Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 June 1938 — Page 9

From Indiana = Ernie Pyle Ernie Rides With the Mail Over

Alaska and Encounters a Hoosier On the Coast of the Bering Sea.

Editor's Note—Ernie Pyle, after three years of traveling, is taking a vacation. Hence we are taking this opportunity to reprint some of his readers’ favorite columns, as indicated in their letters to him and to the editor.

ETHEL, Alaska, June 18. —It was marvel-

ous flying down the Kuskokwim, toward the Bering Sea.

We took off from McGrath into the late |

sun and droned to the westward. I sat beside

the pilot and felt very big. We left the river and scooted over wooded mountains.

In an hour we came back to the river and landed. |

Two men in mosquito nets stood on the bank. The pilot threw out a mail sack to them.

yelled. “No, I guess not, Ralph,” one man on the bank said. “0. K.,” said the pilot. next trip.” We were off within 60 seconds

The place was called Sleitmut.

Twenty minutes out of Sleitmut we |

sat down on the river bank again, this time at a place called Crooked We threw out a mail sack More mosquito nets greeted us. We staved a few minutes and watched them splitting salmon and hanging them up to dry, for dog food Half an hour or so, and we landed once more This was a tiny village called Napiamute. A man in net and heavy boots came out and asked if we'd wait while he wrote an important letter. We waited, and closed the plane windows to keep out the bugs. He came back in 10 minutes, carry ing a mail sack. I presume his one letter was in it. We took off again, and went on westward. Now we came suddenly into flat land. Country as flat as your hand, and all splotched with water. It is the tundra of western Alaska. It is an appalling sight. As far as you can see there is flatness, but a flatness made up at least 30 per cent of water. There must be billions of puddles and little lakes on the tundra of western Alaska. The land is uninhabited and untraveled, except along the rivers. It is a bleak land of nothingness I asked Pilot Savory about these emergency kits they carry—if any of the pilots had ever had to use them. Have they? You bet they have. One of Savory’'s fellow pilots was down four days in Rainey Pass, the pass we crossed a couple of days ago. He spelled out the word “Help” with green spruce boughs on the white snow, but the searching pilots flew right over it for four days without seeing it.

One Pilot Lost for Nine Days

And another one cracked up and was down nine days before they found him. It was inh the dead of winter, and they didn’t dare leave the plane. The pilot and his passenger were both delirious when finally rescued For an hour we droned on over the tundra, and then landed at the town called Akiak. There was a village on each side of the river. “What is the othe! one?” I asked. The pilot said, “The Eskimos live over there. The Swedes live over here.” off into the heavy dusk And at last came Bethel the water, spending the night there, too.

Mr. Pyle

cutting wind blew off the Bering Sea away

We went up to the roadhouse, kept by Mr. and Mrs. | Prospector |

W. D. McVeigh, They are friends of Brevik, and the four of us sat around table at midnight and talked of Alaska since suppertime, and I for one felt an almost ghostly sense of remoteness from everything I ever knew, “Where are you from? I said I didn't know for sure, but I guessed it was Indiana and Washington, D. C And of course Mrs. McVeigh is from Indiana, too. Her name was Bertha Wolf, and her father is principal of a church school in Ft. Wayne.

the Kitchen

So it's even a small world way out on the coast of

the Bering Sea. After all. Almost forgot to put on that “after all.”

My Diary

By Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt First Family Has to Reckon With Congress in Making Wedding Plans.

OSTON, Mass, Fridayv.—Such an afternoon as we spent yesterday! There is no doubt about it, public officials should have no private lives and, above evervthing else, they should not plan a family wedding at the time Congress is getting ready to adjourn. That was the situation in which the President found himself and so, during the entire afternoon, Elliott and Ruth and I wavered hetween journeying to Boston on the President's train or traveling like everyone else on the Federal Express. After lunch Ruth and I went over to the Housing Administration to look at some little model houses which are being planned as suggestions to communities that wish to do inexpensive housing. After that, appointments with various people followed in close succession, ending at 6 p. m My ast information was that, if the President could leave, he would leave at 7. 1 called Mr. MecIntyre at 8 and he said no, the President couldn't leave; Congress was still in session; he would leave as soon as Congress ended At 8:30 the President himself came over to the White House and we finally decided that Ruth and Elliott, Mrs. Somerville and I would leave on the Federal at 8, and that we would dine at 7. I telephoned Anna and John in New York and arranged for them either to get on our train or take the regular midnight. I told them that two cars would meet us in the morning at South Station in Boston and we would all go out to James’ and Betsy's for breakfast at their new farm at Framingham

Fears Reporters Not Satisfied

When we left the White House at 7:40 p. m., they were still cheerfully saying to my husband, ‘Congress will adjourn at any moment We arrived this morning and found the cars we had expected were not on hand, but a kind friend did meet tis with two cars, and after a stop at the hotel to leave our bags, we motored on to James’ and Betsy's place and spent a delightful hour and a quarter with them Back in Boston, Anne and John and I took a little walk, saw some of the wedding presents and were pack at the hotel in time for a press conference. This seemed to me an unnecessary formality, for after all, it is the mother of the bride who has news to impart on these occasions—certainly not the mother of the bridegroom. I found myself repeating over and over again, “That is something which you will have to ask the young people themselves.” Or “That question only Mrs. Clark can answer.” I am afraid I was unsatisfactory, for as my newspaper son-in-law told me, “The reporters wanted a story and you didn't give them one.”

Bob Burns Says—

OLLYWOOD, June 18.—I heard the word “sophisticated” used so much among the younger generation that I've decided that it must be pretty important, but to save my life, I don't know jest what it

means.

sophisticated, they hav'ta have dark eircles under their eyes and a night club “pallor” in their cheeks. If you put one of them “lounge lizards” out in a hay field for about two monthe and let him get a good coat of tan, he wouldn't look sophisticated at all, Grandpa Snazzy says if you get right down to cases a girl ain't sophisticated until she has a vanity

cigaret case and a divorce case, east; 8 tiga (Copyright, 1938)

a person to look

\

- Vagabond

“Anybody going down river?” he

“See vou

We dumped mail, and took Two other planes rode | Bethel is a |

sort of aviation crossroads of the western coast. A | just a few miles

We had crossed half |

Mrs. McVeigh asked me. |

I judge from the conversation that in order for

The Indianapolis

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Second Section

Editor's Note—Scores of questions about the Wage-Hour Bill, about to be-

come law, are being asked. thoritative answers,

Below are some of the most important, with au.

Herbert Little has covered the progress of wage-hour legislation since its in-

ception. legal expert.

By Herbert Little

Times Special Writer

His answers have been examined and approved by a Washinglon

ASHINGTON, June 18.—What is the real name of

the wage-hour measure?

ards Act of 1938. Is it another NRA?

The Fair Labor Stand-

No, because it provides only a

bottom for wages, a ton for hours, and a ban on indus-

trial! child labor.

When does it go into effect?

It has no business-regulation provisions.

Immediately, as to

creating the job of Wage-Hour Administrator and a Wage-Hour division in the Labor Department, and as to providing for industry committees to study the prob-

lem of fixing wages above 25 cents an hour. The flat wage-and-hour provisions are effective 120 davs after President Roosevelt signs the bill.

What wages are required? For the first year, not less than 25 cents an hour may be paid to workers in industries whick are covered by the law. Thereafter, for six vears, the absolute minimum is 30 cents. After seven years, the rate is 40 cents unless the industry, or a branch of it, has proved conclusively that it cannot pay that much without going broke.

What hours are required? Starting 20 days after the act is signed, employers in industries “engaged in commerce” must pay at the rate of time-and-one-half if they work employees more than 44 hours a week. Starting one year later, time-and-one-half pay starts after 42 hours a week. Starting two years later, time-and-a-half starts at 40 hours a week. » 5 x

ILL the hours and wages sections affect many people directly? Yes, but no gne knows just how many, possibly between one and five million persons ultimately.

How broad is the child-labor ban? About as broad as a Federal law can be under expected court rulings, but experts believe it will probably affect 100.000 out of more than 500,000 minors now at work. When is the child-labor provision effective? After 120 davs the law forbids shipment in interstate commerce of goods from any plant in which “any oppressive child labor” has been employed in the previous 30 days.

What is “oppressive child labor"? It is the employment of anvone under 16 in any manufacturing or mining operation. Children between 14 and 16 may work in other industries only if the Chief of the U. 8S. Children’s Bureau decides it will not interfere with schooling or health. Employment of children between 16 and 18 in occupations found hazardous or unhealthful by the Children’s Bureau is also forbidden. As a practical matter nearly all children under 18 will be forbidden to work for employers.

How about Shirley Temple? A special exemption excludes from the law's provisions all children employed in movies and theatrical productions.

How about the kids under 18 in the beet-sugar fields? The act apparently forbids their employment, except during school vacations. The exemption for agricultural employees, as far as child labor is concerned, is only for “any employee employed in agriculture while not legally required to attend school.” Most farm products, however, do not move directly into interstate commerce, so this may be difficult to enforce.

= = »

V HO is to enforce the law? The cliild-labor part is under the chief of the U. 8. Children's Bureau, Miss Katharine F. Lenroot. The wage-hour sections will be entorced by an Administrator appointed by the President for an indefinite term, and confirmed by the Senate. He will head a new Wage and Hour Divi-

sion of the Labor Department. Other bureaus and services of the Labor Department are placed at his service. He will have his own legal staff, which, co-operating with the Justice Department, will bring prosecutions for violations, seek injunctions against further violations, and defend the art against employers in the Federal courts.

Can employers be jailed for violating the law? Yes, on sec-ond-offense criminal conviction The first criminal prosecution may result in a fin® of up to $10,000. Only the employer violating the law “willfully” is subject to criminal prosecution. And only if the employer willfully violates the law after having been convicted previously is he subject to imprisonment. The maximum sentence is six months,

What else can happen to a violator? The Administrator can bring a special injunction proceeding against him in U. S. District Court. If the injunction is obtained, and is not obeyed, the employer might be subject to heavy fines or possibly prison, on a contempt-of-court charge. An employee, or a labor union acting as his agent, may bring a civil suit for damages in the amount of double the unpaid wages or overtime due him. If the employee wins such a suit, the employer also must pay court costs and attorneys’ fees.

Will the Government protect an employee who complains that his employer is violating the law, or an employee who sues to collect wages, under this act? Yes. The act makes it unlawful “to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any employee because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this act.” r » »

HAT about the workers who testify against their employers? They, too, are protected. The act makes it unlawful to discharge or discriminate against workers who have testified, or who have served or are appointed to an industry committee.

Can minimum wages higher than 25 cents an hour be established quickly? Yes, under joint action by special industry committees and the Administrator.

Who appoints industry committees? The bill says, “The Administrator shall as soon as practicable appoint an industry committee for each industry engaged in commerce or 1h the production of goods for commerce.”

Who decides which industries are in commerce? The act itself defines commerce as meaning “trade, commerce, transportation, transmission or communication among the several states or from any state to any place outside thereof.” Agriculture and horticulture are expressly exempted. Apparently the measure will cover all the industries in which the National Labor Relations Board has established jurisdiction under the ‘commerce power” of the Federal Government.

Who will sit on industry committees? Equal numbers of disinterested public persons (one of them named by the Administrator as' chairman), representatives of employees, and representatives of employers. Geographical regions will be represented as far as possi-

SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1938

easure Answered

Senator Wagner (D. N. Y.), one of the most vigorous sponsors of social and labor legisiation, has been suggested as the ideal man for the position of Administrator under the Wage-Hour Law. Observers are doubtful, however, that he would sacrifice his Senate seat to accept

the new post.

ble. There is no limit on the size of the committee. Members will be paid a per-diem wage for each day on the job, plus expenses. The Administrator will supply the committee with secretaries and experts, all under Civil Service.

HAT will an industry committee do? Investigate conditions in the industry to see if a minimum wage above 25 cents (but not higher than 40 cents) an hour can be established, without creating unfair competitive conditions. Then the committee will make recommendations to the Administrator.

What power has the Administrator? He must hold a legal hearing, with all interested persons notified, on the recommendations. If the recommendations are supported by the law and the evidence, he can order them into effect. If he disapproves, he can refer them back to the committee for further consideration, or he can set up another committee. He cannot modify the recommendations, however. What can an employer do to oppose this? He will be given full opportunity to show that he cannot pay a higher wage. If he dislikes the order as finally issued, he can appeal to the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The new wage, however, must go into effect anyway unless the Circuit Court orders a stay. If a stay is ordered, the employer must post bond to insure payment if he loses eventually.

Who are actually “covered” by the act? Possibly 20,000,000 persons are engaged in the industries covered. The great majority, however, are now paid wages above 40 cents, and work less than 40 hours a week. The law protects all these by preventing unfair competition from low-wage plants.

» » »

HO are exempted from the act? Workers in local industries, including the retail and service trades (employees in retail stores, banks. laundries, ete), workers who process farm prod-

NA

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice, Indianapolis, Ind.

What the Wage-Hour Law Provides

Most Important Questions About New M

Senator Thomas (D. Utah), chairman of the Senate Labor Committee, played an important part in steering the Wage-Hour Bill through the Senate.

The delicate job of piloting the measure through the House fell to Rep. Mary T. Norton (D. N. J.), chairman of the House Labor Committee.

Edward F. McGrady (left), radio executive and former assistant Secretary of Labor, and Leon Henderson, WPA economist, are among

those mentioned for the post of Administrator.

Also believed on the

President's list of possibilities are Prof. Harry A. Millis, a native of Indiana, who now is retiring as head of the Chicago University economics dpartment; Dean Lloyd Garrison of Wisconsin law school, and Isador Lubin, chief of the U, S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

ucts in the first instance, and workers in so-called “farm fac-

tories” that are within the “area of production.” Thus raw-sugar mills are excluded, but sugar refineries are covered. Federal, state, municipal, county and other public employees, including policemen and firemen, are not covered. The wage-hour sections do not apply to any employee serving in a bona-fide executive, administrative, professional or local retailing capacity, or as anh “outside salesman” as these terms are defined by the Adminisistrator—nor to seamen, airtransport workers covered by the Railway Labor Act, fishermen, farmers, workers on local weekly and semi-weekly newspapers, and railroad and bus and truck em-

ployees who are covered in other laws.

What about learners, apprentices, cripples and other handicapped workers? The Administrator by special regulations may provide for their employment at less than minimum wages, to the extent necessary to “prevent curs tailment of opportunities for employment.” Siinilar regulations may be issued for telegraph and letter messengers.

What if the Supreme Court knocks out part of the law? The act itself provides that if this happens the rest of the law, and its application to persons not covered in the lawsuit, shall not he affected.

Side Glances—By Clark

NN

"Can't you quiet him down, Henry? | don't like to attract attention while I'm wearing this last year's dress.”

Jasper—By Frank Owen

.

"Serry to wake

r

i

you up, but it's about this note you left«in theimilk

o's TWO Twine But

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

1—Where is the Falster? 2—What is the nickname for the state of Virginia? 3—Which is the largest zoological garden in the United States?

41s Africa mentioned by name in the Bible?

5—What is the Jungfrau? 6—Name the capital of the Republic of Nicaragua. 1—Can the President of the United States veto a decision of the Supreme Court?

” n ”

Answers

1--1t is one of the Danish islands in the Baltic. 2-0ld Dominion State. 3—The Bronx Zoo, New York City. 4—No. —Famous peak in the Alps Mountains, 68—Msanagua. 7—No.

ASK THE TIMES

Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 1 St; N. WW, Washington, D. OC. Te 1 and medical cannot ‘NOY ean

+ be, under:

island of

PAGE 9

Our Town

By Anton Scherrer

The Mailbag Furnishes Amendments To the Column of Last Monday on Behavior of the City's Preachers.

WOULD be an old slouch not to share tos day’s mail with you—at any rate that part which concerns the little piece I wrote about the behavior of our preachers. Right on top of the pile is Mrs. H. H,

Hanna's letter. It contains a secret too good to keep. Let her tell it: “It was said by one of the ‘Little Sisters of the Poor’ in the early Eighties that my father, Oscar C. McCulloch, to whom you referred

80 pleasantly last Monday, made it possible for the sisters who had to make the collections for the home maintained by their order to ring the front door bells of Indianapolis homes. Always before they had had to depend on the small contributions from Irish girls employed in local kitchens. Mr. McCulloch helped to develop the spirit of co-opera-tion in charities, and Father Gavish was president of the National Charities and Corrections convention not so long ago.” And from another part of town, apparently une aware of what his sister was up to, Dr. Carleton B. McCulloch wrote: ‘It caused me much happiness to read your reference to my father. It gives the lie to Mark Antony when he said, ‘The good is oft interred with their bones.’ Rabbi Messing was the third meme ber of the triumvirate who took an intense co-operae tive interest in the city’s charities.” And with the sureness of a chemical solution suce cumbing to an acid precipitate, Pierre BE. Haynes ene lightened me no end concerning the early religious debates in Indianapolis, Said Mr. Haynes: ‘Perhaps no one has told you that the Indiana Legislature once adjourned to heat a religious debate and that this debate was precipi« tated by a sermon preached in the State House by ine vitation of the State Legislature.”

Greek Quotations Caused Trouble

It turns out to be the famous debate between Jonathan Kidwell and Edwin Ray on the subject of eternal punishment—the one I casually mentioned as the start of all the excitment around here. Seems there's a lot more to it. According to Mr. Haynes, the Rev. Mr. Kidwell showed up in Indianapolis in 1820— probably in December—to obtain the necessary legisla« tive action to establish a Universalist school in Phis lomath, originally laid out as the town of Bethlehem in Union County.

“Because of his reputation as a debater,” says Mr, Haynes, ‘the Legislature invited Mr. Kidwe!l to preach and young Edwin Ray, the new preacher of the Methodist Church, was present and took excep= tion to statements made by Mr. Kidwell, the meeting being greatly enlivened by Mr. Ray's interruptions. Mr. Kidwell challenged Mr. Ray to a debate on the subject of eternal punishment and Mr. Ray accepted, “The debate was held in January, 1830, and the Legislature is said to have adjourned for the event (Jan. 21, 1830). Mr. Kidwell was a self-made man with practically no education, but in spite of this he evidently quoted in Greek whereupon he was accused by Mr. Ray of taking a seat among the learned. Ine stead of accepting this statement as a criticism Mr, Kidwell interpreted it as an insult—an extremely huimorcus situation at the time when there were few persons who knew Greek.” And still IT don’t know who came out on top.

Jane Jordan—

Doubts Man Would Be Happy in & Marriage to Irresponsible Woman,

EAR JANE JORDAN-—I am 38 years old and I have been in love with a woman of 39 since school days. When we were young I asked her to marry me but she said her foster mother would object, Finally she married another boy. Now she has a girl 13 years old and son 10 years old. A few years ago she came to me and said her married life has been very unhappy as her husband has been un= faithful and because she has loved me. She said she was forced into this marriage by her foster mother. Do you think she could have married anotheg if she was in love with me? It sounds like boo to me, I love her just the same as ever, however. She tells me that maybe sometime she and I will belong to each other. Now what would you do in a case like this? Should she he unhappy the rest of her life or be freed from the one she doesn't love? L. M.

» ” ”

Answer—1 am afraid that the lady's story sounds like boo to me also. It was not her foster mother who forced her into marriage. True that her foster mother may have wished her to marty the other man but the mother is hardly responsible for her daughe ter’'s actions Let us look at her behavior since her marriage. 8he has had a bad time of it. Her husband has not peen faithful and he has not been kind. There are two things a woman can do about a miserable mars riage which inspire respect. She can put up with it without involving another person in her grief, or she can divorce her husband even though this entails earning her own living. The lady has chosen neither course She has thrown herself on the sympathy of a former suitor. She wants to be rescued by somebody else; yet she is careful to hang on to her husband, and is not fair either to him or to you. 8he seems to be a childish, irresponsible woman who acts on impulse according to the dictates of her own feelings. Hven if you rescued and married her would she carry her share of responsibility in this

omplicated situation, or put it all on you? dig JANE JORDAN.

Mr. Scherrer

Pit sour problema in a letter to Jane Jordan, who will anawer your auestions in this column daily. J

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