Evening star., 1933-10-12
JOHNSON, WALLACE
SEEK TO RECONCILE
RECOVERY ISSUES
Long-HeraIded Step Taken
to Coordinate Efforts of
N. R. A. and A. A. A.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
An attempt to coordinate policies
and methods of the administration
two major recovery agencies was made
today by Hugh S. johnson, N. R. A.
administrator, in an extensive confer
ence with the farm law administrators.
Secretary Wallace and George N. Peek.
Undertaking the important step long
heralded as imperative to orderly prog
ress in the recovery porgram, the group
met in Wallace's Office with an evident
intention to reconcile the points at issue
as quickly as possible.
On leaving, johnson informed news
paper men I'VE are attempting to get
together on fundamental policies" but
refused to say whether the trio had
reached any decisions.
Pointed to Antagonism.
In a recent public address he asserted
there Is a distinct movement to raise
farmer antagonism to N. r. A. on the
ground anything done for workers be-
fore farm prices are raised to their pre-
war relationship to other prices Is un-
favorable to agriculture
Today he said I'VE have been going
up to see that we are moving in the
same direction"
1t was reported the discussion of the
three executives centered around these
main points:
/. A growing undercurrent OF feel
ing in farm administration circles that
its efforts to increase prices to farmers
have been more than offset by increases
in prices paid by farmers as result
of the N. r. A. program.
Hostile to Mark-Ups.
2. Determination of policy on dis
tribution mark-ups." The Farm Ad-
mnistration has expressed open hos
tility to 2ll2 and 7l2 per cent mark-ups
over delivered cost by wholesalers and
retailers allowed in the proposed master
food code as it stands. N. r. A. OH
cials. meanwhile. have expressed open
approval of proposed 10 per cent mark
ups for the remainder of the dlStr1bu-
tion field in the retail code now await
ing action by johnson.
8. Co-ordinating administration SO as
to make greater speed on codes over
which there is division of RESPONSE
bility between the two organizations,
N. r. A. responsibilities being limited
to hours of labor and wages while the
Farm Administration has authority re-
specting the fixing of minimum and
maximum prices and the listing of
numerous practices as unfair, ana
fair"
This separation of responsibility
covers food products. substantial
portion of the American distribution
industry.
Objects to Practice.
Recently the Farm Administration at
tackled the practice of some retail con-
Germs in permitting their sales forces
to attribute rises in prices OF cot
ton goods to the Farm Administrator S
Accents -per-pound processing tax on
the staple.
At the same time it expressed praise
of concerns where it said sales forces
were careful to explain that higher
wage costs as a result of the N. r. A.
program was in part responsible for the
higher prices.
Farm Administration officials also in
dicated recently they intend to ask for
modification" of the retail code before
johnson, on the ground it would con-
tribute to increases in prices to farm
ers in advance of their ability to In
crease prices of farm products.
Johnson's declaration that there Is "a
distinct movement to raise farm an
tagonism to N. r. A." was made Tues
day night before the American Fedora
ton of Labor.
National Recovery Administration
officials withheld announcement as to
what steps they would take to enforce
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