Evening star., 1934-06-03
n. X. A. Claims Codes for
90 Per Cent of Industry
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

Standing out amid the confusion Of
criticism and defense of the National
Recovery Administration as to policy
and practice is the fact that in it's
program of ''codifying industrial
America" the N R. A. after almost
year of operation, can now report
more than 90 per cent of accomplish
ment. Its first code, that of the cot
ton textiles industry. became effective
, on July II, 1888. This pioneer" code,
many textile leaders say, brought i'm
provement in wages and hours and
other conditions to 100000 employees
and the reward to some 1900 textile
manufacturers Of leSSening of unfair
competition.
By the middle of May, according to
cooperative survey by the trade as
sociation sections of the Department
of Commerce and those of the N. R.
A., 80 per cent of industry, trade and
commercial services had been COW
cred by approved codes of fair COM
petition" There were then in opera
ton 1894 basic codes and 80 of the
supplemental industries-a total of
424. AT the end of May there were
some 460 basic and so per cent of the
supplemental industries under codes.
Several hundred others are pending
in the Offices of administration of
N. R. A.
N. R. A. experts are authority for
the statement that manufacturing is
the largest branch of American busl-
ness now under codes and that more
than half of the Nations 10000 600
salary and wage earners are now COW
ereo by the Blue Eagle. AS to en-
ployment coverage. it is felt that little
OF N. r. A. S lob" remains to be done.
The law itself applies to only about
24.000 900 of the 100000 workers.
1or 1t does not cover farm laborers or
domestic or professional employees.
N. l. r. A, 1t will be remembered. was
approved by the President on June 16.
1888, for the purpose Of affording in
dustrlal Self-government facilities for
industries, trades and services.
According to tables compiled bv
N. R. A. and confirmed by findings of
the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the
Department of Labor, since 1882 there
has been a so per cent increase in the
factory pay rolls of the country. 35
per cent in production. 25 per cent
In the number OF employees. 20 per cent
IN hourly earnings and Is per cent in
per capita earnings At the same time
there has been a decrease of some
per cent in the week hours of
factory workers.
X x X
The approximately 500 codes which
have been approved to date range in
size OF operation and personnel from
that OF retail trade, with more than
100000 employers and employees
not including the retailing of food,
lumber and some other commodities
down to the smallest codes covering
industries which bring improved hours
and wages to but few hundred en-
ployes.
The stake of the small industries
in N. R. A, it Is freely admitted. is
now the burning question. Extensive
changes of policy and administration
respecting the codes for these little
fellows" are now under earnest con-
sideration. One of the chief difficult
ties. of course. has been that of the
so-called service" industries, having
many units scattered throughout the
country and most of them employing
but a handful of workers. One sug-
gestion is that the small industries as
well as the question of fair practices
be taken up on regional or local
basis. The President has issued an
executive order authorizing the
exemption, under certain circum-
stances, of these service industries
from some Of the fair trade" prac-
tices of the codes
Copyright, 1934.) A