Evening star., 1933-08-18

Meaning Made Obvious.
Although Johnson did not mention
Ford by name, his meaning was unmis-
taxable, as the Detroit manufacturer
has persistently resisted all efforts to
obtain his approval of the code sub
mitted by the National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce.
The open-shop declaration, which was
inserted in the code after the customary
provision guaranteeing the right of labor
to bargain collectively through repre-
sentativeS of its own choosing without
interference from employers was at
tackled by Donald Richberg. counsel for
the Recovery Administration, as unde-
Sirable.
William Green president of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, denounced the
proposed wages of 40 to 43 cents per
of 48 per week, with a 35-hour average,
as too little compensation and too lond
week, with wages of so cents per hour.
periods of labor. He asked a 30-hoW
Sees Point Misconstrued.
The open shop paragraph provides
the employers in the industry may
continue the open shop policy" and
Richberg attacked 1t as lending itself
to general misinterpretation.
/ He said it might be widely construed
as a declaration of refusal on the part
of the manufacturers to comply with
the provisions Of the recovery law.
Alvan Macauley, president OF the
chamber and president of the Packard
Motor Car Co., presented brief argu-
ment In favor of the code and this was
supplemented by Donaldson Brown,
chairman of the board Of General Mo-
tors. Deputy Administrator R. w. Lea
| presided.
Other Codes Studied.
Meanwhile, steel. coal and oil also
| absorbed the efforts of the Recovery
Administration to bring these huge in
dustries into N. r. A. membership be-
fore tomorrow night, when President
Roosevelt is scheduled to leave for
Hyde Park, N. Y.
| At his press conference today, Gen.
johnson again made it clear that, while
II haven't even thought yet of the
disciplinary powers in the recovery
law" they were put in there to be used
if necessary and would be If the oc-
casion arose Federal licensing could
be applied under the law.
| The recovery chieftain said he still
planned to take the production-curbing
price-supervising oil code to President
Roosevelt today, but was ready to cor
rect any mistakes pointed out by oil
men during the morning in numerous
complaints filed with him. Such cor
rections in the charter, he indicated,
would be only minor changes after a
night Of "proofreading'' by the industry
Steel Agreement to Come.
johnson said steel men had not, up
| to the present time, reached a final
agreement among themselves, adding
that wages and working hours were
the stumbling points.
Conferences with both steel and coal
men were on Johnson's schedule.
Are you going to put code before
the coal people today?" johnson was
asked regarding his meeting with this
industry
Il hope they'll put one before me, "
he replied with laugh, but left no
doubt that both the steel and coal ne
gotiations were due for swift climax
Ford Silence Unbroken.
officials still had no word today as
to the attitude of Ford with respect
to the automobile code. Ford is not
a member of the National Automo-
bile Chamber of Commerce. which
| Qra1CeQ anu presented IIle COOc, dIo,
although his representatives sat in at
the drafting. he has been publicly silent
since.
All officials said they had no word
from him and did not know whether he
would seek to continue his traditional
independent operations or enter into
the hearing at the last moment.
/ The full text Of Johnson's remarks
at the outset of the automobile hearing
follows:
"As we draw to a close the Presi-
dents Unemployment program, which
has moved far ahead Of any expec-
tations, and which is resulting in COW
ering this country, from one end to the
other, with blue eagles, this hearing is
of great importance, because in view
of the nearness of this hearing nc
special agreement was made within the
automobile industry on the subject
of the Presidents unemployment pro-
gram, and because with the adoption
of a code which hope for with great
rapidity, this great industry will have
complied with the Presidents request
and aligned itself with the great move
ment that is going on throughout this