The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-08-19
ROOSEVELT IS
SET TO SIGN
STEEL CODE
MIRA Agreement Reached
With Industry Chiefs
at Long Session.
READY FOR PRESIDENT
40-Hour Week Over Three
Months Trial Period
Is Provided.
BY II. o. THOMPSON
United Press staff Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10. - A
deadlock keeping the great oil, coal
and steel industries out of the ma
-tional recovery ranks was broken
by administration pressure today
when agreement was reached on
steel code.
Officials were confident smashing
of the steel blockade foreshadowed
early action to put the other in
dustries under recovery codes.
General Hugh S. Johnson, hard
hitting NRA administrator, drove
the bargain on steel at protracted
conferences with magnates that
lasted much of the night. q
Code TO Roosevelt Today
Johnson hoped to place the
formal code before President Roose-
welt before he leaves for his home
at Hyde PARK, N. Y. tonight.
Quick action by the President was
forecast by Johnson's announcement
that the President already haG APP
proved the agreement made with
} the steel men.
The agreement was for a ninety
day trial of a code regulating hours
and wages of 100000 workers. with
the MIRA having a voice in admins
tration of the trial code.
Success in forcing the steel in
dustry into an agreement was re-
garded as signal victory for the
Roosevelt administration.
In steel more than in any other
industry the Presidents recovery
policies came in direct conflict with
the nations great financial powers,
including the House of Morgan.
Events Fast Moving
Events leading up To the agree
ment were fast-moving. Johnson
turned from oil conferences to a
brief meeting" with steel leaders,
including such personages as w. A.
Irwin, president of the Morgan
backed United States Steel Corpora
ton. Former Governor Nathan J.
Miller of New York, his counsel;
Eugene Grace, chairman of the
board of Bethlehem Steel Corpora
ton, and chairmen and presidents
of other companies.
Johnson faced them early Friday
afternoon.
Excited talk emanated from the
conference room. All afternoon and
far into the evening the session
continued. There was a brief recess
for dinner and then the meeting
was resumed.
Oil leaders came to see johnson,
but he sent them away.
For Gods sake don't bother me
now" he said, and pointed to a
double suite of rooms.
In Conference IL Hours
give got den of lions in there"
Midnight passed and the confer
ence continued.
Finally at / a. m. the steel mag
mates came out. They were glum.
They looked straight ahead as
they pressed their way through re-
porters. refusing to talk.
Johnson had kept them in con-
ference almost twelve hours.
Half an hour later Johnson
emerged. He was tired. His eyes
were bloodshot and his tie was
askew. But he smiled broadly.
He waved typewriter paper
vigorously. 1t was the announce
ment of the agreement and its ap-
proval by the President.
Fix Minimum Hours
The agreement provided for an
average forty-hour week over the
three-month trial period with no
employe to work more than forty
eight hours or six days a week.
If the steel production reaches go
per cent of capacity after Nov l, an
eight-hour day is provided for all
employees except those in super
visory. technical or emergency
capacities.
The minimum wages fixed in
the code are estimated by steel COM
panies to exceed an average of 40
cents an hour" johnson said.
The companies have made 4 Is
per cent wage increase since July
and currently pay large groups of
common labor higher wages than
those fixed in the code, Johnson
said. Exact wage schedules were
unavailable.