Day 124 - 10 May 95 - Page 31


     
     1        was charged with the introduction of that Bill at the time?
     2        A.  I would assume that that would be true.  I do not think
     3        that would be in the book if that part of it were not true,
     4        but I cannot say that the account of it is accurate.
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  Just keeping it in generalities, the
     7        youth differential would be in McDonald's financial
     8        interest in that it employed a significant number of young
     9        people under 18, and it would mean that the minimum they
    10        could pay by law would be less than it would otherwise be,
    11        is that right so far?
    12        A.  That is a fair -- it would mean that employers like
    13        McDonald's utilizing the features of this Bill could, in
    14        fact, hire more young people because of -----
    15
    16   Q.   Very well.  That is another way of putting it.  But
    17        McDonald's did utilize features of the Bill, in fact, did
    18        it?
    19        A.  I would think that we did.  It made good sense to do
    20        so.
    21
    22   Q.   Putting at its very lowest, paid some 16 and 17 year olds
    23        less than the minimum, what the minimum would have been but
    24        for the differential?
    25        A.  But for the differential, and it was, as I recall, it
    26        was for a very short period of time.  It was to encourage
    27        employers to hire young people.  I guess the unemployment
    28        rate, particularly in the summer, was pretty high for young
    29        people and it was a way of encouraging employers to add
    30        young people to their workforce.  Employers like McDonald's
    31        which had a high percentage of young people would,
    32        obviously, benefit from that.
    33
    34   Q.   I am not drawing any conclusion one way or the other for or
    35        against McDonald's, certainly at the moment, but it would
    36        be in character for John Ehlrenborn in the light of the
    37        County he represented to promote something which was in
    38        McDonald's interest or thought to be in McDonald's
    39        interest?
    40        A.  I would characterise Mr. Ehlrenborn as being
    41        pro-business.  He was supportive of lowering the
    42        unemployment rate, and my recollection of John Ehlrenborn
    43        is that he was a good friend of McDonald's.  When I moved
    44        to Illinois, the town that I reside in, resided in, was in
    45        his district.
    46
    47   Q.   Yes, thank you.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:  I have come to a sort of natural break.  If you
    50        like, I could ask a couple more questions. 
    51 
    52   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  We will adjourn until 2 o'clock. 
    53
    54                        (Luncheon adjournment)
    55
    56   MR. MORRIS:  I am just going to deal with a few bits and pieces
    57        that are unrelated to each other.  The Hazelton
    58        laboratories that have done research for McDonald's on
    59        their analysis of their products, yes?  Are you aware that
    60        they do or they have done the nutritional analysis of

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