Evening star., 1934-04-01

OF work 10 per
cent and to in
crease wages 10 per cent.
Not only has this request of the
President been refused. or ignored,
except in a very few instances but
codes are being approved by Gen. john
son and officials of the N. R. A. every
day providing maximum work weeks
OF 40 and, in some cases, longer hours.
Naturally, the industrialists are say
ing, why pay any attention to the
Government when it is itself approv-
ing work weeks for periods in ex-
cess of the hours for which we can
provide work?
The Senate last year passed a fiat
30-hour work. week bill and the Labor
Committee of the House last year
and again this year has unanimously
reported 30-hour work-week bill.
with provision made for necessary
exemptions.
Report Is Sidetracked.
House leaders last year, responding
to the suggestion that employers of
labor would voluntarily reduce hours
of labor sufficiently to absorb millions
of unemployed if the N. R. A. was
enacted into law, sidetracked the re-
port OF the Labor Committee.
To my mind, members of both the
House and the Senate are thoroughly
satisfied that the only positive assur-
ance they and the American public
can have that the work week will be
sufficiently shortened to give jobs to
millions Of unemployed is to enact
legislation providing for a maximum
work week Of 80 hours, with some
elasticity whereby such few industries
as may be unable to obtain sufficient
workers can obtain necessary and
proper exemptions.
We were told the reason for failure
OF American industry to absorb mil
lions Of unemployed was the strin-
gency Of our antitrust laws The
Congress, in passing N. r. A., sus-
pended those laws.
What has happened. what has been
the result? Comparatively few work.
ers have been provided with employ
ment. However, the universal COM
plant among every class and section
Of our people, from coast to coast, is
that the larger units in all of the
industries, combining and fixing prices
as they are permitted to under the
various codes, approved by N r. A.
officials. have increased prices en-
tirely out Of proportion with such in
creased labor costs as may have been
imposed upon them. This criticism
has reached such proportions that
President Roosevelt found it necessary
to appoint board of review to find
some way Of adjusting conditions and
protecting the people from continued
exploitation. We hear complaints that
some of our larger producers are SELL
ing their products in foreign countries
at lower prices than are paid by
Americans for the same articles.
Dissatisfied With N. R..
From my contacts with representa-
tive employers and representatives of
the workers, find general dissatis-
faction with the manner in which
N. R. A. is being administered When
Gen. johnson appeared before our
committee on the 30-hour work-week
bill, he freely admitted that the Short
er work week was necessary and es-
sential to our economic recovery. At
that time he pleaded for time, stating
that he expected the employers, who
had been called into the General Code
Authority Conference, would voluntar-
lily agree to a reduction of work hours
with an increase in wages. 1t is ap-
parent that employers of labor have
failed to live up to the expectations
of the Government officials.
Gen. johnson parried questions as
to when he was going to crack down
actually on some of the big chiselerS,
and not merely in conversation, and
as to when he was going to participate
actually in sending some real big fell
lows to Jail for their open defiance of
the Government.
The recent labor trouble in the au-
tomobile industry, which, to my mind.
is far from settled, is due principally
to the apparent hesitancy of Gen.
johnson and other officials of N. r. A.
to force those in control of this indus
try to live up to the law. Gen. john
son admits they wrote their own code
and he was forced to grant inclusion
of the merit clause in order to secure
their agreement.
Is it to be expected that employers
who can tell the Government that
they have law of their own, and can
openly defy the Government, will hon
estly treat with their workers as they
are supposedly compelled to treat un-
der section IA Of N. r. A.?
Congress, through the action of the
Senate on June 8, 1888. eliminated
company unions Senators Norris,
Wheeler and others made it plain that
unless the Senate rejected an amend
ment which had previously been
agreed to by Gen. johnson and by the
N. r. A. general counsel. Donald Rich
berg. company unions would be legal
lied. The Senate by a vote of as to
81 struck out the language Thus Con-
gress has done its duty in trying to
protect the rights of workers.
workers In the automobile industry
sought the right TO organize and TO
choose their own representatives. This
right IA given TO them In plain Ian
guase In Section "A OF the N. I. r.
A. This right has been accorded TO
workers IN hundreds Of industries In
thh country during the past six
months by decisions of the National
labor Beard ! have never yet heard
of any ca&s wherein me workers failed
To asres 10 the deciAlon of the ma
Iofiiy,
The threatened alflks IN the nulo
fastosiea waa aVeFted only through
The inlsftstslah NJ the President The
nfvspapsFs ana moal employers vho
hste ltaa lhsi dsslalen fssi that the
eeftefs segs HHksa