UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FRANCES PERKINS, Secretary BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS ISADOR LUB1N, Commissioner BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES \ CO O BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS f * * * * WO. OOO LABOR LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES SERIES PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR LABOR LEGISLATION HELD AT WASHINGTON, D.C. FEBRUARY 14 AND IS, 1934 / UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON i 1934 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. - Price 10 cents Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14—MORNING SESSION Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor of the United States, Presiding Page Address of the Secretary of Labor____________________________________ 1 Safety and health protection in industry— discussion__________________ 5 Robert J. Watt, of Massachusetts. Elmer Andrews, of New York. Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Workmen ’& compensation— discussion________________________________ Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Thomas J. Donnelly, of Ohio. Wendell Heaton, of Florida. H. R. McLogan, of Wisconsin. Child labor— discussion______________________________________________ 14 Grace Abbott, of Washington, D.C. Courtenay Dinwiddie. of New York. Joseph M. Tone, of Connecticut. Claude S. Carney, of Michigan. Edwin S. Smith, of Massachusetts. John L. Barry, of New Hampshire. John A. Phillips, of Pennsylvania. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14—AFTERNOON SESSION Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor of the United States, Presiding Appointment of committees__________________________________________ 19 Limitation of hours of work—discussion_______________________________ 19 Edwin S. Smith, of Massachusetts. Rev. Francis J. Haas, of Washington, D.C. F. E. Hatchell, of South Carolina. Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Thomas J. Donnelly, of Ohio. E. I. McKinley, of Arkansas. James A. Taylor, of Washington. Minimum-wage legislation— discussion________________________________ 23 Mary W. Dewson, of New York. Dr. John A. Ryan, of Washington, D.C. Sidney Hillman, of Washington, D.C. Regulation of home work— discussion_________________________________ 26 Frieda S. Miller, of New York. Conference procedure and interstate compacts— discussion_____________ 27 Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Edwin S. Smith, of Massachusetts. Summary of sessions, by Paul Kellogg, of New York---------------------------- 29 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15—MORNING SESSION Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor of the United States, Presiding Remarks by the Secretary of Labor___________________________________ 34 Unemployment reserves— discussion___________________________________ 35 Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Congressman David J. Lewis, of Maryland. Claude S. Carney, of Michigan. Thomas J. Donnelly, of Ohio. Thomas H. Eliot, of Washington, D.C. m Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis TV CONTENTS John B. Andrews, of New York. Edwin S. Smith, of Massachusetts. Paul H. Douglas, of Illinois. Ethel M. Johnson, of New Hampshire. John Fitch, of New York. A. J. Altmeyer, of Washington, D.C. Mrs. August Belmont, of New York. John Edelman, of Pennsylvania. Abraham Epstein, of New York. Emanuel Koveleski, of New York. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15—AFTERNOON SESSION Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor of the United States, Presiding: Page Old-age pensions— discussion___________________________________________ 54 John A. Phillips, of Pennsylvania. Employment exchanges— discussion____________________________________ 55 Mary LaDame, of Washington, D.C. Low-cost housing— discussion__________________________________________ 56 Robert D. Kohn, of Washington, D.C. The N.R.A. and State labor legislation— discussion_____________________ 57 Edward F. McGrady, of Washington, D.C. James A. Taylor, of Washington. Cecil E. Matthews, of Nebraska. Ethel M. Johnson, of New Hampshire. Stephen Raushenbush, of Pennsylvania. John Edelman, of Pennsylvania. L. W. Phillips, of Arizona. John L. Lewis, of Washington, D.C. Reports and resolutions of committees: Report of committee on industrial health and safety (as adopted)_______ 65 Discussion____________________________________________________ ____ 66 Delegate. Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. Report of committee on limitation of hours of work (as adopted)___ ____ 66 Discussion____________________________________________________ ____ 68 James A. Taylor, of Washington. Frances Perkins, of Washington, D.C. John L. Barry, of New Hampshire. Frank T. Starkey, of Minnesota. Thomas J. Donnelly, of Ohio. Ethel M. Johnson, of New Hampshire. Isador Lubin, of Washington, D.C. James Berry, of Ohio. Report of committee on child labor standards (as adopted)_________ 69 Discussion____________________________________________________ 70 Frank T. Starkey, of Minnesota. Ethel M. Johnson, of New Hampshire. Grace Abbott, of Washington, D.C. Report of committee on unemployment reserves (as adopted)_______ 70 Report and resolutions of the committee on minimum wage (as adopted)________________________________________________________ 71 Report of committee on industrial home work (as adopted)_________ 73 Report of committee on provision for old age (as adopted)--------------- 73 Report of committee on employment exchanges (as adopted)_______ 74 Report of committee on cooperation between Federal Government and State labor departments (as adopted)________________________ 75 Report of committee on workmen’s compensation (as adopted)_____ 76 Report of committee on resolutions (as adopted)___________________ 77 Report of committee on housing___________________________________ 79 Resolution on provision for facilities in Department of Labor for draft­ ing labor legislation and for research and advice to be available to the States_______________________________________________________ 81 A p p e n d ix .— List of official delegates who attended the National Confer­ ence for Labor Legislation, Washington, D.C., February 14-15, 1934-_ 82 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Letter of Transmittal U n ited S tates D e p a r t m e n t of L abor, B u r e a u of L abor S t atistic s, Washington,, May 193 Madam Secretary: I have the honor to transmit herewith the printed Proceedings of the National Conference for Labor Legis­ lation, which was called by you and assembled in Washington, February 14 and 15, 1934. The conference was arranged and the proceedings prepared by Boris Stern of the Bureau of Labor Statis­ tics, with the cooperation of Jean Flexner of the Children’s Bureau. I sador L u b i n , Commissioner. H o n . F rances P e r k in s , Secretary of Labor. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis THE KEYNOTE We have a duty to perform. * * * We have a Joint responsibility to the 40,000,000 wage earners of the United States for the development of a program of labor legislation and a policy which will be broad enough and flexible enough to meet the needs of these wage earners wherever they live. * * * It is important for us to recognize that we are dealing with a nation as broad as the continent, and that Maine is a long way from California, as is Florida from Oregon or Washington. We have a vast expanse; we have different climates and differences in the degree of population density. Some States are predominantly rural, others are highly industrialized. Quite naturally there will be differences in emphasis in the labor laws of these States. But as we go forward into a life which all of us see today is becoming more and more industrialized, as the services which have not been thought of as industrialized are rapidly undergoing the change, it is highly important that we shall find ourselves in possession of a large pattern of industrial legislation. It is time for all the States to review their labor legislative programs to see if they are as useful to their people as they might be, and to examine them in view of the experience of other States with similar problems. * * * 1 recognize the very great importance of the cooperation of the sovereign States in any program of labor legislation. * * * I also recognize that the funda­ mental power to make regulations with regard to the welfare and safety of the people of the States, and to carry them out, lies with the sovereign States. * * * So 1 have asked you to meet in what 1 hope will develop into a series of con­ ferences to consider what steps ought to be taken in the very near future in order to evolve an American labor legislation policy—a policy which will be recognized through the country as a sound policy and a sound program of Nation-wide legis­ lation, other than Federal legislation. * ® *.—Secretary Perkins. 1 need not point out to you the need for thought and action, as the fact that you have responded so readily to the invitation of die Secretary of Labor to come and talk over the problems of labor and industry and the methods of improving cooperation is the best indication of your interest, not only in your own State, but in all the others. * * *.—President Roosevelt, in letter of greeting to dele­ gates of the conference. m Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis BULLETIN OF THE U.S. BUREAU OF