The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1933-05-08
ROOSEVELT SET
To NIP TRADE
.'CUTTHR0ATS'
President in Radio Talk to
People Pledges Curb on
Undue Initiation

Modification Of the antitrust
laws was to be Presidnt RooSe-
velt'S next demand on Congress
in his drive to restore fair wages
and normal hours.
The Administration, it became
apparent today, has decided that
industry should be permitted to
enter into agreements covering
production and wage scales-bar-
ring only the creation Of monopo-
lies.
A message probably will go for.
ward to Capitol Hill this week
asking for the necessary legislation
to ease existing restrictions.
Creation of an emergency body
similar to the War Industries
Board is expected to be the Fed
eral check of any protective steps
that the various industries may
undertake.
Sweating" Hit
President Roosevelt is ready to
sanction this newest move in the
battle to bring back more normal
conditions because he has found
that many concerns are taking
advantage of the depressed Situa-
ton to hire "Sweatshop" labor
and undersell reputable firms.
The Executive gave clear notice
of this intention last night in
his radio discussion Of his eight
weeks in the White House. He
said:
'The unfair 10 per cent could
produce goods so. cheaply that
the fair so per cent would be
compelled to meet the unfair
conditions.
Here is where the Govern
ment comes in. Government
ought to have the right and
will have the right, after sur"
veying and planning for an
industry, to prevent, with the
assistance of the Overwhelm-
ing majority Of that industry,
unfair practices and to en-.
force this agreement by the
authority If Government.
TO PREVENT MONOPOLIES
""The so-called antitrust laws
were intended to prevent the
creation of mOnOpOlies and to
forbid unr easOnable profits to
those mOnOpOlieS.
"That purpose of the anti
trust laws must be continued,
but these laws were never in
tended to encourage the kind
of unfair competition that re-
suits in long hours, starvation
wages, and overprOductiOn."
Mr.. Roosevelt gave his radio
account of his stewardship in
simple language. He SAID:
Two months ago we were
facing serious problems. The
country was dying by inches"
He listed the following nine
steps, accomplished or in the
making, that his Administration
had put forward to meet the
situation:
i. Employment of 100000
men in the national forests.
2. Opening of the Tennessee
River basin for an ambitious
program of power production,
agricultural expansion, refores-
tatlon, etc.
3. Relief of the farmers
burden by easement Of his
mortgage indebtedness.
4. Extension of $500, O00,0 900
direct relief to States, counties,
and municipalities.
5. Legalization Of 80 beer
with it's enSuant revenue.
Works Program Due
8. A projected public works
program, expected to be sub
mitted to Congress within the
next few days.
Z. Definite farm relief through
the bill controlling commodity
prices.
8. "Well considered and con.
sentative measures"-as yet to
to submitted to Congress
the regulation of wages, "cut-
throat" competition, and work
ing hours.
8. Reorganization of the rail
roads.
The President defendent his
initiation policy by pointing out
that in the past the Government
had agreed to redeem nearly
thirty billions Of dollars in debts
in gold, while private corporations
had underwritten so to 10 billions
in securities and mortgages on
like security, whereas "they knew
full we'll that all Of the gold in
the United States amounted to
only between three and four bill.
lions and that all of the gold in
all of the world amounted to only
about eleven billions"