Evening star., 1933-08-01
Pay Raise, Hour Cut
Pledges Pour in
From Employers. :,
RETAIL CODE IS MADE
EFFECTIVE AT ONCE
Steel Hearing Recessed
While Conference Seeks
Basis of Agreement.

BY the Associated Press.
Denominated the Official inan-
guration day for the Presidents
emergency unemployment drive"
that feature of today was lost
amidst a welter of activity at the
Recovery Administration on ap-
plication of both the blanket and
specific codes for raising wages
and spreading employment.
But in distant and varied cor
ners, the Blue Eagle signifying
cooperation by business and in
dustry with Mr.. Roosevelt's ideas
of how to better the times began
officially spreading it's wings.
Pyramiding piles of pledges to in
crease wages and decrease working
time, so more men can get jobs signal
lied the progress of the campaign that
has been under way for days back.
Postmasters were on notice to use their
own Judgment as to how to post the
lists of merchants who join the move
ment, merchants to whom the admins
tration expects the public to turn for
their business
Runs Until January 1.
Although the banning of child labor
IN the proposed general code does not
take effect until August 81. the pre-
amble OF the covenant which business
leaders have been asked to sign with
the President sets the time for the
Unemployment drive" and for the
effectiveness of the general code from
TO-DAY until the first of next year.
A quick spread of the retail code
winch went In force today by order of
Hugh S. johnson, recovery administra.
| tor. IS being sought by his assistants
with expectation that soon every type
OF public sales agency will be bIanketed
! under its terms.
A major development following the
order which yesterday brought the ma
Jorlty OF dry goods, department store,
cioLhlng: shoe and furniture dealers as
We'll as food dealers into two temporary
agreements to remain in force until
/ hearings are held, was presentation of a
separate code to cover the couutry's
and 10 cent stores.
No Concession in Sight.
This was stated authoritatively to call
Tor longer work hours and lower wages
than the general retail agreement. No
concession. however, was in sight from
| the administration.
One official said: -~.~~-..
They must all corIe Under the 40
hour work limit except food dealers.
That includes drug stores. They
nave not yet presented their code
| formally, but we have told them that
they can use the professional category
exemption from hour limitation for
their pharmacists, and for the rest they
must keep the 40 hours.
If they can actually separate the
food end of their business, that section
may be run under the 48-hour limit of
| food dealers CODE
| Restaurants also have not been heard
from officially. but the understanding
was that johnson would seek to have
them also keep the 48-hour limitation.
Steel Accord is Sought.
! While this concentrated effort Ia
bring the millions of small employing
establishments under permanent and
binding codes was in progress, K. M
Simpson, deputy in charge of steel, was
carrying on private conferences with
leaders of the industry and advisers tn
seek out a final decision on the steel
agreement, discussed in open hearing
yesterday.
There was some expectation that the
flexible 40-hour work week proposed by
the steel men as an average to be taken
over each six months period might be
tlghtened to furnish definite limita-
ton on the hours that any man weuld
be required to put in during one week
johnson also was arranging to speed
hearings on automobiles, coal and Other
industries which have filed codes a
new hearing was under way TODAY on
millinery. line employing around
100000 persons, mostly in the big cities
X. w Lea, the most recent addition
10 the staff of deputy administrators
has been selected by Johnson to conduc,
the hearing on the automobile code.
He came back from Europe last weet
sooner than he had expected, at the re-.
quest OF johnson. AS a colonel in tn,
ARMY, he worked with johnson dl1rins
the world War and has been intimately
associated with him in various enter.
prises since.
Wool Code Approved.
Expecting it to put more than q m,
additional persons to work. the pres;'
dent at Hyde Park, NJ Y. signed th,
WOOL textile code. providing a 4O-ho,,,
week for the workers in this industry
with minimum wages of S14 weekly i
the North and sl3 in the South. -
Spokesmen for the laundry ind,,str,
Went TO the administration TODAY seek.
ing temporary effectiveness for a cod.
to cover more than 100000 EMPLOYEES ~
Because of the fall in the Iaundr,
business, due to washing being done a
nome IN recent years, the laundry oun.
ers contended they were financiaIlv W..
aole to comply with the terms Of tn,
Presidents agreement.
Ihere was no indication yet whethe,
concessions would be made because =,
thls and the laundry men be permit.
TED to put their own code into effec,
penang formal consideration of it. MS.
Ing the Blue Eagle meanwhile.
Voluntary Drive Gains.
In the meantime. the campaign fo,
voluntary agreements to raise waee.
and limit hours was advancing all owe,
the country.
Telegrams from postmasters and dis.
trlct officers told story of mountin,
totals of agreements signed.
However, reports also were that th,
number Of questions needing answe,
before merchants and business mey
could sign was growing steadily. Saw
eral chambers of commerce reportet
retaining specialists to study the agree
ments and interpretations issued by tn,
administration SO as to give their mem.
bers correct information.
million new jobs, scattered throup1
retail shops big and small, from end 4.
end Of the country, were held possihl,
under the hour-reducing. waee-raisin,
agreements presented by the Nations
store'eepers and put into effect TO-DAY
Dwarfing even the agreements Of fal,
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