Evening star., 1933-11-04
Company Announces Pro-
gram Will Bring Workers
Within 35-Hour Week.
WAGE AND HOUR FIGURES
TO BE SUBMITTED SOON
Johnson Casts Fresh Doubt Upon
Company's Eligibility for
U. S. Contracts.
BULLETIN.

mlnlStrat0r, In formal statement
on the Ford Motor Company's pro-
posed lay-off of employees. said to-
day he assumed this was being done
because Ford production had fallen
off; but that II the manufacturer
wants to give work to these men,
We will be glad to consider an
exception" to the automobile code.
BY the Associated Press.
Recovery officials, amazed that Henry
Ford is going to lay off his workers
seven days to come within the auto
mobile codes 35-hour week, sought
more information today with indica-
tions that some action might follow.
The " r. A. administrator, Hugh S.
johnson, declined comment until fur
ther study, but officials remarked that
no other automobile maker had taken
such a step.
The reason. as explained at Detroit,
was that Ford workmen had been put
ting in 40 hours a week. Next week,
5000 of the $4,000 men employed at
the Rouge Plant at Dearborn. will be
laid off for seven days, it was ex-
planned, so their average will be
brought down to the codes 35 hours.
Said Ford spokesman:
THE company is taking this manda-
tory step in compliance with the new
prohibition against work in this
country"
Ford to Submit Figures.
Fords figures as to wages and hours
are to be submitted under the code on
November 6 or 7. N. R. A. officials
had been employed steadily at a higher
average than IS hours, and without a
production rush. the data might be
referred to the Attorney General
Fresh doubt had been cast by John
son yesterday upon the eligibility of the
Ford company for Government con-
tracts.
At the same time new qualifications
were raised within the N. R. A. or
ganization against the Swope plan for
full business self-government-
In response to questions at press
conference, johnson said President
Roosevelt's executive order on contracts
provided that to be eligible bidders
must "agree" to abide by code terms.
He had seen no such agreement from
Ford. Johnson said, although "he ap-
parently is complying with the code IN
full from all I can hear"
johnson added that he had had MOTH
ing to do with the presidential order
and did not assume to say who was or
was not eligible. but when asked II
Ford had agreed to the code he re-
sponded that he knew Of no such agree
ment. and that he now knew OF no
change.
If that view should be generally fol-
lowed by officialdom, only decision by
Controller General McCarl overturning
the order would throw contracts open
to those who have not taken afarma-
tive action on code.
On the industrial control plan ad-
vanced by Gerard Swope of the General
Electric Co., the Consumer Advisory
Board of N. R. A. said in statement
that whenever the management-owne
ship group in industry ''is granted re-
lief from the regulating influence OF
competition in determining prices and
other vital terms in economic bargains
be equally strengthened"
Meanwhile, it was established author
itatively that President Roosevelt has
an open mind on the Swope plan ano
related ideas and wants to see whether
industry can run itself or whether some
form Of Government supervision must
be continued.
Cite Lack Of Protection.
The Consumer Board said it was a
well known fact that very frequently
when given a dominant control of indus
try, the management ownership grour
has failed to protect successfully moi
only the interests of the other partle;
in industry. but its own interests.
1t named a committee, headed by DR.
Walton Hale Hamilton of the Yale Law
School, to urge its views on the need Of
safeguards upon the committee set ur
by the Commerce Departments Plan
ming Council to study the Swope plan
Questions proposed for study by it!
committee included:
Should provision be made to guart
against the tendency that organized in
dustry may become dominant over the
Government"
The President was represented a.
greatly interested In various plans 10
Industrial operation after the emer
gency stage has passed, and to desir'
for the future chiefly that violent bust
ness fluctuation be prevented and tina
persons at the bottom of the flnancla
scale obtain a better deal.
AS explained at the White House, MI
Roosevelt believes I'VE are all going Il
school" and hence welcomes such pro
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