Labour Standards Bill and Flood Control Measures More Effective Income Tax Collection Prone Our Own
With the year nearly of its turn June 6. politics in the United States' suddenly became active," Since. January there hasbeen near stagnation up on Capitol Hill, due entirely to the Board could President's Court reform programme. 'As long as there was any chance of the plan being adopted the President held' back other legislation in order not to Interrupt proceedings, but when it became clear that only the mildest form of compromise measure, if even that, could be passed ky Congress then new legislation became desirable for it would tum attention away from White House discomfort ture, There was, moreover, no further reason for delay. congress Was'an_atienuated kind of "The first new. measure sent
an URA. bill.
"The old Blue Eagle contradicted the Phoenix legend by rising from its Supreme Court holoaust in an _aenemic form minus several claws and tail feathers, new name was the Labour Standards In his message to Congress urging the passage of his bill, Mr. Roosevelt was very vai Everybody expected him suggest 40 cents an hour (Is, 84.) the floor below which wages should not (fall and 40 hours a week a3 the ceiling above which hours should not be increased. But he merely referred to the need for standards to prevent sweated labour.
Senator Black and Congressman Connery who introduced the bill into the Senate and House respectively were just as vague. They knew that sweated Jabour was a sin, and like sin-everybody was against it, but again ike sin everybody had a different idea of what it was. They, eft the hours and wages standards, blank to be filled in later.
Even when they are filled in, however, they will not be right. A board of five men will be set up to permit variations from the establish= norm, The confusion which at tended the grafting of the bill can be gauged from the fact that the notice on the board in Senate Press Gallery. summarizing the bill gave the number og three. This was crossed out in pencil and the number Ave inserted, ten minutes before the Dill was introduced, Label Necessary Goods which do not bear a label complied 'Standards Board will not be admitted into Interstate commerce, Nor' will made by firms, which in the eyes of the Labour Standards Board have been "unfair to organized labour and atter rupted to intimidate workers by th use of Inbour spies or strike-
The new bill is not a precise national It gives fur reaching powers to these five men, who are asked to decide matters which the President and his advisers found too diMeult or too dangerous politically: to decide for themselves.
Economic and geographical conditions vary enormously throughout the country.
There are depression trades: which struggle along just makin; th ends meet, 3nd which would be sufied by any dition to costs, their workers being flung onto relief. There are areas In which the cost of living is 80 low that 40 cents an hour would be a good wage and others in which would mean penury. These are the circumstances which have in the past always led 'a pellet that the question of wages and hours was too complicated to be settled from Washington, but should be lett to the State governments. The authors of the present bill found the task beyond them and delegated it to the unknown five, Administration leaders point, out that this commission of five is a government agency, and differs Irom the various code authorities set up under the URA. who were appointed by the industry itself. But -the main objection to the powers of the code authorities. w not that they wrong manner, that they had powers which no agency of eny kind should possess. They made rules and these rules had the tore of Jaw and men were thrown into gaol for breaking them. They levied dues and these dues had to be pald just as certainly os taxes Congress, given by the Constitution the legislative and taxation powers, did not enter Into the picture, One thing which the Supreme Court has always insisted upon, and the present nine Justices unanimous-is that Congress cannot grant a roving commission" to any agent.
No amount of Court packing could change that fact unless' the President appointed (and the Senate confirmed)
collection at puppets. The Judicial condemnation would be for the principles on which it was to base Mts decisions to be clearly and Terrific Task It the Board was established to ascertain certain facts and then to apply certain rules and regulations prescribed by Congress whenever Jéuch facts were: discovered it would be out of danger. But such o task Isa terrify one and when tackled may be found impossible. The very form at the bill shows that the Administration are aware of the It seeing to say in effect that Congress and' the President cannot frame Tegislation to cover so complex and dimeult a matter, They therefore Propose that an' ideal minimum, Standard be established—possibly a 40-hour week and a'40 cents an hour wage—to act as a rough objective. Then the whole matter will be turned over to a Board which if it to be successful must be composed of men endowed with greater gifts of brain and character than the President's advisors, who have found this selfsame Job beyond them.
'The President's labour' proposals have been subjected to. almost as much eriticiam as his Supreme Court proposals.. Writers dram Gen. Hugh Johnson, head of the old URA, dawn have found fault with them, Mies Dorothy Thompson wrote, "Once upon a time we had Parliamentary Government, the essence of which is reflection, consultation, deliberation. Now we have bills which are in effect decrees, issued from the White House, and addressed not to the elected legislators but to the popula tion at large, which is then whipped up into, action through the organiza tions of Mtr. Farley, Mr, John Lewis, government propaganda and "the Personal influence of the President.
"This is democratic government Mr, Hitler's is. He also issues deeres formulated by some of his Anonymous advisors and'then submits them to actual or inferential ple-Disclle for their endorsement."
To parody Hobbes, the new Labour Standards proposal is "the ghost of the old N.RA. sitting crowned upon the grave thereof," and as is often the ease the ghost arouses more terror than the original ever did. The President has, however, learned one thing from the overthrow of the URA act by a unanimous Supreme Court. "His new Labour Standards proposal shows that ho has conceded, that the Federal Government has no constitutional power to regulate industries which do not definitely "enter Into the stream of interstate commerce," One industry which definitely did not enter into the interstate commerce stream was the poultry business of the Schechter brothers. The attempt of the National Recovery Administration to apply code regulations to it led to the overthrow of the N.RA. by a unanimous Court. He does not yet spent, to be convinced, however, that taken into consideration, Tale Trade Practices Hearings on the bill began imrely but many do not consider that there is any chance of whipping!
into shape and passing it this session, Later it will be supplement.
by a bill dealing with fair trade practices, Under URA labour standards and questions of business ethics were covered by the same act.
Within a few days after the Labour Standards bill had been sent to Congress the President Inunched an attack on wealthy tax evaders. In a vigorous fee-fi-to-fum style the President held up to public scorn those who hed taken advantage of the various loopholes in existing tax legislation and had not pald as much money into the Treasury as Treasury officials felt that they should. The American practice is for the Individual to make out his own tax return ahd reckon how much he owes the fevernment. He naturally gives himself the benefit of any exemptions or deductions he possibly can.
Byen with the best will in the world it Is easy to make an error and given a natural bias in his own favour to claim exemptions about which there is a possible doubt. The percentage of returns which the Treasury could challenge if it wished is very high. The small fry are not
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.