The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-27
NRA TO WRITE
CODE TO GUIDE
OIL INDUSTRY
Production and Refining to
Be Covered in Rules
Drafted by u. S.
AND THEY LIKE IT!
Petroleum Heads Glad for
Aid in Solution OF Deli
cate Problem.
By MARSHALL MCNEIL
Times Special Mriter

WASHINGTON. July 81. 49, The
great and the small oil men heard
Hugh Johnson. NRA admins
traitor, tell them that he and his
outfit were going to write a code
covering petroleum production and
refining. And they liked it,
This tough ex-army general with
the grin of happy kid thus took
away from the potentates the Pc
troleum industry-the men repre-
Senting the' Rockefellers and the
MELONS, Harry Sinclair himself and
all the otherS-the most delicate
issue projected into the oil code
hearing.
Between puffs on his cigaret. and
with that grin again, he made il
evident in his picturesque fashion
mat the oil industry. NRA and
PRESIDENT Roosevelt were here TO
agree on an oil code. And the
quicker this was accomplished the
better it would be for all concerned.
This isn't czarism." johnson said.
squirting his eyes. his glasses
perched on his forehead. This is
industrial seft-government - CO.
operation"
Oil Leaders Applaud
There was the hint that some
body might chisel in on somebody
else's business.
Maybe somebody might put some
thing over for a lite while" Cen
eral Johnson admitted But THEY'RE
not going to get away with it long"
And the oil men. several hundred
OF them, who these years have
wanted a car for their industry.
applauded.
80 mere Is the present set-up:
Committees representative of all
branches of the industry lave
reached an agreement. unofficlalv
reported, on hours Of labor and
rates of pay, the elements Admins
traitor Johnson regards as para-
mount.
Under this reported agreement.
workers in the production and re-
filming branches Of the business
would get from as to 50 cents an
hour, depending upon regions: max
mum hours of work would be
thirty-six
Work on Marketing Code
In the marketing end. sne formula
Is: 40 TO AZ cents per hour. de-
pending upon regions: a 4O-hour
week.
In production. incidentally. opera
tors OF stripper wells are exempt
from the maximum hours provision.
Committees equally representative
are at work on the marketing pro-
visions of the code.
| Here. the lease and agency
issue is foremost.
independents claim-their argu-
ment was presented by Newton D.
Baker, former secretary of war, and
others-that the major companies
by a unique leasing system which
operated to their benefit dominate
filling station operators and force
them to sell only their products.
Independent lubricating oils and gas
are prohibited.
If the filling station operator
floutS the refinery offering the
lease and agency" system he is
faced with competition, especially
provided by this refinery on nearby
corners.
Finally, General johnson and
others are at work On the produce
ton code.
Insiders say that the proposal
made in the American Petroleum
institutes code will not be followed,
that production control will not be
imposed from above by Washing
ton.
Code Ready Next Monday
They predict that something like
the formula quietly proposed 20 the
hearing by red-headed Colonel Err
nest o. Thompson Of the Texas
raiirOad corf1fq7i ccior1 r1o., t,o -, 49,