The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-06-20
COMPTON ANSWERS DARROW.

In attacking the code for the lumber industry in his latest broadside against the National Recovery Administration, Clarence Darrow picked poorly, if those who are most directly affected by it to be believed The entire record of that industry under the code refutes his charge that it initiates against the small plant is shown by the fact that only one large mill has been built during the past year compared to hundreds of smaller ones
 The code for the lumber and timber products industries represents the largest industry aggregate of any code embracing than 30,000 private enterprises employing more than 1,000,000 men and women It is the first of the great natural-con- servation codes. More than a year ago President Roosevelt asked its members include in any codes submitted effective protection against destructive forest exploitation and after months of coopera- tion with public agencies the code authority de- veloped conservation plan applied to the 400,- 100000 of timber land more than one-fifth of the land area of the United States which the Presidently recently described "one of the great est accomplishments of the past year.
 In portraying the operation of the code at the annual convention of the National American Whole sale Lumber Association Wilson Compton, President of the American Forest Products Industries and a member of the code authority said:
 Our industry which year ago had
 its business shrink in volume to the lowest
 
 the lowest in more than a quarter of a
 century; it's employment shrivel and it's
 capital assets crumble, with recorded losses
 in 1892 equal to half of it's gross sales, has
 now seen increase in it's volume of 30 per
 cent in it's employment of 55 per cent;
 in its prices 60 per cent; in it's minimum
 wages over 90 per cent, and in it's total
 payrolls nearly 120 per cent. It has seen the
 substitution of hopeful for hopeless
 industry attitude. It finds great industry,
 representing in ordinary times nearly eight
 per cent of the total employment of all
 manufacturing industries, heretofore transit
 ory in viewpoint deliberately setting
 itself under an MIRA orest-conservation code
 toward permanent operations
 That the lumber code "at least has not op- pressed small enterprises merely because they are small is evident" said MT. Compton, ''n the fact that since it became effective last Fall more thar 5000 mills have been started, many hundreds o small mills have been built and only one large one" In conclusion he said:
 Of the thousands of producers large and
 small alike, who want to pay decent wages,
 against the 50 cents day paid last
 year by many small mills and few larger
 ones observe respectable hours and play fair
 with their competitors, 98 per cent for
 the code and MIRA. And they speak for the
 pay envelopes and the pay-envelope hopes
 of more than million men and the sources
 Of livelihood of millions more believe the
 same fundamental situation exists in the
 majority of the great industries Any man,
 or group of men, in high place low,
 assumes great moral and human responsi-
 bility who undertakes, cavaerly and with
 out advancing better alternative, to de-
 stroy public and industry faith in, and
 support for, the most effective plan yet
 devised for combating industrial disintegra-
 tion and establishing a base for industrial
 recovery
 MT Darrow and his associates want socialistit form of government The Old Guard critics o the MIRA offer nothing but return to the status quo of preNRA days They seek to tear dowr what has been built and offer nothing in its place except the system that caused the depression. A Gen Johnson, in speech commemorating the first anniversary of NRA, said, it has raised employment 37 per cent and payrols 72 per cent Until it. critics can offer something that promises better the nation would be foolish to consider their attacks seriously.