Congressional Record-House. July 16," ------~~------.------·~ House of Representatives
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2668 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. JULY 16," --------------------------------~~-------------------.------------------------------------------------------·~ HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Mr. FIELDS.- Mr. Chairman, I offer_ the following· amend ment, which I send to the desk and ask to have read. WEDNESDAY, ·July 16,1919. The Clerk read as foilows : . .Ainendment by Mr. FIELDS : Page 2. line 4; after the word ,; zone " · . The House met at 12 o'clock noon. ~ strike out the remainder of line 4, all of lines 5 and 6 to and including · The ·chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. · D., offered the fol- the word " clerks" in line 7. lowing prayer: . Mr. BLAl~TON. Mr. · Chairman, may I offer a · perfecting 0 Lord Gocl of-Hosts, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ac· amendment to the amendment-of the gentleman from Kentucky? cept our worship and let Thy. spirit descend in full .measure The CHAIRMAN. The gentleman has not the floor for that upon us, and inspire our minds to great thQughts and our hearts purpose. to noble deeds; that we may add somewhat to the progress of Mr.. FIELDS. Mr. Chairman, as I stated ~m Wednesday last, the world and make for the betterment of mankind; and Thine the bill as drawn would permit the payment of a ~rreater com shall be the praise, in the-spirit of the Lord Christ. Amen. pensation to janitors· in the post offices where janitors are em · The .Tour_pal of the proceedings of yesterday was read and ployed than to many of the clerks in those offices. I do not be approved. - lieve _that the House desires to enact legislation of that character. LEAVE OF .ABSENCE. I believe, too, that fourth-class postmasters, postal carriers the By unanimous consent, leave of absence was granted to Mr. city delivery carriers, the rural carriers, the star carriers 'and BABKA, indefinitely, on account of illness in family. all other carriers to whom this bill as reported wili not a'pply are as much entitled to the consideration of this body as th~ WITHDRAWAL OF PAPERS. employees in any other branch of the Federal Government. I · By unanimous consent, leave was granted to Mr. MAPEs to take that position on the broad principle of justice to all .em .:withdraw from the tiles of t]le House, without leaving copies, ployees and in opposition to unfair discrimination against any (papers in the case of H. R. 8708, Sixty-fifth Congress, no adverse class of employees. In my brief time I desire to answer one freport .having been made thereon. argument that I know will be urg~ against this amendment, and SWEARING IN OF A MEMBER. that is that it would give the minimum wage as provided in the Mr. CLARK of Missouri. 1\fr. Speaker, I ask unanimous con· bill to fourth-class postmasters. Fourth-class postma·sters are :sent that the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. HAMILL, be on a percentage basis. They are divided or can be divided into 'morn in. He has not his certificate with him, but he was 10 classes, those receiving less than $100 per annum into one klected by over 11,000 majority, and J:tobody questions the elec class, those receiving more than $100 per annum and not over .tion. $200 into another class, and so on, to the maximum compensa .. The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Missouri asks unani· tion of $1,000 per annum. The department could and doubtless pious consent.that the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. HA:MILL, would fix a sliding scale, providing that the maximum salary ·be permitted to take the oath of office, although his certificate should be counted for a full day's labor. Therefore, a fourth ~s not yet on tile. Is there objection? class postmaster· of grade No. 9 would work nine-tenths of a · Mr. MONDELL. Mr. Speaker, I understand there is no ques day and a postmaster of the lower grade one-tenth of a day and tion about the gentleman's election. would be paid by _the hour under this bill. Of course, the post Mr. CLARK of Missouri. No. masters of the lower-paid offices do not devote their entire time Mr. HAMILL appeared at the bar of the House and took the to their duties as postmaster, but they should receive a living oath of office. wage for such time as they do devote to it. This Congress that EXTENSION OF REMARKS. is legislating in the interest of the lower-paid employees of the country should manifest the same interest in all classes of em . Mr. SHERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to ployees and not alone in those who are organized and have rep insert in the RF.<:ORD the memorial address delivered by Mr. resentatives in· Washington. Fr~undeen, formerly a Representative from the State of 1\-Iinne I see no reason why the postal employees of the country should tsota, which he delivered at Arlington on Memorial Day. It is a not receive the same consideration that all other employees re patriotic address of high literary merit. ceive, and the arguments that may be urged against this amend The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Ohio asks unanimous ment, that all postmasters would be given the minimum salary consent to extend his remarks in the RECORD by printing a as provided by the bill for full time, is without foundation. It 1memorial address delivered by Mr. Lundeen. Is there objection? ' would give them the minimum salary for the number of hours There was no objection. actually required to perform their work. CALENDAR WEDNESDAY. 1\Ir. BLACK. Will the gentleman yield? The SPEAKER. This is Calendar Wednesday, and the call Mr. FIELDS. Yes. rests with the Committee on Labor. Mr. BLACK. There is no law that classifies fourth-class post· Mr. GARNER. Mr. Speaker, a ·parliamentary inquiry. masters into classes, and the Postmaster General would have no The SPEAKER. The gentleman will state it. legal authority so to classify them. There is absolutely no classi Mr. GARNER. Yesterday afternoon when we adjourned the .fication of fourth-class postmasters. sundry civil appropriation bill was under consideration, and the Mr. FIELDS. But the gentleman must bear in mind that they ·previous question had been ordered on the motion to recommit. do not work full time, and this bill provides that employees who ·After the previous question has been ordered upon a bill, is it are not employed full time shall be paid by the hour. There is not necessary to take that vote on the following day, although a regulation that classes them into different classes. We find it be Calendar Wednesday? that one half of them receive a salary of $180 per annum and The SPEAKER. The Chair thinks not. It comes up on the other half receives a salary above $180 per annum-- Thursday, not on Wednesday. The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. FIELDS. I therefore hope that the amendment may- be MINIMUM-WAGE BILL. adopted. M:r. NOLAN. Mr. Speaker, I call up the bill (H. R. 5726) to Mr. MADDEN. 1\Ir. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that · fix the compensation of certain employees of the United States. I may proceed for 10. minutes. _ The SPEAKER. The gentleman from California calls up the The CHAIRI\!AN. · The gentleman from Illinois asms unani bill H. R. 5726, the minimum-wage bill, which is on the Union mous consent that he may speak for 10 minutes. Is th&Te objec tcalendar. The House will automatically resolve itself into the tion? [After a pause.] The Chair hears none. 'Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the Mr. MADDEN. Mr. Chairman, the amendment offered by the further consideration of the bill H. R. 5726. gentleman from Kentucky [Mr. FIELDs] and his explanation of it Accordingly the House resolved itself into the Committee of is absurd, untenable, unjustifiable, and ought not to be given the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further con serious consideration. The language of the bill as it reads now sideration of the bill H. R. 5726, with Mr. WooD of'Indiuna in makes the minimum wage apply to all except the persons hold the chair. ing appointments as postmasters, assistant postmas_ters, rural The Clerk reported the title of the bill. carriers, postal clerks, carriers in the City Delivery Service, and 1\fr. NOLAN. Mr. Chairman, on Wednesday last, when the railway mail clerks. Now, the postmaster~ of the United States committee rose, a parliamentary inquiry was submitted by the have their compensation based on_the revenues of the office. If gentleman from Ohio [Mr. FEss] as to whether an amendment the revenues of the office reach a certain amount, the office is offered by the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. GooD] had been then second class; if it reaches a certain other amount, it is adopted. The RECORD shows that the amendment was agreed to. then first class; ii it is below either of those amounts, it is in The CHAIRMAN. Yes. The gentleman from Ohio was mis the third class; and up to. a certain amount it is in the fourth taken. The· vote was taken, and the amendment was agreed to, class, Now, how do we pay fourth-class postmasters? We pay and it was announced. The RECORD shows that the amendment them on the basis of the cancellation of postage, not on any was agreed to. · - -- __ .::;~, · fixed compensation. Up to a year ago we paid them 50 per 1919. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 2669 cent of the first $10<)cancellation. A year ago we increased that Mr.