Approved Code No. 227 Registry No. 1609-08 

NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION 

CODE O·F FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

WET MOP MANUFACTURING 

INDUSTRY 

AS APPROVED ON JANUARY 23, 1934 

WE DO OUR PAin: 

UNITED STATES 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON : 193-i 

For sale by the Superintendent or Documents, Washington, D.C. • • • • • • • • Price 5 cents 

v 
ThJs publlcation is for sale h·y the Superintendent of Documents, Government 

Printing Office, Washington, D.O .• and by district offices of the Bureau of 

Foreign and Domestic Commerce. 

DISTRICT OFFICES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Atlanta, Ga.: 504 Post Office Building. 

Birmingham, Ala. : 257 Federal Building. 

Boston, Mass. : 1801 Customhouse. 

Buft'alo, N.Y.: Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Charleston, S.C.: Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Chicago, Ill. : Suite 1706, 201 North Wells Street. 

Cleveland, Ohio: Chamber of Commerce. 

Dallas, Tex. : Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Detroit, Mich.: 801 First National Bank Building. 

Houston, Tex. : Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Indianapolis, Ind. : Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Jacksonville, Fla.: Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Kansas City, Mo. : 1028 Baltimore A venue. 

Los Angeles, Calif.: 1163 South Broadway. 

LouisYille, Ky.: 408 Federal Building. Memphis, Tenn. : 229 Federal Building. 

Minneapolis, Minn.: 213 Federal Building. 

New Orleans, La.: Room 225-A Customhouse. 

New York, N.Y.: 734 Customhouse. 

Norfolk, Va.: 406 East Plume Street. 

Philadelphia, Pa. : 422 Commercial Trust Building. 

Pittsburgh, Pa. : Chamber of Commerce Building. 

Portland, Oreg. : 215 New Post Office Building. 

St. Louis, Mo. : 506 Olive Street. 

San Francisco, Calif. : 310 Customhouse. 

Seattle, Wash.: 809 Federal Office Building. 
Approved Code No. 227 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

WET MOP MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

As Approved on January 23, 1934 

ORDER 

APPROVING CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

WET MOP MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

An application having been duly made pursuant to and in full compliance with the provisions of Title I of the National Industrial 

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

Fair Competition for the Wet Mop Manufacturing Industry, and 

hearings having been duly held thereon and the annexed report on 

said Code, containing findings with respect thereto, having been made 

and directed to the President: 

NOW, THEREFORE, on behalf of the President of the United 

States, I, Hugh S. Johnson, Administrator for Industrial Recovery, 

pursuant to authority vested in me by Executive Orders of the President, including Executive Order No. 6543-A, dated December 30, 

1933, and otherwise; do hereby incorporate by reference said annexed 

report and do find that said Code complies in all respects with the 

pertinent provisions and will promote the policy and purposes of 

said Act; and do hereby order that said Code of Fair Competition 

be and it is hereby approved. 

HUGH s. JOHNSON' 

Administrator for Industrial Recovery. 

Approval Recommended: 

A. D. wHITESIDE, 

Division Adm.,inistrator. 

wASHINGTON, D.C., 

J a11!Uary B3, 1934. 

35369°----313-114----34 (425) 
The PRESIDENT, 

The White House. 

INTRODUCTION 

SIR: This is a report on the Hearing on the Code of Fair Competition for the Wet Mop Manufacturing Industry, submitted by the 

Wet lVIop Manufacturers Association. 

The Hearing was conducted in Washington on November 22, 1933. 

Every person who filed requests for Hearing was freely heard in 

public and all statutory and regulatory requirements were complied 

with. 

Attached herewith is a copy of the Code which was presented by 

duly qualified and authorized representatives of the Industry, complying with the statutory requirements as representing 45.5 percent 

of the total number of producers in the Industry and 75 percent of 

the volume. 

EVIDENCE SUBMITTED 

Evidence presented showed a total of thirty-four concerns employing, in the first quarter of 1933, a total of 381 employees, while 

after the passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act and as a 

result of the President's Reemployment Agreement, employment 

jumped to 533 employees for the industry. 

It was brought out that all members of the Industry had not only 

been invited to join the Association but all had been urged repeatedly 

to take their proper part in the formulation of the proposed Code. 

Notices were mailed to every known concern which was conceivably 

engaged in Wet :Mop l\1anufacture. Likewise, every conceivably 

known manufacturer of wet mops was notified of the Public Hearing 

on this Code. 

RESUME OF PROVISIONS 

The minimum wages established in this code of $13.00 per week 

for the Northern section of the country and $12.00 for the Southern 

section are identical with those established in the Code for the Cotton 

Textile Industry. Because of the fact that a number of wet mop 

manufacturers spin their own yarn, it is clearly e·vident that the 

labor conditions are substantially the same. 

One Southern manufacturer protested against the proposed minimum wage established in the Code, in a ·statement that many of his 

employees are so-called marginal' producers or substandard workers. 

This statement was that such substandard employees could not 

produce either the quality or the quantity of material as that prod~c~d by his competitors and that he, therefore, desired a lower 

mm1mum wage. 

(426) 
427 

In the belief that there is ample productive machinery within the 

industry to produce all of the requirements in two shifts for forty 

hours each per week, there is a provision in this code limiting the 

operation of productive machinery to the above-stated hours per 

week, which is similar to that established for the Cotton Textile 

Industry. 

It was further pointed out that there is certain competition in this 

Industry from the institutions for the blind. In view of the fact 

that there is a definite feeling among these institutions that they wish 

to be a part and parcel of the National movement for the betterment 

of the Industry, an amendment was added calling for cooperation 

between the Code Authority for the vVet Mop Manufacturing Industry and a committee established to represent the institutions for the 

blind. The committee to be made up as follows: 

Chairman of the Code Committee of the American A sociation of Workers for the Blind. 

President of this Association, or his representative. 

A representative from the American Foundation for the 

Blind. 

The minimum wage and maximum hour provisions of the Code are 

not to apply to institutions for the blind which comply with the 

rules and regulations of the above committee. 

FINDINGS 

The Deputy Administrator in his final report to me on said Code 

having found as herein set forth and on the basis of all the proceedings in this matter; 

I find that: 

(a) Said Code is well designed to promote the policies and purposes of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act, including removal of obstructions to the free flow of interstate and foreign 

commerce which tend to diminish the amount thereof and will provide for the general welfare by promoting the organization of indus- try for the purpose of cooperative action among the trade groups, 

by inducing and maintaining united action of labor and manage- ment under adequate governmental sanctions and supervision, by 

eliminating unfair competitive practices, by promoting the fulle t 

possible utilization of the present productive capacity of industries, by avoiding undue restriction of production (except as may be 

temporarily required), by increasing the consumption of industrial 

and agricultural products through increasing purchasing power, 

by reducing and relieving unemployment, by improving standards 

of labor, and by otherwise rehabilitating industry. 

(b) Said Industry normally employs not more than 50,000 employees; and is not classified by me as a major industry. 

(c) The Code as approved complies in all respects with the 

pertinent provisions of said Title of said Act, including without 

limitation Subsection (a) of Section 3, Subsection (a) of Section 7, 

and Subsection (b) of Section 10 thereof; and that the applicant 

association is an industrial association truly representative of the 
428 

aforesaid Industry; and that said association imposes no inequitable re trictions on admission to membership therein. . (d) The Code is not designed to and will not permit monopolies 

or monopolistic practices. 

(e) The Code is not designed to and will not eliminate or oppress 

bmall enterprises and will not operate to discriminate against them. 

(f) Those engaged in other steps of the economic process have 

not been depriyed of the right to be heard prior to approval of 

said Code. 

For these reasons, the Code has been approved. 

Respectfully, 

HUGH s. JOHNSON' 

A dministrato1·. 

JANUARY 23, 1934. 
CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

WET MOP MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

ARTICLE I-PURPOSES 

To effectuate the policies of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, the following provisions are established as a Code of 

Fair Competition for the Wet Mop Manufacturing Industry, and 

shall be the standard of fair competition for such industry and 

shall be binding upon every member thereof. 

ARTICLE II-DEFINITIONS 

1. The term "industry" as used herein includes the manufacture 

or sale by the manufacturer, of wet, or scrub, mop heads and/ or mops. 

2. The term "employee" as used herein includes anyone engaged 

in the industry in any capacity r eceiving compensation for his services, irrespective of the nature or method of payment of such 

compensation. 

3. The term "employer" as used herein includes anyone by whom 

any such employee is compensated or employed. 

4. The term "member of the industry " includes anyone engaged 

in the industry as above defined, either as an employer or on his 

own behalf. 

5. The terms "President", "Act", and "Administrator" as used 

herein shall mean respectively the President of the United States, 

Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the Administrator of Title I of said Act. 

ARTICLE III-Ho uRs 

1. (a) No employee shall be permitted to work in excess of 40 

hours in any one week or 8 hours in any twenty-four (24) hour 

period, except as hereinafter provided. 

(b) Executives and employees in a managerial or supervisory 

capacity who receive $35 or more per week are excepted from the 

maximum-hour provisions of this section. 

(c) Repair-shop crews, firemen, engineers, electricians, outside 

crews and cleaners shall not be permitted to work in excess of 44 

hours per week. 

(d) Truckmen shall not be permitted to work in excess of 48 hours 

per week. 

(e) Watchmen shall not be permitted to work in excess of 56 hours 

per week. 

(429) 
430 

2. The maxim urn hours fixed in the foregoing section shall not 

apply to any employee on emergency maintenance or emergency 

repair work involving breakdowns or protection of life or property, 

but in any such special ca e at least one and one third times his 

normal rate shall be paid for hours worked in excess of the maximum 

hours herein provided. All such emergency time shall be reported 

monthly to the Code Authority hereinafter provided for. 

3. No productive machinery in the industry shall be opnrated 

for more than two shifts of 40 hours each per week. 

ARTICLE IV-'V AGES 

1. No employee shall be paid at less than the rate of 32lj2 cents per 

hour in the North, and 30 cents per hour in the South. The South 

shall include the section of the United States consisting of the 

States of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, ~1i ssissippi , Louisiana, Texas, and Florida. The 

North shall mean the rest of the United States. 

2. This Article establishes a minimum rate of pay, regardless of 

whether an employee is compensated on a time-rate, piece-work, or 

other basis. 3. Rates of pay in excess of the minimum hereinbefore prescribed 

hall be increased so as to preserve equitable differentials. 

4. Female employees performing substantially the same work as 

male employees shall receive the same rates of pay as male employees. 

ARTICLE V-GENERAL LABOR PROVISIONS 

1. No person under sixteen (16) years of age shall be employed 

in the industry, nor anyone under eighteen (18) years of age at 

operations or occupations hazardous in nature or detrimental to 

health. In any State an employer shall be deemed to have complied 

with the age provisions of th1s section if he shall have on file a 

certificate or permit duly issued by the authority in such State empowered to issue employment or age certificates or permits, showing 

that the employee is of the required age. 

2. Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain . collectively through representatives 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 representatives or in 

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

collective bargaining or other mutual aid or proteation. 

3. No employee and no one seeking employment shall be required 

9 S a condition of employment to join any company union or to refrain from joining, qrganizing, or assisting a labor organization of 

his own choosing. 

4. Employers shall comply with the maximum hours of labor, 

minimum rates of pay, and other conditions of employment, approved 

or prescribed by the President. 

5. Within each State this Code shall ·not supersede any laws of 

such State imposing more stringent requirements on employers regulating the age of employees, wages, hours of work, or health, fire, or 

general workjng conditions than under this Code. 
431 

6. Employers shall not reclassify employees or duties o£ occupa·· 

tions performed by employees so as to defeat the purposes of the 

Act. 

7. Each employer shall post Articles III, IV, and V of this Code 

in conspicuous places, accessible to all employees. 

ARTICLE VI-ADMIN !STRATI ON 

To further effectuate the policies of the Act, a Code Authority is 

hereby constituted to cooperate with the Administrator in the administration of this Code. 

1. Organization and constitution of Code Authority: 

(a) The Code Authority shall consist of five (5) individuals, or 

such other number as may be approved from time to time by the 

Administrator, to be selected as hereinafter set forth. The Administrator, at his discretion, ma.y appoint not more than three (3) additional members (without vote) to represent the Administrator or 

such groups or interests as may be agreed upon. 

(b) The Wet Mop Manufacturers Association shall call a meeting of the entire industry for the purpose of electing the five industry members of the Code Authority, said meeting to take place not 

less than ~0 days after the approval of this Code by the President, 

unless such time shall be extended by the Administrator or his 

Deputy upon the request of the Association. E ach member of the 

industry shall have one vote in electing these members of the Code 

Authority, subject to the provisions of subsection 2 (h) of this 

Article. Until such Code Authority shall have been selected, the 

duties and powers of the Code Authority shall be exercised by the 

Administrator or his Deputy. 

(c) Each trade or industrial association directly or indirectly 

participating in the selection or activities of the Code Authority 

shall: (1) Impose no inequitable restrictions on membership and 

(2) submit to the Administrator true copies of its articles of association, bylaws, regulations, and any amendments when made thereto, 

together with such other information as to membership, organization, and activities as the Administrator may deem necessa ry to 

effectuate the purposes of the Act. 

(d) In order that the Code Authority shall at all times be truly 

representative of the industry and in other respects comply with 

the provisions of the Act, the Administrator may provide such hearings as he may deem proper; and thereafter, if he shall find that the 

Code Authority is not truly representative or does not in other 

respects comply with the provisions of the Act, may require an 

appropriate modification in the method of selection of the Code 

Authority. 

2. The Code Authority shall have the following additional duites 

and powers to the extent permitted by the Act, subject to the right 

of the Administrator on review to veto or modify any action taken 

by it. 

(a) The Code Authority shall cooperate with the Administrator 

in making investigations as to the functioning and observance of any 

provisions of this Code at its own instance or on complaint by any 
432 

person and to report the same to the Administrator, or such agencies 

as he may designate. 

(b) The Code Authority shall collect at such times and in such 

manner as may be prescribed, statistics covering number of employees, 

wage rates, employee earnings, hours of work, production, shipments, 

stock, prices and such other data pertinent to the effectuation of the 

purposes of this Code as may be required by the Administrator. 

(c) In addition to the information required to be submitted to the 

Code Authority, there shall be furnished to government agencies 

such statistical information as the Administrator may deem necesary for the purposes recited in Section 3 (a) of the Act. 

(d) The Code Authority shall, subject to the approval of the Administrator, make such rules and regulations as shall be necessary 

to make effective the power granted to it hereunder. 

(e) The Code Authority may from time to time present to the 

Administrator recommendations based on conditions in this industry 

as they may develop which will tend to effectuate the operation of the 

proYisions of this Code and the policies of the Act. 

(f) The Code Authority may by regulations duly adopted from 

time to time appoint such subcommittees or designate such agencies 

and may delegate to any of them such of its powers and duties as 

it shall deem nece sary or proper in order to carry out the provisions of this Code. 

(g) Any interested party shall have the right of appeal to the 

Administrator under such rule,s and regulations as he may prescribe 

in respect to any rule, regulation, or other course o.f action issued or 

taken by the Code Authority. 

(h) Members of the industry shall be entitled to participate in 

and share the benefits of the activities of the Code Authority and 

to participate in the selection of the members thereof by assenting 

to and complying with the requirements of thi,s Code and sustaining 

their reasonable share of the expenses of its administration. The 

reasonable share of the expenses of administration shall be determined by the Code Authority, subject to review by the Administrator, on the basis o.f volume of bu,siness, and/or such other factors 

as may be deemed equitable to be taken into consideration. 

3. If the Administrator shall determine that any action of a code 

authority .or any agency thereof is unfair or unjust or contrary to 

the public interest, the Administrator may require that such action 

be suspended for a period of not to exceed thirty days to afford an 

opportunity for investigation o.f the merits of such action and further consideration by such code authority or agency pending final 

action, which shall be taken only upon approval by the Administrator. 

ARTICLE VII-TRADE PRACTICES 

1. The Wet Mop Manufacturing Industry recognizes the humane 

considerations attached to products of institutions for the blind and 

in order to give constructive assistance and to prevent unfair competition, it is the will and purpose of the industry to cooperate with 

such in.stitutions. To effectuate such purpose, a committee as hereinafter provided, shall be recognized by the Code Authority for the 
433 

purpose of c.onferrin~ with the Code Authority and adjusting all 

matters arising out ot the c.ompetition o.f the products of the blind 

as they affect this industry. This Committee shall secure necessary 

data from institutions for the bljnd relative to all matter,s affecting 

competition of the blind in this industry. 

The committee shall be made up as follows: Chairman of the Code 

Committee of the American Association of 'V orkers for the Blind, 

President or his representative of the American Association of 

Workers for the Blind, and a representative from the American 

Foundation for the Blind. 

The minimum wage,s and maximum hours provisions shall not 

apply to institutions for the blind which comply with the rules and 

regulations of the above committee, after such rules and regulations . are approved by the Administrator. . 

2. Within 30 days from the effective date of this Code each handled 

mop or mop head shall be plainly marked, indicating the size (actual 

weight of mopping material, i.e. yarns, fabrics, twines, or slasher), 

and shall bear a brand or mark to identify the manufacturer; the 

marking to be stamped on the handle or printed on the label attached to the handle, or on a tab attached to the mop head. All 

brands or marks shall be filed with the Code Authority for the purpose of identification of the product. 

3. The following practices constitute unfair methods of competi- tion for members of the industry and are prohibited: 

(a) False Marking or Branding.-The false marking or brnnding 

of any product of the industry which has the tendency to mislead or 

deceive customers, or prospective customers, whether as to the grade, 

quality, quantity, substance, character, nature, origin, size, finish, or 

preparation of any product of the industry, or otherwise. · (b) Misrepresent{])tion or False o1· Misleading Advertising.-The 

making or causing or knowingly permitting to be made or published 

any false, materially inaccurate, or deceptive statement by way of 

advertisement or otherwise, whether concerning the grade, quality, 

quantity, substance, cf1aracter, nature, origin, size, finish, or preparation of any product of the industry, or the credit terms, values, policies, or services of any member of the industry, or otherwise, having 

the tendency to mislead or deceive customers or prospective 

customers. 

(c) Commercial Bribery.-No member of the industry shall give, 

permit to be given, or directly offer to give, anything of value for 

the purpose of influencing or rewarding the action of any employee, 

agent, or representative of another in relation to the business of the 

employer of such employee, the principal of such agent, or the represented party, without the knowledge of such employer, principal, or 

party. Commercial bribery provisions shall not be construed to 

prohibit free and general distribution of articles commonly used for 

advertising except so far as such articles are actually used for commercial bribery as hereinabove defined. 

(d) Interference with contractual relations.-Maliciously inducing 

or attempting to induce a breach of an existing oral or written contract between a competitor and his customer or source of supply, or 

interfering with or obstructing the performance of any such contractual duties or services. 
434 lll ll llllili\ii \ii l~ ~i II liiiliilil i1t llililililillllllllll 

3 1262 08850 3122 

(e) Searet rebates-The secret payment or allowance of rebates, 

refunds, commissions, credits, or unearned discounts, whether in the 

form of money or otherwise, or the secret extension to certain purchasers of special services or privileges not extended to all purchasers 

on like terms and conditions. 

(f) Defamation.-The defamation of competitors by falsely imput- ing to them dishonorable conduct, inability to perform contracts, 

questionable credit standing, or by other false representations or by 

the false di paragement of the grade or quality of their goods. 

(g) Tlweats of litigation.-The publishing or circulating of 

threats or suits for infringement of patents or trade marks or of 

any other legal proceedings not in good faith, with the tendency or 

effect of harassing competitors or intimidating their customers. (h) Other unfair rractices.-Nothing in this Code shall limit the . 

effect of any adjudication by the courts, or holding by the Federal 

Trade Commission, on complaint, finding, and order that any prac- tice or method is unfair, providing that such adjudication or holding is not inconsistent with any provision of the Act or of this Code. 

ARTICLE VIII-MoDIFICATION 

1. This Code and all the provisions thereof are expressly made subject to the right of the President in accordance with the provisions 

of subsection (b) of Section 10 of the Act, from time to time to can· 

eel or modify any order, approval, license, rule, or regulation issued 

under said Act. 

2. This Code, except as to provisions required by the Act, may b6 

modified on the basis of experience or changes in circumstances, such 

modification to be based upon application to the Administrator and 

such notice of hearing as he shall specify, and to become effective on 

approval of the Administrator. 

ARTICLE IX-MoNOPOLIEs, E:rc. 

No provisions of this Code shall be so applied as to permit monopolies or monopolistic practices, or to eliminate, oppress, or discriminate 

against small enterprises. 

ARTICLE X-PRICE INCREASES 

Whereas the policy of the Act to increase real purchasing power 

will be made impossible of consummation if prices of goods and 

services increase as rapidly as wages, it is recognized that price increases shall be delayed and that, when made, the same should, so 

far as reasonably possible, be limited to actual increases in the seller's 

costs. 

ARTICLE XI-EFFECTIVE DATE 

This Code shall become effective on the tenth day after approval. 

Approved Code No. 227. 

Registry No. 1609-08. 

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