Evening star., 1933-11-19
BENEFIT REPORTED
FROM STEEL CODE
Three Month Trial Operation
Scores tremendous"
Pay Roll Gains.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Preparing for major trials Of its ef-
fectiveneSs this week. National Recovery
Administration published yesterday q
report crediting the three months trial
operation of the steel code with public
benefit.
While labor scored tremendous pay
roll gains in the steel industry prices
went up but slightly, the report said,
and consumer complaints brought
against the steel mills were few and
adjustable without revision of the code
Tomorrow N. r. A. will try TO settle
the bitter struggle between employer
groups and labor over a code for the
construction industry, with a strong
possibility that for the first time it may
have to veto tnsistent demands of pow
erful union groups.
Wednesday, in the Pennsylvania coal
fields. begin the Labor Board-supervised
worker elections at the captive mines,
whose steel company owners are charged
by miners with strenuous efforts to de-
feat election of United Mine Workers
union leaders.
Ballot 10 Be Guarded.
Involving $4,000 men at % mines, this
is regarded as the biggest industrial
election ever held, and the board says
it has taken all available means to as
sure that the balloting will be honest.
Some time during the week N. r. A.
is due also to take strong steps to Gre
ate machinery capable of dealing with
what officials describe as widespread
'chiseling" under the Blue Eagle.
The steel report, addressed to Presi-
dent Roosevelt, signed by johnson, Dom
aid r. Richberg and Kenneth M. Stmp-
son, the Government men of the steel
code authority, was based on September
figures. 1t said that while operations
had declined 10 per cent that month
from June, wages had increased S.
500 900, or 81 per cent, and the num-
Der of works had increased $4,000 to
380,271 exclusive of salaried workers.
or % per cent.
Pay Rates Increase.
The eight-hour day was established
in reality, replacing the old 10-hour
day, causing a 12.5 per cent increase in
pay rates, the report added. Prices for
finished steel went up l8 per cent to
2.015 cents per pound; for pig iron
AZ per cent to $16.61 per ton.
Consumer complaints as to code
operation were limited in number and
adjustable, the report said. without
revision Of the code.
up to the present time" it added,
"the major benefits derived from the
code operation have been those re-
ceived by labor in this industry, with
| the evident prospect of an increase in
these benefits with an improvement in
the volume of operation.
1T is evident from the fact Of re-
duced operations and from the absence
OF any volume of consumer complaints
that an extension Of the approval here
tofore given to this code should insure
continuance of the public benefits
already derived from the operation of
the code without any appreciable risk
of public detriments.
Present conditions clearly do not
permit of any exploitation Of the In
duStry. . The remainder of this
quarter may well show a rise instead
of any further decline in the volume
OF operations"
In the construction contest. the union
position Is demand for independence.
for code purposes, Of building construc-
ton from every other type The build
ing trade unions have been all power
full in their own field.