Evening star., 1933-11-05
LULL HELD PROBABLE CAUSE.
Officials See Ford Co. In Position Hard
To Justify.

Officials See Ford Co. In Position Hard
To Justify.
BY the Associated Press,
The recovery administration yester-
day held out to the Ford Motor Co. a
way to avoid laying off its thousands Of
workers seven days each.
To the Ford Co. assertion that I'VE
don't want to do it but the law re-
quireS it, Hugh S. Johnson, the in
dustrial administrator. yesterday re-
piled that the probable reason for the
layoff was a seasonal decline In pro-
ducticn.
weeks speaking trip through the Mid
west. a Journey which he hopes will
aid in quietine much of the intense op-
position that has sprung up to the re-
covery program.
Other Developments.
The day also saw:
A large number CT codes sent to the
White House for presidential signature.
A proclamation issued designating
the week beginning today "as one OF
special cooperation between the N. r.
A. units and the committees in charge
of the 1893 mobilization for human
needs''-the Community. Chest cam
paignS.
An elaborate Interpretation of the
retail code published in booklet form
for distribution to every storekeeper.
Announcement that for the first time
g<oups of taxicab owners in different
cities had gotten together in an agree
ment a code for their industry.
The latest DEVELOPMENT in the dis
pute with Henry Ford was met at
by many officials that they believed
the Dearborn manufacturer had put
himself in position not only not re-
quired by N R. A., but one that would
be hard to justify
johnson Replies in : Lines.
The automobile code requires that
employees work an average of 35 hours
a week. Ford employees have been
working 40 hours ever since the code
went into effect. To bring down the
average the Ford company announced
last night it would lay off 5000 men at
a time for seven days.
Johnson's reply, the only official
Just seven lines:
"Mr. Fords probable reason for lay
ing off these 5000 men is that his pro-
duction has fallen off seasonally. I do
not know how fairly he has dealt with
his average 35 hours and I will not
know until I have seen the figures to
be submitted on November 7.
But If Mr. Ford wants to give work
to anv of these 5000 men he says he
is laying off on a mandate. We will be
glad to consider an exception permit
ting him to continue them all in en-
ployment."
To take advantage of this Ford would
have to make the one step he so far
has steadfastly refused to make. He
would have to come to the N. r. A.
with a request which would constitute
official recognition that he is under the
code.
The November I figures referred to
are the wage and hour reports to be
filed with the National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce.
Legal Violation Secuted.
Ford officials in Detroit evinced conf
dence the hourly schedules as well as
wages covered BY their report would
be entirely within the letter Of the code
requirements After careful scrutiny
of the automobile code officials here did
not believe any legal violation was in
volved, but they were unanimous in
regarding the lay-of as in clear viola
ton of the spirit of the code.
The automobile code is one of several
which set no actual curb upon lay
offs. In many others fear that lay
cffs might result led to insertion of safe
guards to prevent piling up production
and then turning men out to find for
themselves until more orders accumu-
lated.
The trip johnson starts today will
take him to Chicago for luncheon
address tomorrow. and then on a swing
from Minnesota to Texas and back by
way of Oklahoma and Kentucky. An
original plan to tour the Pacific Coast
was deferred to next month.
In prOClaiming the special CO.opera.
ton week. the administrator said he had
instructed N. r. A units in 42o cities
to give fullest cooperation to Community
Chest drives, saying pointed emphasis
will bo 1oid m tho Y,IIrrhoco Cf cum