The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-06-08

f1uBli OD4lAi'DAl-
He is a pleasant tough guy" with
a winning personality and a unique
army business economic background
whose tremendous task it will be to
coordinate industries to put men
back to work and increase mass pur-
chasing power.
His duty may be finally to corral
all industry, from the largest to the
smallest, into the national recovery
2 an.
Retailers May Pc Included
Even retailers may be included
for those who have been making the
preliminary explorations are con-
vinced that over the long pull all
industry will cooperate under these
new codes of fair competition.
His most ticklish TASK will be to
persuade the "chiseling fringes" Of
industry-the recalcitrant 10 per
cent-to join in these codes of fair
competition.
He Will have on his hip the licen-
sing provisions Of the Roosevelt bill,
but he and his associates evidently
believe that it seldom will be used.
They look to industry to police it.
self
The administration contemplates
no dragooning of industry no regi-
mentation of production under ease
ment of the antitrust laws
What it apparently looks for is for
industry to control itself-alWays
recognizing that the government has
the power to make it do so.
But General Johnson hopes the
national recovery bill will roll on its
own wheels; and if it doesn't, well,
it's "out the window"
Volume Is Chief Goal
Those who are expected to start
the administration of the recovery
machinery will endeavor to impress
on industries that the important
thing is to shorten work hours, in
crease wages, hike consumption, and
leave price problems for some later
date.
Industry. they think, wants vol
ume rather than higher prices, and
if they get volume under the bill,
prices won't be important.
They contemplate, for instance, a
post of prices in an industry for
the information of those embraced
in one code of fair competition, as
stock prices or commodity prices are
posted on the exchanges. This mere
publicity of prices will help police
this situation, as well.
Eventually there undoubtedly will
be price increases. There will prob
ably be some price decreases, as well,
and steel rails are an example.
But with the mass of people hav-
ing more money, more purchasing
power, the price situation will be less
acute.
Wage increases under the act are
expected to precede price increases.
Codes to Be Drawn Up.
1t is obvious, also, from the pre-
liminary plans under consideration
for administration of the national
recovery bill, that the public, labor
and industry will be represented
equally as codes are considered.
General Johnson or whoever is
made administrator will have to
take full responsibility and give
every interest a day in court.
AT the outset the machinery is to
operate something like this: An in
dustry submits a code of fair COM
petition.
This goes to an aid of the admin
lStrator of the bill. who will be ad-
vised by labor and by industry, the
latter including all those within the
industry who will be affected.
Finally, when the agreement on
the code has been reached. it will
be submitted to the administrator,
and by him to the President.
At the White House it may be ap-
proved, amended, or diSapproved; but
when approved it will be the law
for that industry.
And If the industry doesn't police
itself, the government can bring
about obedience to the law"
Look to Public Works
But there is another phase of the
rational recovery bill from which
the Roosevelt administration is ex-
pecting great results. This is the
public works program, under which
$4,000 600 600 eventually will be spent
to put men back to work.
This is expected to prime the
pump" and the industrial control
phases of the measure are expected
to keep it pulling water.
Thousands of public works pro-
JectS now are under construction. a
program of them is being prepared.
As quickly as the bill Is passed
these projects will be undertaken.
so that by October the spending
Will be at the rate of a billion dollars
year.
From this spending will result the
hrSt increase in mass purchasing
power that the subsequent co-ordin-
alton of industry is expected to
maintain.
Task Is to Be Impartial
General Johnson apparently hopes
to start his program, if appointed
administrator, with the five great
industries that account roughly for
10 per cent of industrial employ
ment.
Following will come the thousands
OF other industries, down to the
smallest.
Throughout this tremendous task
his purpose is to be as impartial. as
fair as possible.
AND he counts on public opinion
10 help and encourage this gigantic
task OF restoring prosperity.
A diamond needle sharpened to
one-tenth of one thousandth of an
inch is used by engineers at the
University of Michigan to test the