, and one of such members shall be a rep- resentative of the employers and one of employes. This insures a repre- sentative on the board from each geographical division of the United States. In a country divided so sharply as is ours, because of climate, fertility of the soil and other factors, it is of prime importance that the viewpoint of each section be taken into consideration. One of the most frequent criticisms of the bill seems to be that it will affect one section of the country more than any other. But with fair representation on the board each part of the country is cer- tainly assured of honest, conscientious consideration in setting minimum wages and maximum hours. By stip- ulating that one member shall be a representative of the employer and one of employes labor and capital are REPRESENTATIVE NORTON. | an annual report | to protect | foreign competition Radio Forum Speaker i | both assured of representation, which refutes one of the most serious objec- | tions to the bill—that capital will have little, if any, representation. The board is appointed, originally for terms | of one, two, three, four and five years and thereafter for terms of five years each 5. The administrative board created under the bill, as it now is written, is required to appoint State directors for each State, territory and the District of Columbia, thereby localizing and decentralizing to some extent the administration 6. The board is required te submit to Congress of its thus establishing the of Congress to protect legislat has passed 7. The bill sets forth directly stand- ards and policies as to working con- ditions, as I have already stated. Hearings Conducted Locally. 8. Hearings of the board are to be conducted locally. There will be no need for business men and labor groups to travel to Washington for the protection of their rights. A hearing must be held before a labor standard | order setting up minimum wages or | maximum hours is made by the board and a hearing may be held at the request of any person having a bona- fide interest, at the request of any | labor organization, or on the board's own motion if 1t finds conditions re- quiring such an order to exist in any industry or occupation. Notice must be given to all the interested persons and the hearing must be public After the hearing is held and before the order is issued, if at all, an ad- visory committee composed of an equal number of persons representing the employers and the employes in the occupation affected and noi more than three disinterested persons rep- resenting the public must be ap-| pointed. | 9. The board is permitted to de- | termine minimum wages and maxi- | mum hours only in those industries | where substandard labor conditions | exist. The high-tvpe American busi- | ness men, and they are in the majority, | whose wages and hours are in line with | the thought of the President on this | social principle, need not fear that | the Government is trying to interfere | with their business. 10. The power of the Tariff Com- | mission under the tariff act of 1930, American labor against | is provided for | under this act, thus protecting our products from unfair competition with | foreign goods produced under sub- standard labor conditions. 11. The manner of conduct of in- vestigations and the taking of testi- activities, | mony are provided for with due re- gard to the constitutional rights of persons appearing before the board. Action Against Chiseller. r 12. The bill furnishes employes the right of action for the amount of | | wages payable representing the d.r»j ference between the minimum wage | as established by the board and the! substandard wage actually paid. This safeguards the employe from the chis- | elling employer and virtually puts | | the chiseller out of business. 13. The bill if enacted will not supersede any State minimum-wage law if the State minimum-wage law | is higher, nor will State maximum- hour laws be superseded if said law is lower. 14. The orders of the board are subject to court review. 15. Orders of the board are not ef- fective until 90 days have elapsed from the date of the order. Further, the act shall not take effect until 120 days after its enactment. 16. This point I cannot stress too strongly, the protection of the rights of collective bargaining under this bill. Actually it will be distinctly to the advantage of the employe to bar- gain collectively as only in this way can he be assured of a minimum wage of more than 40 cents or a maximum work week of less than 40 hours. The board is specifically denied this power. The board cannot supersede agree- ments reached by collective bargain- ing when they raise the standards of working conditions in any occupation. The bill further states that on- of the factors to be taken into consideration by the board before establishing a minimum wage or a maximum work week for any industry is the hours and wages agreed upon by collective bargaining for an industry of like or similar character. Would it not, there- fore, be to the advantage of laber to bargain for as high standards as pos- sible 50 as to help one another. Blow at Child Labor. 17. And last but not least the bill does away with the evil of child labor in the factory. At long last goods pro- duced at the cost of ruined lives of American children are definitely ban- ned from the channels of interstate | commerce. In your consideration of the fore- going I want to make clear that Con- gress does not believe itself to be in- fallible. We believe firmly, sincerely and strongly in the principles of this bill, but it may well be that time wiil suggest certain clarifying amend- ments to be added, some limiting or extension of power, or some broadening of exclusions. All I can say now, and I want to state this emphatically, is that this bill is the best that we have been able, during extensive and to present. We know we are right in advancing its principles and I trust we are right in the methods we have provided to carry out those principles. We are following the plan sincerely expounded by our great President and set forth in the Democratic platform of 1936. It is, therefore, our duty as members of Congress to legislate for the best interests of the people. I know the temper of the people on this question, or more truthfully I may say that I know the feeling of industry on this bill from the hundreds of let- ters that have been pouring into my | office since I assumed the chairman- ship of the Labor Committee of the House of Representatives. Some of these letters have been from chiselling employers apparently terrified because they will finally be made to bring con- ditions in their industries up to stan- | dard labor conditions as denied in the bill. T have little use for these selfish individuals. I am rather mindful of | that great inarticulate mass of our THE HUB FURN Al Liberal A thorough consideration of the problem ¢ people who have not written me let- ters but who expressed their wishes at the polls last November. Maybe some of them cannot express their thoughts on paper, maybe they couldn't afford the price of paper, envelopes and stamps, but they want this legislation. They need it to pro- tect their rights of equality, freedom and opportunity under the Constitu- tion. In conclusion I want to leave just one thought with you employers. not let propaganda against this bill, led by a few selfish people, scare you. This bill is not communistic, fscistie, bureaucratic or autocratic. It is merely a sincere effort to increase buying power, to spread happiness and prosperity to the average American citizen in the most equitable manner possible. In this, an age to which has been given privileges far beyond those of any other, it is surely and clearly the duty of the legislative body to carry Do, out the principles of true friendship for our neighbor by legislation such as this. But the very fact that our mandate to carry out this solemn duty to establish these principles has been 80 clearly defined makes me very humble when I remember the words of Christ, “Many prophets and kings have desired 1o see the things that Yyou see and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.” Diet Cures Red Noses. Red noses can be cured by dieting, declares Dr. M. Juvenal of Vienna, Austria. He prescribes vegetables and fruits, with & minimum of fats and albumin, during the first two months. He advises the same diet, plus milk and a little curds, for the following two months. After that the patient should continue with the same, plus 11 ounces of meat and two eggs a Wweek GUST § llowance for Here is a suite you will be proud to own Constructed of walnut veneer on good cabinet wood. Comprises bed, chest and vanity. No Money Down at the Hub! 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