Message to Congress on Recommendations of the International Labor Organization Held at Geneva.

To the Congress:

The Congress, by a Joint Resolution approved June 19, 1934, authorized me to accept membership for the Government of the United States in the International Labor Organization. Pursuant to that authorization I accepted such membership on behalf of the Government of the United States.

Representatives of this Government and of American employers and American labor attended the Nineteenth Session of the Conference of the International Labor Organization, held at Geneva June 4-25, 1935.

That Conference adopted, the American representatives voting favorably, five Draft Conventions and one Recommendation, to wit:

The Draft Convention concerning the employment of women on underground work in mines of all kinds.

The Draft Convention limiting hours of work in coal mines (revised 1935).

The Draft Convention concerning the reduction of hours of work to forty a week.

The Draft Convention concerning the establishment of an international scheme for the maintenance of rights under invalidity, old-age and widows' and orphans' insurance.

The Draft Convention concerning the reduction of hours of work in glass-bottle works.

The Recommendation concerning unemployment among young persons.

In becoming a member of the Organization and subscribing to its constitution, this Government accepted the following undertaking in regard to such draft conventions and recommendations:

"Each of the Members undertakes that it will, within the period of one year at most from the closing of the session of the Conference, or if it is impossible owing to exceptional circumstances to do so within the period of one year, then at the earliest practicable moment and in no case later than eighteen months from the closing of the session of the Conference, bring the Recommendation or draft Convention before the authority or authorities within whose competence the matter lies, for the enactment of legislation or other action." (Article 19 [405], Paragraph 5, Constitution of the International Labor Organization.)

"In the case of a Federal State, the power of which to enter into conventions on labor matters is subject to limitations, it shall be in the discretion of that Government to treat a draft convention to which such limitations apply as a recommendation only, and the provisions of this Article with respect to recommendations shall apply in such case." (Article 19 [405], Paragraph 9, Constitution of the International Labor Organization.)

In accordance with the foregoing undertaking the above-named five Conventions and one Recommendation are herewith submitted to the Congress with the accompanying report of the Secretary of State, to which the attention of the Congress is invited.