Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-12-08 | Page 13 | Women's Minimum Pay Law Hit

WOMEN'S MINIMUM PAY LAW HIT STATE HEARINGS HELD 'FARCICAL' IN CLUB TALK Utah Manufacturers' Officer Speaks to Ad Men Charges that "so-called hearings" before a state wage board are "farcical" were made Wednesday by S. J. Stephenson, executive secretary sec-retary of the Utah Manufacturers' association. Emphasising that Utah industry should psy the "highest possible wage commensurate with capacity to pay," Mr. Stephenson told the Salt Lake Advertising club that the board has "ruled per se that capacity ca-pacity to pay Is not to be considered." con-sidered." Mr. Stephenson attacked the 116 minimum wage for women and minors employed In manufacturing, recommended by a wage board to the state Industrial commission, which is empowered to fix a minimum mini-mum wage. "The proposed 116 minimum Is In utter disregard of the economic position and capacity of Utah industry," in-dustry," he said. "It Is a cruel and unjust treatment of girls and women wo-men who are now earning from t;i to f 14 a week and who by no Commissioner Knerr Withholds Comment William M. Knerr, chairman of the Industrial eejnisnlaatow, amid Wednesday that tinea his board had not yet acted on the recommended recom-mended minimum wage for women wo-men and minora In manufacturing, manufactur-ing, he had no comment to make on Mr, Htephenaon's aaaertiona. stretch of a theory can earn IK a week until competition from other Industrial areas is obliged to step up its wage minimum to parity with this figure. "It's a dramatic but wholly fallacious fal-lacious Idea that girls and women are driven into the streets by the sverage wages paid In manufacturing manufactur-ing Industries of this state, and If there are provable cases of a certain cer-tain few employers actually contributing con-tributing to ths delinquency of girls, then they should be prosecuted. It's Just Too Bad' The so-called hearings before the wage board are farcical, so far as consideration of Utah's situation In an industrial way is concerned. If you plead that you cannot pay this minimum and maintain your competitive com-petitive position, the answer la that it's just too bad." Mr. Stephenson said open hearings hear-ings on wages "afford the opportunity opportu-nity for the employer to be ridiculed, ridi-culed, no matter how conscientious he may be in the endeavor to present pre-sent his esse." "I Insist that this sort of atmosphere atmos-phere does not conduce to a reasonable, reason-able, fair and Impartial consideration considera-tion of a question vitally affecting industry and labor." he asserted. "We hsve no fight with sny group and. above all. we do not reflect upon the sincerity of any personalities, personali-ties, but assuredly business in Utah is seriously concerned with what steps msy be tsken to increase the payrolls of the state, and that is all we seek. Appeal Made "The governor already has appealed ap-pealed for help with which to meet the unemployment problem during the coming months and. on the other hand, we are deliberately adding to his burden by proposing a minimum mini-mum wage that inevitably will mean laying off employes." Mr. Stephenson plesded for Utahns to "give the most serious thought to this whole problem of increasing the number of jobs and circulating the wealth of the state through the hands of a larger number num-ber of people." The Advertising club met at the Hotel Utah.