Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1934-06-29
MUCH FAILURE
TO APPLY CODES
REPORTED HERE
Hundreds OF Thousands OF Dol
lars Said To Have Been In
Guided In Violations
ONE HUNDRED PER CENT
RESTITUTION Is PROMISED

Through the failure of employees
and business men to insist upon com
pliance with the codes of various IN
dustries, the working people OF the
Eastern Shore have been robbed OF
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
the last few months, according to Ar
thur E. Hungerford, State Director
for the National Emergency Council,
in charge of NRA Compliance in Md.
Business men in turn have been de-
prived of thousands of dollars OF pro-
fits which the circulation of this eX-
ira money would have meant. These
code violations have been chiefly
in connection with factories in small
towns and rural sections. Manufac-
turers and contractors by threatening
to close the plants have coerced work.
ers and business men to agree to code
violations, In some cases employees
have been compelled to sign work re-
ceipts for $12 when they received only
Sc or So.
A number of complaints have been
made, and contractors will be COM
PEELED to make 1000 restitution to
their employees. In many cases, the
local contractors have made large
profits by code violations. In others
they have been frightened by threats
of work being withheld by manufac-
turers.
The chief beneficiaries of these vio-
lations of the various codes have been
manufacturers in Philadelphia, Bal
timore, and New York, but particular
ly Philadelphia.
Local bankers have been deceived
by the fact that manufacturers have
sent to the contractors checks for
barely enough money to cover the pay
roll, and a second check covering the
profits for deposit in banks in other
sections. Some idea of the decep-
ton practiced on Eastern Shoremen
is the fact that one plant employing
approximately a hundred PRISONS has
had payroll of $500 week, when
it should have exceeded 81 200 week.
This means that at least $1,000 more
should have circulated in that COM
munity in the course of a single
month.
The worst offenders have been in
the Cotton Garment Industry. The
Cotton Garment Code Authority has
secured evidences of noncompliance
on the part of lumber of factories.
Adiusters from the office of the State
Compliance Director have found SER
ious violations.
So serious are violations in two
cases affecting factories on the East
ern Shore that the employers will not
be given an opportunity to make an
adjustment in the office of the State
Director or to make restitution. The
State Director has decided to step
aside and let the United States Dis
trict Attorney take action, criminal
or civil or both, as he may determine.
Within the next few days a meeting
of cotton garment contractors will be
held at Salisbury by the State Di-
rector. Mr.. Hungerford explains that
his office is not an enforcement agen-
cy, but is educational as to the codes
and adjustment of violations within
the spirit and law of the various
codes. He further states that 1000
restitution is expected of all en-
ployers who have violated the code.
Where employers and employees con-
spire to defeat a code, he says the
United States Attorney may take ac-
ton against both, not only under the
code, but under the conspiracy action.
Manufacturers, contractors, employ
ees and business men who want to dis
cuss these problems of compliance,
or who seek information may CORES
pond with Mr.. Hungerford at 1870
Custom House, Baltimore, Md.