Evening star., 1933-01-08
Business Relief to Be Asked of
Congress, Following Farm Relief

Logan Of Kentucky-to explore the bills
constitutionality.
~ &A
Meanwhile Senator Nye of North
Dakota is pressing his bill or bills for
business relief" in the field occunied
by the activities Of the Federal Trade
Commission. Senator Nye would reg
ularize and fortify the procedure of the
commission in its development Of trade
practice conferences" Business men. In
groups. by trades, have been holding
such conferences under the auspices Of
the commission and have been layinr
down rules Of conduct or trade prac-
tees" for themselves with the sanction
OF the commission; but they have AL
ways been fearful of hostile interven-
tion into this cooperative enterprise of
lneirs by the Department of Justice.
NOW Senator Nye, great friend Of the
farmer, undertakes to spread the shield
OF Federal protection over helpful CO.
operation among non-farmers. His bill.
S. 1925, provides:
The Affirmative approval of a trade
practice conference agreement bv the
Federal Trade Commission shall be con-
elusive evidence Of the legality of in
oiVldual or concerted action, conforming
10 the terms Of the agreement, taken by
any member or members of the trade
or industry represented at the con-
ference"
Again there Is thus illustrated the
principle OF freedom plus check. The
trade or industry shall be free to estab-
Ilsh self-governing rules for the coon
erative management of its own working
ne. The check upon those rules shall
be exercised directly and authoritatively
by one certain Federal administrative
body.
Senator Nye's proposed legislation is
In the hands of the Senate's Committee
on the Judiciary. That committee.
headed by Senator Norris of Nebraska,
business relief" for the oil Industry
from the pen of Senator McGrl of
Kansas. This bill would establish a
unique governmental agency consisting
OF representatives of oil-producing
states and OF representatives also of the
Government at Washington. Checked
by the representatives of the Govern
ment at Washington, the oil-producing
States would acquire freedom to CO.
operate among themselves in controll-
ing the production of oil and in thus
affecting and influencing the price of
OIL
*f*
But it has remained for Mr.. Kelly of
Pennsylvania to take this principle of
freedom plus check and expand it into
business relief" for all basic industries
in completely detailed and compre-
hensive manner Mr. Kelly's bill II. r.
1862 Is the climax in Federal proposed
economic planning to date.
Mr.. Kelly would empower a Federal
Sterilization Board to declare any in
dustry whatsoever to be affected with
a national public interest by reason of
the existing economic emergency"
Within each such industry he would
then guarantee collective bargaining"
for employees and collective selling"
for employers. To the stabilization board
would fall the task of harmonizing "col-
lective selling" by the employers with
the interests of consumers, just as the
task Of harmonizing collective SELL
ing" by farmers with the interests of
consumers now falls to the Secretary
of Agriculture.
1t will be observed accordingly that
throughout these numerous and varied
projects for business relief" there runs
continuously the thread of the idea
that business relief" shall have at
any rate a part Of parity with farm
relief"
fCopyriRht, 1p33N