Evening star., 1933-12-01
n, R. A. MAY FORCE
LABOR CODES UPON
LACCARDCONCERNS
Phone and Aluminium Indus
tries Face Imposition OF
Pacts by Johnson.
AGREEMENTS TO DEAL
WITH HOURS AND WAGES
A. F. of L. Opposition in Congress
Secuted by 0fficials-Board
Changes Loom.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated f1eSS
Hugh S. johnson today told news
men that if necessary he would i'm
pose N. r. A. codes containing only
labor provisions on both the telephone
and the aluminium industries.
He had received from the American
Telephone & Telegraph Co. a commune
cation objecting to coming under a
non-competitive.
In response to questions at a press
conference, the N. r. A. administra-
tor said the Aluminium Go. OF America
was refusing to accept code with fair
trade practice provisions.
cent of the business In this country
and the law requires tnau a substantial
proportion Of any industry is needed to
propose a code, johnson said he did
not see how one Was to be arrived at
voluntarily containing the fair trade
practices demanded by independent
aluminium concerns, forming per cent
OF the industry.
He said, however, that he was pre-
pared TO impose, if necessary, a code
prescribing wages. hours and other
labor conditions for this industry and
the telephone business as well.
Telling of the letter he has received
from Walter S. Clifford, president of
the A. 7. & T., saying his concern did
not want to come under a code because
IL was non competitive, Gen. johnson
said:
81 don't want to impose any code,
except on labor provisions, wages and
hours, but If I have to on that, I will"
The Bell System, operating subsidi-
a s code @ to N. R. a, and I Johnson today
was not quite clear as to vhether
Gifford's position involved only the
holding company or the entire 0Ueem.
N. r. A. Policy Defined.
Asked>whether, as general N. r. A.
policy. administrative holding COM
panies would be allowed to stay out of
the code structure embracing their sub
salaries, johnson said they would not.
The issue over inclusion of fair trade
practices in the aluminium code has
come to question of whether a
monopoly now exists in violation of
law, and whether the code is to be used
as an instrument for breaking up- adj
vantages held by the Aluminium Co. OF
America
This concern, long dominated by the
Mellon family, has control of the entire
domestic production of virgin aluminium
and with its manufacturing subsidiaries
amounts to SO per cent of the entire
industry.
N r. A. has not taken a stand
publicly, but the independent aluminium
manufacturers have been insisting that
the code contain clause requiring the
Aluminium Co. to establish an equal
published price for sales of ingot metal
to themselves and to its own manufac-
turing subsidiaries, so that the in
dependents may compete on an equal
basis.
This clause Aluminium Co. SpokeSmen
have definitely refused. Pending against
the concern is suit for triple damages,
totaling $9,000,000, brought under the
antitrust laws by the BauSch Machine
& Tool Co. in a Federal court in New
England.
Some N. r. A. officials have suggest
ed that if the provision demanded by
the Independents is accepted by the
Alumium Co, there might be an
attempt made to use this as conces-
sion Of mOnOpoliStiC practices.
Fight Rushed Elsewhere.
The same independents have been
seeking active steps from the Depart
ment Of Justice against the Aluminium
Co.. and recently obtained from
the Navy a 30-day postponement in the
opening OF bids for nearly 100000
pounds of aluminium, which is to 60
into construction of new ships
Their contention was that at pres
ent no Independent can bid competi-
lively with the Mellon concern, but that
inclusion of their proposal in a code
would put them on an equal basis.
The independents have been trying to
prevent adoption Of a strictly labor
code, as suggested today by johnson,
while the Aluminium Co.'S spokesman
themselves first suggested it.
The N. r. A. chief also indicated at
his press conference that labor may
obtain representation on i'm >--eeant code
authorities.
Discussing the position of the Ameri-