the membership between the annual conventions will be of great help. I would welcome any further suggestions you have to offer or any instructions you may have to give to the incoming executive in that connection.

Mr. McLOGAN. I am much impressed with the recommendation in your report that there be someone in each State to act as sort of a clearinghouse between the secretary of the Association and the governmental labor officials who are members and even those in States which are not members of this Association. If we had someone in each State, for instance, who could go before the committees of the legislature and explain what kind of an organization this isthat it is made up of the representatives from the various States (speaking now of the American State legislatures)-and present the views of the Association, saying that the Association has taken formal action on specific matters, recommending to the legislatures of the different States that this sort of legislation be passed, I believe we could get results. The same individual could act also as the one to receive the bulletins or any other information and distribute it to the proper officials within his State. I believe that to accomplish the most good from the efforts of the officers and members in getting up reports, studying the different questions, traveling hundreds of miles to meet, and then having discussions, we ought to take formal action and make certain recommendations to the legislatures of the different States and the members of the Dominion Government and the Provincial governments in Canada. The average member of a State legislature usually does not have the time, nor does he take the time, to study in detail all of these matters, but he will rely upon the recommendations made by representatives of the State governments in convention assembled, giving credit to them for thoroughly studying the different reports, and will be guided by such recommendations. In Wisconsin most of our different activities under the industrial commission are guided by advisory committees, usually made up of three members representing organized labor and three members representing employers. The point I want to make is, that the advisory committees meet for days, sometimes for weeks, and never go to the legislature until they agree unanimously. Then the report is brought into the committee of the legislature. After that procedure, we have yet to fail in having the recommendations accepted by the legislature. In this meeting there are several matters up for consideration. I have reference particularly to the wage-collection bill. There are also the matter of oldage pensions and reports on other subjects. If this body will take formal action, recommending to the different States the passage of specific legislation, we can actually accomplish something.

[Mr. Lubin moved that the secretary be instructed to contact the chief of each State labor department with a view to having such department appoint a reporter to keep in constant touch with the secretary of the association relative to matters of labor law and labor administration. Motion seconded.]

Mrs. BEYER (Washington, D. C.). That makes for duplication of the Division of Labor Standards again. We deplore very much that there was a slip whereby one committee was duplicated. Wherever possible, we should avoid duplication of effort between the two divisions, so that we will not both be approaching the States for exactly the same information. I wish that some way could be worked out for clearance of material so that we could all work together. We now have a survey of labor-law administration that is the instrument of the various State labor departments. We try to get that out promptly so that it can be used. If any of our investigators who are out in the States get news of new techniques, we immediately try to get it in that bulletin and out to the commissioners. We have asked them to send such material to us regularly. We should try to avoid duplication of effort and at the same time try to strengthen this organization. I hope that some way can be worked out so that the association can be strengthened rather than have duplication.

President CRAWFORD. In Canada we have a similar arrangement— the department at Ottawa collects and sends out information. It is my intention, if the Canadian section is organized, to do all in my power to persuade the Dominion department to work through the Canadian section of this organization for collecting and disseminating that information. It should be more than cooperation-one should be an integral part of the other. When we have an organization such as this, which has been in existence for 23 years, it behooves us to take advantage of any service that can be rendered to the States by the Federal Department as well as by the Dominion department. I can appreciate the difficulty of your division as to rendering certain services to the Dominion and Provincial departments. I do hope that something can be worked out whereby it will not be necessary for the Division of Labor Standards and the association to be duplicating efforts. We can persuade the States to cooperate much more easily than the Federal bureau could. Just how to work it out I am not prepared to say. I deplore overlapping and duplication; they are not needed and are harmful. If this association is not sufficiently active to see that something of the kind is developed to the greatest possible extent, then it deserves to go out of existence. I do not think we should expect the Federal department to do this work for us.

Mr. WALLING. I am sure we are all agreed on the desirability of avoiding duplication. Would it not be well for us to appoint committee or to designate our secretary to confer from time to time with the Division of Labor Standards or other bureaus in order to avoid such

duplication and to work out a cooperative arrangement whereby the facilities of the association and its standing committees may be used by the Division of Labor Standards and any other bureaus or divisions as the instrumentality for this joint cooperative effort toward the common end?

President CRAWFORD. I feel that such a motion is unnecessary, in view of the unanimous recommendation of the executive board to take steps to avoid such duplication, which will be brought to the attention of the Secretary of Labor.

Mr. McLOGAN. I am wondering what duplications are involved in, or what objection there is to, appointing a reporter in each State who will be the intermediary between the secretary of this organization and the labor officials of the State. I agree with Mr. Lubin's suggestion in every particular except one. If you leave it to the head of the labor departments of the different States to appoint someone to do the work, you will not get the results that you would if this organization appointed some one in each State who this association had reason to believe would do the work.

President CRAWFORD. So far as the duplication there is concerned, I think that it could be avoided if we were to appoint as our representative the person through whom the Division of Labor Standards. gathers information in the States. There would be duplication if we undertook to appoint an individual in the State other than the person utilized by the Division of Labor Standards. I think that this association should appoint such an individual, and then, of course, it would be a simple matter for the Division of Labor Standards to utilize that person, but if the latter already has one, why should we not use that person?

Mr. McLOGAN. Does the agent of the Division of Labor Standards go before the State legislatures and recommend these things and urge passage of legislation which we recommend?

President CRAWFORD. No, he does not. That would be his duty in connection with our association, but I think he should be the person used by the Division of Labor Standards.

Session of September 26, 1936

President CRAWFORD. Proceeding with the regular order of business, the report of the publicity committee will be heard.

[The report of the publicity committee was presented by Mr. Swanish, speaking for Mr. Durkin, chairman of the committee, who had had to leave the preceding evening.]

Report of Publicity Committee

The committee has very little to report. Its task, we understand, was to report development of labor legislation throughout the United States. That task is now

being accomplished to a very large extent by the Division of Labor Standards, and there is no good reason for the committee of the Association to duplicate the activity which is now being performed in that Division of the Federal Government.

Discussion

President CRAWFORD. That is in line with the suggestion of the president in his opening address, that greater use be made of the facilities provided by the Division of Labor Standards.

[Mr. Magnusson moved the acceptance of the report.]

Mr. LUBIN. That raises the same question discussed yesterday, in other words, do we want to go on record as saying that the association wants to take no part in publicity-that as far we are concerned as an association, we do not wish publicly to advocate legislation or to take any part through publicity on legislation.

Mr. McLOGAN. I am wondering, if this motion is adopted, if it might not be misconstrued by a great many as an action on our part to keep everything to ourselves and not to let the world look in on our actions. I appreciate the duplication referred to by Mr. Swanish, but I can readily see where there might be publicity of this organization that would never come to the attention or notice of the Division of Labor Standards. I should like to amend the motion to read that the publicity committee of this organization, as in the past, will collaborate with and work in conjunction with the Division of Labor Standards, so that we will not create the impression that we are always in secret session.

Mr. MAGNUSSON. My observation would be that we have a certain field of action. It seems to me that we ought to use every instrumentality to promote our interest in that field. In the second place, multiplicity and argumentativeness are the very essence of publicity. We should not say we are not going to promote something because somebody else is going to promote it.

President CRAWFORD. I think we do not have the correct understanding of the purposes of a publicity committee. I believe we should get our publicity through definitely appointed persons in each State, who will be our official representatives. There is the matter, to be presented later, of appropriating money for travel of the president or other officials, to States to promote desirable legislation. Are you, Mr. McLogan, willing to withdraw your motion?

[Mr. McLogan withdrew his motion, and moved instead simply that the report be accepted. Motion carried.]

President CRAWFORD. We will now have the report of the auditing committee, presented by Major Fletcher, chairman.

[Major Fletcher reported that the committee had audited the accounts of the secretary-treasurer and found them well kept and in satisfactory condition; that

as of September 21, 1936, the association had a net balance of cash on hand of $743.15 and collections were $685, making a total of $1,428.15; that disbursements for the year were $275.52; that the only unpaid bill outstanding was $24.75 for programs for this meeting; and that the balance of $1,152.63 is on deposit with the Lincoln National Bank of Washington, D. C. A motion to accept the report was made and carried.]

President CRAWFORD. Yesterday at the close of the sessions your executive board met and took up a few items of business, which I think the secretary should present to this meeting at the present time, before we hear from the resolutions committee.

Recommendations of the Executive Board

[Presented by Mr. Lubin]

The first action the board wishes to recommend takes the form of a motion providing "that $500 be set aside to cover the travel expenses of the president of the association, or any other official of the association designated by the executive board, to attend meetings of State legislatures to present the official attitude of the association toward proposed labor legislation, if such attendance should be specifically requested by any State labor commissioner. It is the feeling of the executive board that the expression of the official attitude of the association on matters of labor legislation should play an effective part in securing the passage of more adequate labor laws."

The second suggestion is that there should be a meeting of the executive board some time prior to the next meeting of the association, preferably in Washington, and that $300 be set aside to cover the expenses of such a meeting. It was the opinion of the executive board that the welfare and effectiveness of the association will be considerably enhanced if the executive board as a group considers matters of policy and means of furthering State legislation during the period between annual conventions. Such a meeting should play an important part in making the association a more effective and vital body.

[Motions made by Mr. Davie that the first and second recommendations be adopted were carried.]

President CRAWFORD. I will now call on Mr. Patton for the report of the resolutions committee.

[The report of the resolutions committee was read by Mr. Patton and adopted. The resolutions follow:]

Resolutions Adopted by the Convention

1. Resolved, That the thanks and appreciation of the convention are extended to Mr. G. Clay Baker, chairman of the Kansas Commission of Labor and Industry, and to Mr. G. E. Blakeley, commissioner of labor, to their associates and their staffs for their cooperation and assistance in preparation for this convention, and for the courtesies and hospitality extended to us.

2. Resolved, That the reports of the following committees which have been presented to this convention be accepted: Committee on unemployment compensation; committee on old-age pensions; committee on minimum-wage laws; committee on women in industry; committee on child labor; committee on wagecollection laws; committee on home work; committee on civil service.

3. Resolved, That the attention of the executive board be directed to the apparent overlapping of field in some of the standing committees and that consideration be given to the possibility of reduction in number of committees, and that the work of such committees as are retained be continued.