Evening star., 1933-08-31
SHOWDOWN NEARS
|NF0RD CHALLENGE
T0N.R. R.A.PROGRAM
Johnson Seen Moving Toward
Decisive Action in Auto
Makers Case.
COAL AND RETAIL CODE
ACTION SPEEDED TODAY
Check of August Work Shows IS
Formal, 24O Temporary Agree
ments Approved.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Hugh S. johnson and his recovery
administrators today counted August
employment gains under the Blue Eagle
and launched new effort to open the
doors of factories. mines and stores to
an even greater number of idle in Sep
tember
Their immediate problems were the
speedy formulation of permanent codes
of competition for bituminous coal oper-
ators and the retail trade-affectmg
more than a million workers-and the
question of bringing Henry Ford and
his huge plants within the scope OF the
automobile agreement.
Recapitulating August actlVltles IN
President RooSevelt'S drive to stimulate
emplovment and purchasing power be-
fore Winter sets in. the N R. A. chief
tains found that 18 permanent codes
and 24O temporary trade pacts had oeen
approved. bringing upward OF lO,OOO,0oo
workers under shorter hours and hlgher
minimum wage agreements.
Green Hits Hour Level.
simultaneously johnson was con.
fronted with a demand by laoors cnlei
spokesman-William Green, presldent
of the American Federation OF LABOR
that even shorter hour provisions be IN
serted in codes so as to spread employ
ment at a faster and greater rate.
Green said federation figures showed
2OO0.O 600 idle had found jobs since
March /. This estimate agreed IN SUD-.
stance with an estimate made by Jonn-
son. the only unemployment figures
announced by N. R. A. officials.
johnson returned last night from
speaking trip to Boston to find request
from President Roosevelt for a detaueo
report on the failure of Ford to sign
the automobile code approved last Sun
day.
The recovery administrator, who
made the report today, declined to
comment. He has said repeatedly he
has had no word from the Detroit
manufacturer. 1t appeared today that
q showdown between the administrator
and Ford was near.
New conferences between mine opera
tors and union SpokeSmen on the so1t
coal code agreement were undertaken
today at the National Recovery Admin
istration.
johnson reported by telephone to
President Roosevelt that he expected
the compact to be ready for signature
upon the Chief Executives arrival mere
four days hence.
Cannot Get Blue Eagle.
Unless Ford signs, he can not get the
N. r. A. Blue Eagle, and would there
fore be exposed to loss OF patronage
from consumers pledged to patronlze the
cooperating establishments, from the
Government which has been big buyer
of Ford Products and from all industries
operating under codes, since they are
under pledge to do as much business
as possible with code signers.
a number of hearings on new agree
ments here opened by the admin1stra-
ton today. Among them were codes
covering the country's air transport
lines. boiler-making factories, pottery
and textile bag manufacturing; AT the
pottery hearing a demand for tar1n
protection against foreign products was
made with a request that the admin
istration propose higher duties on I'M
ports. s,r
Senator Wagner of New York arranged
to hold hearings this afternoon on va.
rious labor complaints, one OF tnem
from Hollywood charging that terms OF
a truce recently laid down by the board
for settlement of the motion picture
studio strike were being violated.
Lewis Awaits Action.
Before the coal conference opened,
John l.. Lewis, president OF the united
Mine workers, said he had been wall,
ing two days for word form the coal
operators who all that time had been
comforting among themselves and had
not revealed whether they were ready
vet to sign contracts for union recog-
milton in the Appalachian territory.
This Lewis and others had SAID,
formed a basis of the agreement
reached last Monday night.
A. D. Whiteside, deputy administra-
tor, sought to shape master code 1of
the entire retail trade, including drug
gists and grocers, for dispatch to MI
Roosevelt by the middle OF next week.
A tentative plan was worked out yes
terday by which the small stores, espe-
cially those family operated, would bear
a share of the labor load imposed by
the code.
Shoe Code Presented.
A final draft of code for the boot
and shoe industry was presented toQay
to the Recovery Administration. Re-
written frequently during more than
month of negotiations, 1t left severa!
points Of controversy unsettled, but Will
be given public hearing about Sep
tember IL.
N. R. A. officers declined to divulge
the details. but the document was un-
derstood to provide the wide representa-
fion on the co-ordinating agency which
small plant owners in the West and
south had demanded.
Previously, the National Boot and
Shoe Manufacturers Association which
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