Evening star., 1934-07-08
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
Plans for N. r. A.

usually fire. For weeks reports have
emanated from Washington to the
effect that there was to be drastic
change in the N. r. A: that Gen.
Hugh S. Johnson was to give way to a
board or commission, which was to
head the N R. A; that business
was to have greater leeway of self
control under a new plan.
1t is quite natural that the ad-
ministration should be considering
plans for the future with regard to
the N. R. A. The life OF the ma
tional recovery act expires on June
Is next. The Congress which meets
here in January must be called upon
to pass legislation to substitute some
new act for the present law or to
continue it in effect. Otherwise the
whole N R. A. fabric, so far as Fed
eral legislation and Federal control are
concerned, must go into the discard.
What is done about the N. R. A. IS
of very great Importance to American
industry The major industries OF
the country are today working under
codes of fair competition, so called
The industries are given certain privi-
leges of cooperative action which
were not considered possible before
the national recovery act was passed.
suspending the operation of the anti
trust laws in considerable part. AS
an offset to the grant of these privi-
Ieges, industry accepted regulations
regarding hours of work and mini
mum wages. Into the national re-
covery act was written the declara-
ton that the workers are to have the
privilege of collective bargaining. The
plan was designed, it was said, to aid
both industry and labor.
Under the codes much has been
done to abolish child labor and to
bring about a minimum wage that il
far from the sweatshop standard.
There has been further recognition Of
organized labor in some of the indus
tries There have been strife and
threats of strife in some of the in
dustries over this question of recog-
milton, and whether, if carried to the
fullest extent, it meant the closed
shop.
What is to become of all these
changes in the industrial set-up? Are
they to be allowed to pass out Of the
picture? Assuredly the addresses
delivered by President Roosevelt in
recent months indicate that such is
by no means his intention.
The suggestion is advanced that
with the creation of a board or COM
mission-a kind of commerce or in
dustry court-the control of industry
Is to pass back to industry and at the
same time beneficial parts of the
present act are to be retained. With
the board, it is suggested, is to be
merged the Federal Trade Commis-
sion, the agency set up during Wood
row wilson's administration to pro-
tect American business from unfair
practices and to see that business
practices did not lead to great monop-
oily, the new board to have certain
amount of authority to suspend some
of the features of the antitrust laws
in order to prevent unfair practices
by a chiseling minority.
Such a plan, despite its purpose to
prevent unfair practices, including
throat-cutting price reductions, which
might be used to injure smaller
competitor in business, will not meet
with the approval of those who de-
mand full restoration Of the sus-
pended antitrust laws. Any plan to
place in the hands of commission
the determination of when a law Is
to be invoked and when it is not to
be invoked, any plan which looks to
that kind of fiexibility in law enforce
ment, might be used politically or as
q club in an unfair manner.