Evening star., 1933-08-10
The Political Mill
BY G.. Could Lincoln.

likes tne experience. Nearly all The
manufacturing industries of America
are found in the six States of New Eng
land. The mills and factories are al
most numberless. A year ago, when
your correspondent was in this section
of the country, many of these mills
and factories were closed and many
more were working part time.
1t is true that here and there were
openings and more orders. But, gen.
orally speaking, New England was locked
last in the depression year ago. The
situation is vastly different. The tex
tile mills have reopened, the shoe fac
tories are operating as they have not
operated for a long time Machine
shops. and indeed all the many varieties
OF factories for the fabrication of all
kinds of goods, are busy once more
All this activity means first and fore
most more employment. And with more
employment come more wages and
more buying power. The next step is
more purchasing and greater consump-
ton of goods. This is what the Roose-
velt administration has been fighting
for all Summer: it is what the Presi-
dent has sought to speed up through
the adoption of the so-caIled blanke.
code for employers of all kinds. not
waiting for the final approval of the
codes OF individual industries.
1t has been estimated that the adop-
ton of the blanket code-and it has
been widely adopted in this section
means the creation of 100000 new Jobs
In New England which will be filled
before the week is out by men and
women, many of whom have been out
m fnr .,
1t was announced by Hugh D. Butler
district director of the National Re-
covery Administration, that already
42,070 employers have enrolled. which
Will beneht total OF 468,793 employees
The blue eagle" and the IN. r. A.
insignia are displayed i'll shops from one
end of Massachusetts to the other, and
indeed, in the other New England
States in the same proportion The
spirit Of the thing has taken hold of
these New Englarders and they are
backing the administration strongly in
It's effort. One department store in
Boston had until day or two ago failed
to sign code agreement Its man.
ager, however went to the National Re-
covery Administration and frankly ad-
mitted that the store, because of loss of
trade, had been compelled to come in
under the wings of the blue eagle" He
signed the code for the store in the
hope that the trade WotIld again flow
as usual. 1t is Obvious that the people
who make the purchases of goods of all
kinds are going to have a great deal to
do with the success of this whole re-
covery movement. II they refuse to
trade with manufacturers. wholesalers
and retailers who do not sign up and
agree to work under a code, there will
! be mighty few of these manufacturers
and dealers who decline TO sign a code
agreement.
So far as has been observed. the peo-
pie here are not carrying their politics
Republican or Democratic. into this
campaign for recovery. The RepupIi-
cans in New England are not holding
out. They are as anxious for recovery
as are the Democrats. And the anti
Roosevelt Democrats-there have beeri
plenty of them in the past-are SEEM
lngly as anxious to make a success oil
the recovery program as are the Re
publicans and the Roosevelt Democrats
Some of the business men will say they
are not sure just where the whole thing
Is gong to wind up. But they insist
they are going along with the program
and express the hone it will succeed
No one looks for a return to the ole
order-or at least not for very long
time. if ever. This does not mean there
are not plenty of people in New Eng
land who throve under the old order
and who would not like to have it back
again But they have become more and
more convinced that there must be a
wider distribution of earnings or wealth
or whatever you wish to call it if there
is to be consumption of mass produc-
ton. These New England people are
hardheaded. but they are also able tc
size up situation and to operate along
new lines when it becomes necessary.
4 X
The row between Secretary Ickes Of
the Interior Department, grand mogu
of the administration program of pub
lie works, and Gov Ely of Massa
chusetts, which began in a rapid-firt
| telephone conversation over the long
| distance telephone last week. seems t.
be simmering down. although botf
gentlemen continue to insist they art
right. Gov. Ely had demanded tha
his board, a State board. should pas:
uPOil lIlc puUliC NOIkS pIOJeCLS 1Ol
| Massachusetts municipalities before thu
Federal Government advanced AM
money for these projects Mr.. Icke.
thought that the Governor was buttins
in on something over which the Fed
eral Government had entire control
since the money for the projects came
out Of the Federal Treasury. and ht
told the Governor just that. He backec
up his telephoned rejection of the Ell,
proposal with letter.
And Gov. Ely came right back with g
letter Of his own, declaring that tn,
municipalities of Massachusetts wer,
creatures of the Commonwealth. In s
| letter under date Of August the Gov
ernor said:
The national recovery act purport.
to utilize State agents and instru
| mentalities. such as cities and towns
to effect a Federal purpose Our legis
lation enacted at the late session per
| mitS this utilization. subject to certain
conditions and restrictions. As a mat
ter of fact, any loan made to 6
municipality in Massachusetts with tn,
approval of the Emergency Financ,
Board and any promise to pay ISSUED
pursuant thereto would undoubtedly bt
invalid, therefore uncollectible. unles.
1t had the approval of the Emergency
Finance Board
This looks almost like a threat or
the part of the Governor But it is no.
! SO construed here. In fact. the Repub
llcan Boston Herald said editorially thai
the correspondence between MIR. Icke.
and the Governor had seemingly lef
only minor differences of opinion, ane
continued
"The director of the national public
works program apparently gathered
that the State of Massachusetts in.
tended to control and supervise all Fed
eral money projects undertaken by it!
cities and towns. He naturally ane
justly objected to such interference
But what the Governor insisted on. ane
what We believe he was right in insist
ing on, was that the State. through it!
lawful representatives. should pass or
the suggested projects in order to pre-
vent municipalities from embarking or
OVerambitiouS enterprises that NIGH