Approved Code No. 393 Registry No. 242-1-02 

NATIONAL RECOVERY ADMINISTRATION 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

SOFT FIBRE 

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

u 

AS APPROVED ON APRIL 9, 1934 

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WE DO OUR PART 

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Approved Code No. 393 

CODE OF FAIR COMPETITION 

FOR THE 

SOFT FIBRE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

As Approved on April 9, 1934 

ORDER 

CoDE OF FAIR CoMPETITION FOR THE SoFT FrnRE 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 Soft Fibre 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, Administratqr 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 Title of said Act; and do hereby order that said 

Code of Fair Competition be and it is hereby approved; provided, 

however, that Article VII, Section 3 be eliminated therefrom. 

HuaH S. JoHNSON, 

Adrninistrator for Industrial Recov·ery. 

Approval recommended: 

w. A. HARRIMAN, 

Acting Division Administrator. 

wASHINGTON, D.C., 

April 9, 1934. 

51895°----482-49----34 (273) 
REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT 

The PRESIDENT, 

The White House. 

Srn: This is a report of the Hearing on the Code of Fair Competition for the Soft Fibre Manufacturing Industry in the United 

States, conducted in Washington, D. C., on Friday, March 23, 1934. 

In accordance with the customary procedure every person who 

filed a request for appearance was frooly heard in public, and all 

statutory and regulatory requirements were complied with. 

The Code which is attached was presented by the duly qualified 

and authorized representative of the industry, the Soft Fibre 1\1anufacturers Institute, as representing over 80% of the capa.city of the 

industry. 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDUSTRY 

This Industry is composed of concerns whose products are manufactured from vegetable bast or leaf fibres such as jute, flax, hemp, 

and istle which are processed on soft fibre machinery whether as a 

final process or as a part of a larger or further process. 

The definition so given is for the purpose of differentiating this 

Industry from that known as the Cordage and Twine Industry 

whose products are wholly or in chief value of Manila (Abaca), 

sisal, henequen or other hard fibre. 

The ra'IV materials used in the Soft Fibre Industry are practically 

all imported and find their uses in a variety of subsequent industries 

as well a in agriculture throughout the United States. As wrapping or tying materials they have occupied for the better part of a 

century an important place in "''"odd trade. 

Concerns in this In lu try are located in approximately ten different States-in the East, the 1\Iiddle "\Vest, and on the Pacific 

Coast. 

The po ition of the Inclu try as to employment is as follows: 

I ncrPase in nu111 ber ot em.plo yecs, 1933 

Jan.-Mar. Oct.-Dec. 

Manufacturing-------------------------------------·---------------------------- 3. 22!) 4,270 

I, 250 1,1570 

4, 479 I 5,840 J<on<n:::::::otuc;ng::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::l 

Increase Percent increase 

Manufacturing------------------------------------------------------------------ 1, 041 32.2 N onmanufacturing _____________________________________________________________ _ 320 25. 7 

Total ____________________________________________________________________ _ 1, 361 30.2 

(274) 
275 

Increase in number of employees, 1.933-Continued 

Average hourly earnings 

1929 Oct., Nov., 

Dec., 1933 

Cents Cent3 ~anufacturing ___ ______________________________________________________________ _ 41. 2 40.4 Noninanufacturing __ ___________________________________________________________ _ 59.0 66.3 - ·--

1rotal--------------------------------------------------------------------- 45. 7 45.3 

RESUME 

The labor provisions of the Code provide, with certain necessary 

exceptions, for a forty ( 40) hour week except that for six (6) weekS' 

in any six (6) months period employees may be employed for fortyeight ( 48) hours in any one week provided their average employment for such six (6) months period shall not exceed forty-eight 

(48) hours. 

The minimum wage provided by this Code for all employees except learners is thirty-two and one-half (321J2·¢) cents for the entire 

United States. 

The Code contains a provision providing that no employer within 

the Industry shall pay for any machine operation less than ninetyfive (95%) per cent of the average hourly rate of the Indu try for 

the same operation after equitable adjustments have be-en made 

above the minimum. It is felt that this clause should be of particular benefit to employees. 

Because there is approximately twice the potential productive 

capacity within the Indu try than the entire quantity of product 

manufactured in 1929, this Code pro\ides that the hours of operation of productive machinery in the Indu,stry shall not exceed eighty 

(80) hours in any one \leek. It is felt that this is necessary in order 

to effect some stabilization "ithin the Industry. 

The Code contains no Trade Practices. 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 Indu trial Recovery Act, including 

remo\"al 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 industry for the purpose of cooperative action among the trade groups, by 

inducing and maintaining united action of labor and management 

under adequate go\"ernmental sanctions and supervision, by elimi- nating unfair competitive practices, by promoting the fullest 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 imp~oving standards of 

labor, and by otherwise rehabilitating industry. 
276 

(b) Said Inclu try normally employs not more than 50,000 employees; and is not clas ified by me as a major industry. 

(c) The Code a approved complies in all respects with the pertinent provi ion of said Title of said Act, including without limitation Subsection (a) of Section 3, Subsection (a) of Section 7, and 

Sub ection (b) of Section 10 thereof; and that the applicant association is an Industrial a sociation truly representative of the aforesaid Industry; and that said association imposes no inequitable 

restrictions 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 

small enterprises and will not operate to discriminate against them. 

(f) Those engaged in other steps of the economic process have not 

been deprived of the right to be heard prior to approval of said Code. 

For these reasons, the Code has been approved. 

APRIL 9, 1934. 

HuoH S. JoHNSON, 

Administrator. 
CODE OF FAIR CO:MPETITION FOR THE SOFT FIBRE ~1ANUFACTURING INDUSTRY 

ARTICLE I - PURPOSE 

To effectuate the policies of Title I of the National Industrial 

Recovery Act, the following provisions are established as a Code o:f 

Fair Competition for the Soft Fibre Manufacturing Industry, and 

shall be the standards of Fair Competition for such Industry, and 

shall be binding upon every member thereof. 

ARTICLE II- DEFINITIONS 

1. The term "Industry" as used herein means the manufacture 

of roving and/ or spun yarn, single or plied, and woven fabrics o:f 

jute, flax, hemp, or other vegetable bast or leaf fibres produced on 

soft fibre machinery, whether as a final proce s or as part of a larger 

or further proce s. It shall not include the preparing, spinning, and 

weaving of new or second-hand jute or other fibres into the coarse 

bagging or patches expressly made for covering raw cotton; and it 

shall not include the manufacture of cordage twines, and/or ply 

and yarn goods commonly known as tarred hemp goods; and it 

shall not include the manufacture of oakum and/or twisted jute or 

hemp packing. 

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

in the Industry in any capacity receiving compensation for his 

services, irre pectiT'e 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 " a used herein means and 

includes, but without limitation, any individual, partnership, association, corporation or other form of enterprise engaged in the 

industry, either as an employer or on his or its own behalf. 

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

herein mean respectively the President of the United States, the 

National Industrial Recovery Act, a.nd the Administrator for Industrial Recovery. 

6. The term "productive machinery" as used herein means roving 

and/ or spinning spindles used for the roving and/ or spinning of 

products of the I ndustry. 

7. The term "Code Authority" as used herein means the Code 

Authority provided for in Article VI of this Code. 

8. The term "effective date" as used herein is defined to be ten 

days after the approval of this Code by the President. 

(277) 
278 

AnTICLE III-Ho ns 

1. No employee shall be employed in excess of forty ( 40) hours in 

any one (1) week except that for six (6) weeks in any six (6) 

months' period any employee may be employed forty-eight ( 48) hours 

in any one week provided his average employment for such six (6) 

months' period shall not exceed forty ( 40) hours, exoopt as follows : 

(a) Outside salesmen and employees e]lgaged in managerial, supervisory or executive capacity, clerical, accounting and office employees, 

who receive Thirty-Five Dollars ($35.00) or more per week. 

(b) Engineers, electricians, firemen, supervisors, oilers, repair-shop 

crews, elevator operators, shipping crews, and persons engaged in 

cleaning operations who shall not be employed more than forty-four 

( 44) hours in any one ( 1) week, except that for six ( 6) weeks in any 

six (6) months' period such employees may be employed forty-eight 

( 48) hours in any one week, provided the individual average employment for such six (6) months' period shall not exceed forty-four 

( 44) hours per week. 

(c) vVatchmen, who shall not be employed more than fifty-six (56) 

hours per week. 

2. No employee shall be employed or permitted to work for one 

or more employers in the aggregate in excess of the number of hours 

prescribed in this Article. . 3. The maximum hours fixed in the foregoing Sections shall not 

apply to any employee on emergency maintenance or emergency 

repair work involving break-down or protection of life or property, 

but in any such cases one and one-third times his normal rate shall 

be paid for hours worked in excess of the maximum hours herein 

proYided. · 

4. The productive machinery of any mill, plant, or factory in the 

Industry shall not be operated in excess of eighty (80) hours in 

anv one week. 

ARTICLE IV-W .AGES 

1. No employee in the Industry shall be paid at less than the rate 

of thirty-two and one-half (321;2¢) cents per hour, except: 

(a) Learners during a six weeks' period are excepted from the 

foregoing provisions, but shall be paid not less than 80 peroent of 

the minimum wage and the number thereof, paid at a rate of compensation below the minimum wage, shall be limited in any one factory 

to 5 percent of the total number of employees in that factory. A 

learner is defined as an employee who has worked less than six weeks 

in the Industry. 

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

whether employee is compensated on a time-rate, piecework, or 

other ba is. 

3. Female employees performing the same work as male employees 

shall receive the same rate of pay as male employees. 

4. A person whose earning capacity is limited because of age, 

physical or mental handicap, or other infirmity, may _be employed on 

light work at a wage below the minimum established by the Code, 

if the employer obtains from the State authority, designated by the 

United States Department of Labor, a certificate authorizing such 

person's employment at such wages and for such hours as shall be 
279 

stat€d in the certjficate. Such authority shall be guided by the 

instructions of the United State Department of Labor a. to i suing 

certificates to such persons. Each empl yer shall file monthly with 

the Code Authority a list of all such persons emplo3 eel by him, showing the wages paid to, and the maximum hour of work for uch 

employee. 

5. The wages of employee who on June 16 1933 received a rate 

of wages in excess of the minimum shall be equitably adjusted, and 

in no case shall hourly rates be reduced, provided, that in no case 

shall any employer pay for any machine operation less than 95 

percent of the average hourly rates of the Industry for the same 

operation after the above equitable adjustments have been made. All 

such adjustments shall be made and reported to the Code Authority 

within sixty ( 60) days after the effective date of this Code. 

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 shall 

be employed at occupations hazardous in nature or detrimental 

to health as determined by existing law. The Code Authority shall 

furnish a list of such occupations within sixty ( 60) days after the 

effective date of this Code. In any State an employer shall be 

deemed to have complied with this provision if he shall have on file 

a certificate or permit duly is ued by the authority in such State 

empowered to i sue employment or age certificates or permit , howing that the employee is of the required age. 

2. Employees shall have the right to organize and bargain collectively through representative of their own choosing, and shall 

be free from the interference restraint, or coercion of employer · of 

labor, or their agents, in the designation of such repre entatives or 

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

of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or pro ction. 

3. 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 as ·i ting a labor organization of 

his own choosing. 

4. :Members of the Industry shall comply with the maximum hours 

of labor, minimum rates of pay, and other conditions of employment, as approved or prescribed by the President. 

5. Within each State, this Code shall not supersede any law of 

such State imposing more stringent requirements on employers 

regulating the age of employees, wages, hours of work, or health, 

fire, or general working conditions than those provided tmder this 

Code. 

6. Employers shall not reclassify employees or duties of occupations performed by employee or engage in any other subterfuge so 

as to defeat the purposes of the Act. 

7. Each employer hall keep posted in conspicuous place in his 

plant and office full copies of Articles III1 IV, and V of this Code 

in accordance with the regulations of the Administrator. 

8. On and after the effective date, wages shall be exempt from 

any charges and/or deductions by the employer, except upon written consent of the employee or by court order or as required by law. 
280 

9. Every employer shall provide for the safety and health of 

employees during the hours and at the places of their employment. 

Standards for safety and health shall be submitted by the Code 

Authority to the Administrator within six months after the effective 

date of the Code. 

ARTICLE VI-ADl\HNISTRATION 

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 six members of whom 

five shall be elected by the Soft Fibre Manufacturers' Institute and 

one shaH be elected by the 1nembers of the Industry who are not 

members of the Soft Fibre Manufacturers' Institute, but who have 

become entitled to participate in and share the benefits of the Code 

Authority. In each case the method of election shall be submitted 

for the approval of the Administrator. 

(b) Each member of the Code Authority shall serve for one year 

and thereafter until his successor is selected as above provided. 

In case of vacancy by death or resignation the vacancy shall be 

filled in the same manner as original members were selected. 

(c) In addition to membership of the Code Authority as above 

provided, there may be not more than three members, without vote, 

to be appointed by the Administrator, to serve for such period as he 

shall specify, without cost to the Industry. 

2. 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 men1bership, organization, and 

activities as the Administrator may deem necessary to effectuate 

the purposes of the Act. 

3. 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 prescribe 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 m.ethod of selection of the Code 

Authority. 

4. All members of the Industry shall be entitled to participate in 

and share the benefits of the a,ctivities of the Code Authority and 

to participate in the selection of the members thereof by assenting to 

and complying with the requirements of this Code and sustaining 

their reasonable share of the expenses of its administration. Such 

reasonable share of the expenses shall be determined by the Code 

Authority, subject to approval by the Administrator, on the basis 

of volume of business andj or such other factors .as may be deemed 

equitable. 

5. Nothing in this Code shall constitute the members of the Code 

Authority partners for any purpose, nor shall any member o£ the 

Code Authority be liable in any manner to anyone for any act of 
281 

any other member, officer, agent, or employee of the Code Authority, 

nor shall any member of the Code Authority, exerci ing reasonable 

diligence in the conduct of his duties hereunder, be liable to anyone 

for any action or omission to act under thi Code, e.xc pt for his 

own wilful malfeasance, mi feasance, or non-feasance. 

6. The Code Authority shall have the following dutie and 

powers: 

(a) To insure the execution of the provisions of thi Code, and 

subject to such rules and regulations as may be established by the 

Administrator, to provide for the compliance of the Indu try with 

the provisions of the Act: Provided, however, that this shall not 

be construed to deprive duly authorized governmental agencies of 

their power to enforce the provisions of this Code or of the Act. 

(b) To adopt bylaws, rules, and regulations for its procedure and 

for the administration and enforcement of the Code. Three members, exclusive of the members who may be appointed by the Administrator, shall constitute a quorum. 

(c) To require from each member of the Indu try duly certified 

statistics in the form and as required by the Code Authority on 

production, order , sales, prices, and conditions of employment. In 

addition to information required to be ubmitted to the Code Authority, members of the industry subject to this Code shall furnish uch 

statistical information as the Administrator may deem nece ary 

for the purposes recited in Section 3 (a) of the Act, to such F ederal 

and State Agencies as he may designate, providing that nothing in 

this Code shall relieve any person of existing obligation to furnish 

reports to any Governmental Agency. No individual reports hall 

be disclosed to any other member of the Industry or to any other 

party except to such Governmental Agency as may be directed by the 

Administrator. 

(d) Subject to the approval of the Administrator, to ecnre from 

all members of the Industry an equitable and proportionate payment 

of the reasonable expenses of maintaining the Code Authority and 

its activities. 

(e) To recommend to the Administrator, after . ubmi ion to the 

Industry and approval by two thirds (2h) of all the members of 

the Industry, fair trade practice provisions to govern members of the 

Industry in their relations with each other or with other industries 

and to recommend to the Administrator mea ures for indu trial 

planning, including 8tabilization of employment. 

(f) To investigate, subject to such rules and regulation.· as may 

be e tablished by the Administrator, alleged violations of this Code, 

and to present to the Administrator reports of its investigation of 

such alleged violations. 

(g) To appoint such executives, to engage such a· i tants, to 

appoint such agencies (including the Soft Fibre Manufacturers' 

Institute) and to organize such committees (comprising 1nembers 

and/ or non-members of the Code Authority) as may be appropriate 

to administer this Code. The Administrator may appoint a representative to attend the meetings of such committees without vote 

and without expense to the Industry. 

(h) To investigate and inform the President as to the effect of 

importation of competitive products into the United State . 
282 

(i) To appoint a Trade Practice Committee, which shall meet with 

the Trade Practice Committees appointed under other Codes as 

may be related to the Industry for the purpose of formulating fair 

trade practices to govern the relationships between production and 

distribution employers under this Code and under such others to 

the end that such fair trade practices may be proposed to the 

Administrator as amendments to this Code and such other Codes. 

7. If the Administrator shall determine that any action of the 

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 to afford an opportunity for investigation 

of the merits of such action and further consideration by such Code 

Authority or agency pending final action which shall not be effective 

until the Administrator approves or unless he shall fail to disapprove 

after thirty (30) days' notice to him of intention to proceed with 

such action in its original or modified form. 

ARTICLE VII-MoDIFICATIONs 

1. This Code and all the provisions thereof are expressly made 

subject to right of the President in accordance with the provisions 

of Section 10 (b) of the Act, from time to time to cancel or modify 

any order, approval, license, rule, or regulation issued under the Act. 

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

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

modifications to be based upon application to the Administrator and 

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

on approval by the Administrator. 

3. In presenting this Code the members of the Industry do not 

thereby consent to any modification thereof and they reserve the 

right to object individually or jointly to any such modification. In 

presenting this Code and in complying therewith the members of the 

Industry do not consent to any modification of this Code after final 

approval, unless such modification is assented to by the members of 

the Industry who are entitled to participate in and share the benefits 

of the activities of the Code Authority.1 

ARTICLE VIII-MoNOPOLIEs, ETc. 

No provision of this Code shall be so a:pplied as to permit monopolies or monopolistic practices or to eliminate, oppress, or discriminate against small enterprises. 

ARTICLE IX-EFFECTIVE DATE 

This Code shall become effecdve ten (10) days after its approval 

by the President. 

Termination of this Code shall not release any member of the 

Industry from the payment of any unpaid assessment theretofore 

made. 

Approved Code No. 393. 

Registry No. 242-1-02. 

1 Deleted-See paragraph 2 of order approving this Code. 

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UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 

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