The following letter from Hon. Arthur Murray, acting chairman of the American National Red Cross, dated April 10, 1916, fully sets forth the reasons for the proposed legislation: Hon. EDWIN Y. WEBB, THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, Chairman House Committee on Judiciary, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR MR. WEBB: In accordance with your suggestion of to-day, I write to invite your attention to House Document No. 674 (copy inclosed), entitled "To amend section 6 of the act to incorporate the American National Red Cross." As will be seen from an examination of the document referred to, it is simply a copy of a letter from the Secretary of War transmitting, with a recommendation for the favorable consideration of Congress, a "draft of a bill to amend section 6 of the act to incorporate the American National Red Cross, approved January 5, 1905." As to the object of the proposed amendment under section 6 of the act of January 5, 1905 (copy inclosed), the American National Red Cross is required to transmit to the Secretary of War on the 1st day of January of each year a report of its proceedings for the preceding (calendar) year, which report is required to be audited by the War Department and a copy transmitted to Congress. In actual practice for years past it has been found impossible to submit this required report to the Secretary of War until a month or so after the 1st day of January, and then as a month or more is required by the War Department to audit it, it results that instead of the report being submitted to Congress near the opening of a session as apparently contemplated by the act, it usually reaches Congress about the end of a session. If section 6 is amended as proposed it is believed that the required report can be audited by the War Department and a copy transmitted regularly to Congress at the opening, instead of the end of a session. So far as known there is no objection of any kind to the proposed amendment. Its passage will undoubtedly be of benefit both to the American Red Cross and to the War Department, and it is believed that it would be desirable for Congress to have the required report submitted for its consideration at the beginning rather than as now at the end of a session. Hoping that this explanation of the needs of the proposed amendment will be sufficient to secure the passage of the bill relating to it, I am, WAGE SCALE IN NAVY AND WAR DEPARTMENTS. APRIL 24, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered to be printed. Mr. GRAY of Indiana, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 9548.] The Committee on Naval Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 9548) to regulate the wages of certain employees employed in or under the Navy and War Departments of the Government, having had the same under consideration, report the same favorably with the following amendments, and as amended recommend that the bill do pass: Page 3, strike out all of section 4, and renumber the succeeding sections in accordance therewith. The wages of employees in the navy yards at present are fixed under the following provisions of law: That the hours of labor and the rates of wages of employees of the navy yards shall conform, as nearly as is consistent with the public interest, with those of private establishments in the immediate vicinity of the respective yards, to be determined by the commandants of the navy yards, subject to the approval and revision of the Secretary of the Navy. In pursuance of the authority therein granted, a regulation of the Navy Department establishes a wage board in each navy yard to fix the wage scale each year. The report of this board from each navy yard is sent to the department for its revision before the wage scale for each year is fixed. is fixed. It is the unfailing practice to have naval officers compose the membership of the wage board. The employees of the navy yard have never been given representation on this board. The employees, however, have an opportunity to submit to the wage board such data as they may deem proper relating to the scale of wages paid to employees in private manufacturing plants of like nature in the immediate vicinity, which has been regarded as being within a radius of 100 miles of the navy yard. The wage board itself makes inquiries of private concerns in the immediate vicinity but almost invariably the information given by the private companies to the wage board is given with the stipulation that it is to remain confidential and not to be made public as it might benefit competitors. This stipulation has been so strictly adhered to that the employees of the navy yards do not have the opportunity to examine the data received by the wage board and, therefore, have no means of rebutting such information. Therefore, under the present system, not only do the employees have no representation on the wage board, but they have no knowledge of what information or the nature of the information received by the wage board. It is also contended that naval officers who are not habitually investigating wage or labor conditions are not best fitted to come to a scientific determination as to the proper wage to be paid, as their service does not permit them to have such knowledge of conditions as to make a finding by them complete and satisfactory, however conscientious they might be in the performance of such a duty. The bill under consideration provides that the Department of Labor shall make diligent inquiry at private industrial establishments in the vicinity of navy yards, naval stations, and arsenals as to the wages paid to the different grades of mechanics and laborers in the different trades and occupations, and furnish annually to the Secretaries of Navy and War such information as a basis in determining the schedule to be paid to the different grades of mechanics and laborers employed in navy yards, naval stations, and arsenals. Such information may be examined by the employees or their representative. It is the opinion of the committee that the information derived by the Department of Labor would be more exact and more scientific than the information gathered under the system provided by existing law, as that department is continually engaged in such work. While under existing law "vicinity" is interpreted to mean within 100 miles, the bill under consideration provides that "vicinity" shall comprise such territory as will afford a fair labor market and a fair comparison of the character of the work. As a scientific agency of the Government already exists for the obtaining of information of the character required, it is the opinion of the committee that the best interests of the Government, as well as the best interests of the employees, will best be served by having the Department of Labor obtain the information and submit it to the War and Navy Departments as a basis for fixing the wage scale of its employees at its various stations. The committee therefore recommends that the bill as amended do pass. O CHANGE NAME OF STEAMER "NORMANIA" TO "WILLIAM F. STIFEL." APRIL 25, 1916.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House and ordered to be printed. Mr. BURKE, from the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, submitted the following REPORT. [To accompany H. R. 12650.] The owners, the Ottawa Transit Co., of Mentor, Ohio, of the steamer Normania wish to change her name to William F. Stifel. Because of the indebtedness on said vessel an act of Congress is necessary to effect this change. House bill No. 12650, which provides for this change of name, has been considered by the Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, and the committee reports it favorably and recommends its passage. The bill was referred to the Department of Commerce for report, and the following letter was sent to the chairman of the committee: DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, DEAR JUDGE ALEXANDER: I have received your letter of the 25th instant, inclosing copy of H. R. 12650, a bill to authorize the change of name of the steamer Normania to William F. Stifel, and requesting me to furnish you with such suggestions as I may deem proper touching the merits of the bill and the propriety of its passage. It is not possible for the name of a vessel to be changed if there is any indebtedness against her or if she is not seaworthy. It is presumed that in this case there are bonds or other outstanding indebtedness which render a special act of Congress necessary in order to secure the change of name. It has been our practice to approve such bills, provided the vessel has a certificate of inspection in force showing her seaworthiness. Respectfully, Hon. J. W. ALEXANDER, WILLIAM C. REDFIELD, Secretary. Chairman Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, House of Representatives. The certificate of seaworthiness required has been furnished by the owners and is on file with the Senate Committee on Commerce. The reason for having the name of the steamer changed is that the Ottawa Transit Co. has just purchased such steamer from the Ashtabula Steamship Co., its former owner; that no one connected with the Ottawa Transit Co. is in any way interested in the name Normania for said steamer, and that for business reasons in the management of said steamer it is the present owner's desire to change her name to William F. Stifel, and that it is desired that the change be made before the steamer goes into commission for the 1916 season, as otherwise there will be confusion in changing the name of the ship and her equipment, in respect to charters and in respect to her certificates required by law. Consent of the Guardian Savings & Trust Co., as holder of the mortgage upon said steamer, has been filed, and there is also on file. certificate of the collector of customs for the district of Chicago, showing the indebtedness of said steamer and particulars as to place where built, age, official number, date and place of inspection and examination, the home port, and the name of the owner of the vessel. On June 1, 1915, the Ashtabula Steamship Co., then the owner of the Normania, gave a mortgage or deed of trust on the steamer to the Guardian Savings & Trust Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, as trustee, to secure an issue of bonds to the amount of $77,000. None of these bonds have yet matured or been paid, and therefore the legislation sought is necessary, and as stated it is recommended by the committee. |