Special Message to the Senate Transmitting Convention on Wage and Hour Statistics in Principal Mining and Manufacturing Industries.

To the Senate of the United States:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith an authenticated copy of the text of a convention concerning statistics of wages and hours of work in the principal mining and manufacturing industries, including building and construction, and in agriculture (No. 63), adopted by the International Labor Conference at its twenty-fourth session held at Geneva, June 2-22, 1938.

This is the same convention which was transmitted to the Senate with the message of the President of April 24, 1939, with a recommendation favorable to ratification. As the Senate did not find it possible to take action with respect to the convention during the war, I informed the Senate of my desire to withdraw it for further study and consideration in the light of developments since 1939, and on April 17, 1947, the Senate directed that the convention be returned to me.

A fresh appraisal has been made of the provisions of the convention, and the Departments of State, Labor, and Agriculture have indicated that in their opinion the convention should be ratified. In this connection, I transmit herewith the report on the convention made to me by the Acting Secretary of State and copies of communications from the Secretary of Labor and the Assistant Secretary of Agriculture with regard to the convention.

In view of the desirability of furthering international efforts to assure the development of uniform statistics relating to basic economic enterprises, I request that the Senate give its advice and consent to ratification of this convention, subject to the understanding that, in accordance with the provisions of article 23 thereof, the convention shall apply only to the continental United States.

HARRY S. TRUMAN