WAGE-HOUR LAW FOES WIN FIRST TEST BY MARGIN OF FOUR VOTES
Wage-Hour Law Foes Win First Test By Mar gin of Four Votes House Refuses To Lav Aside Amendments Nation's Lowest Paid Workers Objects of Attack ROLL CALL ON PAGE 4 WASHINGTON. D. C—Four votes...
...Cox so framed the rules of debate that the Barden bill would have been considered first, without the possibility of amending it...
...Who's Behind Bills As the matter was presented to the house they had the choice of considering the bills sponsored by Reps...
...also spoke heatedly against consideration of the amendments...
...Fallowing defeat of the motion...
...The crucial vote came on a technical motion closing debate on a rule presented by the house rules committee...
...under a gag rule or considering none ol the bills...
...The Barden bill is sponsored by the Associated Farmers of California and would exempt from the wage-hour law approximately 2,000,000 workers, most of wiiom are employed by large processing firms...
...chairman of the house labor committee, made a heated speech against the Earden bill and against the consideration of any amendments...
...On the standing vote the yeas were were 134 to 126 noes but a subsequent roll call produced 185 yeas and 189 noes...
...D. C—Four votes stood between 2.000,000 of the nation's lowest paid workers and their possible exclusion from coverage by the wage-hour law and the 2.000,000 workers lost as the house voted on April 25 to take up amendments to the wage hour act...
...She pointed out that the bill, touted as beneficial to farmers, had been denounced by Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace as of no help to farmers...
...and Barden (D., N.C...
...Ramspeck (D.,Ga...
...Farm labor is not affected by the act...
...By another year we shall know a great deal more about the subject...
...The 189 to 185 vote allowed Cox to amend the procedure to provide that the Earden and Ramspeck bills would be open for amendment...
...Three hours of debate were to be allowed...
...The Ramspeck bill would have been considered second, also without the possibility of amendments, while the Norton bill would have been considered last and would be open to amendments...
...Casey (D., Mass...
...I inn signed a union shop con-t: -illi tiie Intl...
...Cox, (D...
...My respDnsibilty is to myself and to the workers of America, regardless of the section of the country in which they live...
...It is too early to form definite conclusions except to note that on the whole the principle and objective are excellent and have done much to stabilize wages and hours and to bring wages up for the lowest paid workers...
...McCormack <D.,Mass...
...The forces behind the Earden bill are the forces inimical to the working men," he asserted...
...Mary Norton <D, N.J...
...Shortly before debate began in the house Pres...
...It is ' eing administered with discretion anil no substantial groups of employers have been damaged...
...TULARE, Cal.—An anti-union campaign by the Associated Farmers failed to block unionization of the Arden Farms inc...
...He pointed out that the rules committee had proposed consideration of the three bills although such consideration was not requested by the hcuse labor committee which had charge of the measures...
...of Teamsters (' airs...
...offered a motion to amend the rule which was adopted and the house began consideration of three pending bins which would amend the act...
...Roosevelt was placed on record against amendments from Stephen Early, presidential secretary, to Mrs...
...Rep...
...The Ramspeck and Norton bills constitute lesser evils and are both opposed by the AFL and CIO...
...The cost of the February construction was $72,257,100, a rise of 28 percent over January and 14 per cent over FeDruary, 1939...
...Flays Barden Bill Rep...
...a unit of one of the larger 'i-!!r...
...corporations in the country...
...Norton...
...The man with the longest years in the house has never been able to get a rule for a bill which has not been reported out by committee," he declared...
...Residence Gain in Building Seen WASHINGTON, D. C—Residential construction in cities of 10,000 population or over in February totalled 20,804 family dwelling units, nearly one-third more than in January, and almost o.-ie-fiith areauir than in February last year, economists of the Federal Home Loan Bank board announced...
...Norton (D, N.J...
...The motion, which would have virtually killed the amendments for this session, was lost by a roll call vote of 189 to 185...
...So drastic was the proposed procedure that there was widespread rebellion in the house but Cox was not allowed to amend nis resolution before the matter was put to a vote...
...It is time...
...In view of all the circumstances I think it would be a great mistake to adopt the Barden amendments...
...flayed the procedure adopted to bring the measure up and declared that in his 12 years in the house he could recall no similar insta ice...
...The president was quoted as saying, "the wage-hour act is in an evolutionary stage where we are learning by practical experience in the field as to whether and how it should be amended...
...Stablemen find Helpers...
...Raps Procedure Rep...
...she declared, "tor the house to realize that the rules committee is dominated by people who come from districts in which the poor people are not allowed to vote because of the poll tax...
...leading figure in the group seeking to hamstring the wage-hour law...
Vol. 10 • May 1940 • No. 18
