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Registry No. 1301-1-02 

NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION 

C·ODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

OFFICE EQUIPMENT 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

AS APPROVED ON NOVEMBER 4, 1933 

BY 

PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT 

U.S. Df ftOt!'TOPIY ~ 

1. Executive Order 

2. Letter of Transmittal 

3. Code 

UNITED STATES 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHING TON : 1933 

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(Il) 
EXECUTIVE ORDER 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION FOR THE OFFICE EQUIPMENT 

MANUFACTURERS INDUSTRY 

An application having been duly made, pursuant to and in full 

compliance with the provisions of title I of the ational Industrial 

Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933, for my approval of a Code of 

Fair Competition for the Office Equipment 1\Ianufacturers Industry, and hearings having been held thereon and the Administrator 

having rendered his report containing an analy is of the said code 

of fair competition together with his recommendations and findings 

with respect thereto, and the Administrator having found that the 

said code of fair competition complies in all respects with the pertinent provisions of title I of sa.id act and that the requirements of 

clauses (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of section 3 of the said act 

have been met: 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of 

the United States, pursuant to the authority vested in me by title I 

of the National Industrial Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933-1 

and otherwise, do approve the report and recommendations and 

adopt the findings of the Administrator and do order that the said 

code of fair competition be, and it is hereby, approved. 

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. 

T HE vV HITE Hou E, 

N ove1nber 4, 1933. 

Approval recommended: 

HUGH S. J OHNSON, 

Adm,inistrator. 

(III) 

19470°-18S-lC0-33 
The PRESIDENT, 

NOVEMBER 3, 1933. 

The White House. 

Sm: A proposed Code of Fair Competition for the Office Equipment Manufacturers Industry was submitted to the Administrator 

on August 111 1933 by the Office Equipment Manufacturers In titute representing 93 % of the known members of the Industry. The 

hearing was conducted in \Vashington on September 21, 1933 and 

the Code was revised during the recess of this hearing and is submitted in its present form for approval. Every person who requested an appearance was properly heard in accordance with 

statutory and regulatory requirements. 

The Industry's sales closely reflect fluctuations in general business 

conditions. Its volun1e, therefore, in the past four years shows 

an approximate drop of 70% with a coincident drop, however, of 

only 48 % in the number of employees. The majority of the Industry 

immediately signed the President's Reemployment Agreement with 

sub itutions granted by the P.R.A. Policy Board, resulting in a net 

increase in employment, as shown by the report of the Research and 

Planning Department, of approximately 40% over the a\erage numb r of wage earners employed in the first half of the year 1933. The 

reemployment of labor with attendant increases in yearly payroll 

has already been materially increased since the date of the submitted 

figures and will be further accelerated by any increase in the volume 

of its business. 

RES ME OF CODE 

Section 1 states the purpose of the Code. 

Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 accurately define special references made 

in the Code. 

Section 7 state the effective date. 

Sections 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 set forth the mandatory labor 

provisions, minimum age requirements, maximum hours, and minimum wage rate . The maximum hours are limited to 40 per week 

for factory employees. These are permitted to be averaged over a 

t en Yi·eeks' period; in addition, under exceptional circum tances, uch 

employees may b permitted to work 48 hours in not more than eight 

weeks of any six months' period. A 10% tolerance of the tated 

hour is xtende l to timr clerks firemen, an l repair crew . For office 

em1 loyee. the maximum hour are 40 per". ek, except that in any ix 

weeks of any ix months' period they may work 48 hour . 

The minimum "·a e rat(• for factory employees is 40¢ per hour for 

male and 35~

1 per hour for femal employee , unl s the hourly rate 

for the san,e cla · · of "·ork on July 15 1D29. was less than 40¢ per 

hour, in which ca e su h rates hall not be le. ·s than that paid at that 

date and in no event le than 35¢ 1 er hour. For office employee the 

(IV) 
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minimum wage varies from $15.00 to $12.00 according to the popu. 

lation differentials. Apprentices and learners without previous 

experience may not constitute more than 5% of the total number of 

employees, and their wages shall not be less than 80% of the specified 

minimums. The same provisions apply to office boys and girls. 

FINDINGS 

The Administrator finds: A. This Code cbmplies in all respects 

with the pertinent phrases of Title I of the said Act, including without limitation, subsection A of Section 7, and subsection B of Section 

10 thereof; B. The Office Equipment Manufacturers Institute is truly 

representative of the Office Equipment Mannfacturers Industry, and 

the bylaws of this Industry provide no inequitable restrictions to 

membership; C. The Code is not designed to promote monopolies or 

to eliminate or oppress small enterprises and will not operate to 

discriminate against them, and will tend to effectuate thJ policy 

of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act. 

It is recommended, therefore, that this Code be approYed. 

Respectfully, 

HuaH S. Jor-rNsoN, 

Adm,inistrator. 
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CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION FOR THE OFFICE 

EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS INDUSTRY 

PURPOSE 

1. To effectuate the policy of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act during the period of the emergency, with the purposes 

of relieving unemployrnent7 establishing fair and adequate wages, 

regulating hours of work, improving standards of labor, and promoting and insuring fair trade practices, beneficial alike to employer, 

employee, and consumer, the following provisions are established as 

a Code of Fair Competition for the Office Equipment Manufacturers 

Industry. 

DEFINITIONS 

2. The term" Office Equipment Manufacturers Industry" as used 

herein is defined to mean the manufacture, or the manufacture and 

distribution, of m.achines, equipment, appliances, attachments, systems, and/or supplies incident thereto ( other than business furniture, 

equipment, and supplies defined in the Code of Fair Competition for 

the Business Furniture, Storage Equipment and Filing Supply 

Industry), primarily for use in offices and/or stores, such as manufactured and distributed by the present members of the Office Equipment Manufacturers Institute. 

3. The term " Industry" as used herein means the Office Equipment 

:Manufacturers Ind us try. 

4. The term "Producer" is synonymous with the term ":Manufacturer or manufacturer and distributor " and includes anyone, 

firm, association, or corporation engaged in the production, or production and distribution of products of the Industry. The term 

shall include any corporation which is a subsidiary of or is affiliated 

with such Producer, directly or indirectly, through ownership or 

control, excepting, however, any producer or subsidiary or affiliated 

corporation engaged in the production and/ or distribution of the 

Products of the Industry outside the United States, but not excepting the production and/or distribution within the United States 

of any such corporation. 

5. The t~rm " Operator" as used herein is defined to mean any 

person employed to operate machines, equipment, and appliances 

manufactured and distributed by the members of the Office Equipment :Manufacturers Industry. 

6. Operators of machines, equipment, and appliances manufactured and distributed by the members of the Office Equipment 

Manufacturers Industry shall be cla sed as office employees. 

EFFECTIYE DATE OF CODE 

7. The effective date of this Code shall be the second Monday following the date on which the Code shall have b3en approved by the 

(1) 
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President of the United States pursuant" to the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, except that the provisions in regard to labor, "ages, 

and hours shall be effectiYe on the date of the approval of this Code 

by the President. 

8. Employees shall haYe the right to organize and bargain collectively through repre entatiYes of their own choosing, and shall be 

free from the interference, restraint, or coercion of employers of 

labor, or their agents, in the designation of such representatiYes or 

in self-organization or in other concerted activities for the purpose 

of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. 

No employee and no one seeking employment shall be required as 

a condition of employment to join any company union or to refrain 

from joining, organizing, or assisting a labor organization of his own 

choosing. Employers shall comply with the maximum hours of labor, minimum rates of pay, and other conditions of employment, approved 

or prescribed by the President. 

CHILD LABOR 

9. Employers shall not employ any person under the age of lG 

years provided that in the ca e of factory machine operators this 

minimum age r equirement shall be increased to 18 years. 

\VAGES 

10. 1\1inimum rates of wage for any class of employees in the industry described in paragraph 12· shall be 40¢ per hour for men, 35¢ 

per hour f or women. 

Provided that, if the hourly rate of wage for the same cla s of work 

on July 15, 1929, was less than 40¢ per hour, then no producer shall 

pay less than the hourly rate in effect on July 15, 1929, and in no 

event less than 35¢ per hour. 

The abo-ve mentioned minimum wages are not to be construed as 

different by reason of se:x, and when women do substantially the same 

work or perform substanbally the same duties £!S men, they shall 

receive the ame wage as men. 

It is agreed that the provisions of paragraph 10 establish a guaranteed minimum rate of pay, r egardiess of whether the employee is 

compen ated on the basis of a time rate or on a piecework performanc . 

The f orego.ing provi ion Jrnll uot apply to lea rners or apprentices 

without previous experienc during the actual period of apprenticeship, not to exceed six months. The minimum rate of pay for learners ar.d apprentices hall not be less than 80 % of the minimum set 

forth aboYe and the maximum number of learner and apprentices 

hall not be more than D~/, f the tota l nurnb 0 r of employee de cribecl 

in par:igra ph 12. 

11. lVIi nimum rate of wage for a:ny class of employee in the 

Industry described in pnragra ph 13 ( c.·cept outside sale inen) hall 

be a foll o\\ s : In any city of 5ll0,000 population, or in the immediate 

trade area of such city at the r ate of $15.00 per week; in any city of 

between ... 50,000 and 500,000 population, or in the immediate trade 
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area of such city, at the rate of $14.50 per -week; in any city or town 

of less than 250,000 population, or in the immediate trade area o:f 

such city or town, at the rate of $14.00 per week; in any town of less 

than 2,500 population, or in the immediate trade area of such town, 

at the rate of $12.00 per week. Provided, however, that office boys or 

girls, learners, and casual employees may be paid not less than 80% 

of such minimum wage, but the total number of office boys or girls, 

learners, or casual employees shall not exceed in any calendar month 

5% of the total number of employees covered by the provisions of 

this paragraph. 

Houns 

12. No factory or mechanical worker or artisan shall be employed 

more than a m.aximum of 40 hours per week, averaged over a ten 

weeks' period; provided, however, that during any period in which 

a concentrated demand upon any division of the industry shall place 

an unusual and temporary burden for production upon its facilities, 

any employee of such division may be permitted to work not more 

than 48 hours per week in not more than 8 weeks of any six months' 

period, except in the case of time clerks, firemen, and repair crews, 

where there shall be a 10% tolerance on any 40-hour week. The limitations of this paragraph shall not apply to service men engaged 

in outside work away from the manufacturing plant, department 

foreman, and watchmen. 

13. Employees not covered by paragraph 12 ( except outside salesmen), receiving less than $35.00 per week, shall not be employed 

more than a maximum of forty hours per week; provided, however, 

that any such employee may be permitted to work not more than 48 

hours per week in not more than six weeks of any six months' period. 

14. No employee shall knowingly be engaged by any two or more 

employers for a longer period than the maximum number of hours 

permitted for day, week, or month. 

15. The rate of compensation for employment in effect on July 1, 

1933, in excess of the minimum wages hereby agreed to shall not be 

reduced (notwithstanding that the hours worked in such employment 

may be hereby reduced) and the rate of pay for such employment 

will be increa eel by an equitable readjustment of all pay schedules. 

16. Employers shall not reclassify employee or dutie of occupations performed by employees so as to defeat the purpo es of the Act. 

17. ~Tithin each State this Code shall not supersede any laws of 

such State imposing more stringent requirements regulating the age 

of employees, wages, hours of work, or health, fire, or general working conditions than under this Code. 

ADlVU?-- ISTR,\TION 

18. To further effectuate the policy of the Administration and to 

facilitate the administering of this Code, a Code Administrative 

Board shall be established consi ting of one officer or employee designated by each member of the Industry. Thi Board by a majority 

vote shall select a Code Executive Committee of five members to 

administer the Code. 
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The President may appoint - ( from one to three) nonvoting members who will represent the Government on both the Code Administrative Board and the Code Executive Committee. Such Governmental representatives are to be appointed for terms of from six 

months to one year. In case more than one such representative is 

appointed, the terms of appointment are to be so arranged that they 

do not expire at the same time. 

The Code Executive Committee shall have the power to call for 

such information as it may deem necessary for the enforcement of 

the provisions of this Code only, not including any supplemental or 

additional codes which may be hereafb)r submitted. All information collected shall be open for inspection by the Administrator but 

otherwise kept confidential except for enforcement of this Code. 

Each member of the Industry shall be entitled to participate in 

and share the benefits of the activities of the Code Administrative 

Board and the Code Executive Committee by assenting to and complying with the requirements of this Code and sustaining his reasonable share of the expenses of its administration. The reasonable 

share of the expenses of administration shall be determined by the 

Code ExecutiYe Committee, subject to review by the Administrator. 

In addition to inf ormaticm required to be submitted to the Code 

Executive Committee, there shall be furnished to Government agencies such statistical information as the Administration may deem 

necessary for the purpose recited in Section 3 (a) of the National 

Industrial Recovery Act. The Administrator, on review, may disa pp rove or modify any action taken by the Code Executive 

Committee. 

SUPPLEMENTAL OR ADDITION AL CODES 

19. In view of the diversity of products represented within the 

Office Equipment Manufacturers Industry, it may be considered advisable or necessary to have supplemental Codes to deal with such 

matters as unfair competition in price and other unfair and destructive competitive practices within some subdivision of this Industry; and such supplemental Codes may be submitted and become 

a part of this Code upon the approval of the President. Organizations or groups of employers representing a substantial part of any 

branch or subdivision of the Industry will be excepted from the provisions of this Code upon the approval of a specific Code filed by 

such organizations or groups, insofar as the provisions of the 

specific Code may be applicable. 

MODIFICATION 

. . 

20. This Code and all the provisions thereof are expressly madesubject to the right of the President, in accordance with the provision of sub-Section (b) of Section 10 of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, from time to time to cancel or modify any order, 

approval, license, rule, or regulation issued under Title 1 of said 

Act, and specifically, but without limitation, to the right of the 

President, to cancel or modify his approval of this Code, or any 

conditions imposed by him upon his approval thereof. 
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This Code, except as to provisions required by the Act, may be 

modified on the basis of experience or changes in circumstances, such modification to be based upon application to the Administrator 

and such notice and hearing as he shall specify, and to become eff ecti ve on approval of the President. 

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