Evening star., 1934-02-27
JOHNSON REVEALS
CODE CHANGEP[A
Revisions Will Precede New
Drive, N. R. A. Chief
Tells Critics.
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Continued From First Page)
| predatory and cut-throat competition
| and further insurance against in
| crease of price faster and further
than increase OF purchasing power.
Effective Costs Rule.
2. A more effective rule on costs
| for the purpose of maintaining rules
against sales below costs of produc-
| ton.
3. Uniformity in wages and hours
IN industries which are competitive.
4. Uniform classification of areas
for the prevailing Southern wage diff
! ferential.
| and further increase in hourly wages
s. Protection against monopoly, op-
| preston of small enterprise and in
clusion in codes of buying regulations
to protect the small fellows
Z. An improved method to secure
compliance.
8. A method for financing code ad-
ministration without racketeering.
9. Elimination of inconsistent or
conflicting provisions in codes.
| TO- Adequate labor and consumer
representation in an advisory capacity
on code authorities.
IL. Uniform Government repre-
! sentation on the authorities.
| II. Wider use within code groups
Of mechanism for settling labor dis
| puteS.
Other needs for correction exist, he
said. but these are the headline re-
forms. He promised that anything
else developed by the criticism ses-
sionS would be considered along with
the II points in next weeks assembly
Of code authorities.
! Welcoming the critics, johnson
turned fresh attack on those who
make "unwarranted aspersions on the
good faith of men assisting here"
He assailed also those who make
attempts, by furtive innuendo, TO
shake public confidence, by outright
| lies or half-baked and ignorant as
| sertions respecting acts and policies" :"
He denounced also those who as
sailed the Blue Eagle campaign as a
| failure, as an actual retarder of re-
| covery through boosting prices ahead
| Of purchasing power. and as a cam
paign of "ballyhoo and propaganda :"
He conceded that compliance and
public support had Jagged.
AS to the cold hard facts Of this
N r. A job" johnson recited:
That as soon as the first big in
dustries had come In and shown the
way, 1t was necessary to bring the
entire business OF the country in at
| one sweep to protect one industry
from another and to halt speculative
overproduction at cheap wages.
That the Blue Eagle campaign
netted an increased employment ION
100000 with a $4,000 900, 900 pay roll
increase, or go per cent Of what he
said he forecast in a press confer
ence on June 6.
| That. far from running up prices
ahead Of purchasing power, N. R. A.
had between September and Febru-
| airy brought about this substantial
| increase in purchasing power. while
the cost Of living as reported by the
Industrial Conference Board had
moved from Septembers 779 per cent
| to 773 in December, IT'S in January
and 778 at present.
Houston Is Heard.
4 George H. Houston of Philadel-
phia. president of the Baldwin Loco
motive Works and representing the
National Association of Manufacturers
and allied groups. followed Mr.. Rich
berg and said industry had Coop
Grated.
1t was a problem. he said. as to
whether it was possible to increase
wages as fast as prices. He contend
ed the only way of really increasing
employment was to stimulate the cap
ital goods industries.
The N. r. AS program he said.
should be directed at aims of recov-
cry rather than business reform
wherever the two points conflicted
Labor's Position.
William Green. president of the
Federation of Labor. concluded the
of the labor position.
I
| and the other members of the newly
created Review Board, which is to
seek to protect small business, to the
| White House for a conference with
President Roosevelt.
Darrow, an interested listener to
johnson on the platform and who
joined in the applause, told news
paper men he was uncertain as to
how much good his board could do.
He was disinclined to accept the
Craftsmanship which the other men,
bers wished to give him
| The five-ring circus" itself was to
get under way at 2 O'Clock in five of
the larger downtown Washington
auditoriums. The session given most
| Importance. dealing with spreading
| employment. shortening work hours
and' other labor questions, was booked
solid for three days and nights.
! The next big one-the effect Of
codes on small business and minority
| interests-it calculated to be good for
almost as long
The program, however, was just a
prelude, a big show to precede the
serious business of next week. Then
President Roosevelt in person will open
the first joint session of 300 code au-
thorities Nearly $500 men, elected
delegates and regulators Of Ameri-
can business will be on hand.