The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-01-08
Opponents Who Had Hoped Ia
Take Pot Shot Are Oisap-
pearing Gradually
PAYR0LLs ARE INCREASING
California Is Experime n t in E
With Its Own State Re-
covery Measure

covery Measure
This Is the sixth Of II articles
on America Under the Blue
Eagle"
BY JOHN PIPER
San Francisco, Jan. 8.-The Blue
Eagle" Is flying high over the states
OF the Pacific coast. Industrialists,
labor leaders, and the consuming pub
lie have accepted his visitation with
open arms.
| He Is here to stay: no doubt about
that. Strong individualists who had
hoped that the time would come when
they might take q pot shot and bring
him down gradually are lining up to
pay him homage.
Conflicts there are, but they are
being ironed out rapidly. Opposi-
ton there IS, but It is waning.
Here and there you hear q bank
er Of the old school grunt disap-
prevail Of what he terms governmental
interference. Instances have develop
ed where large employers of labor
have sought to behave under the an
cient laws Of rugged individualism-
the only rules Of business conduct they
ever learned.
But they are beginning to see the
light. Their associates. their own
trade organization, their Chambers
OF Commerce, are teaching them that
new regime has stepped in and re-
pealed the dog eat dog" philosophy
Of doing business.
Thousands Get Work
Statistics tell the story Of NRA,s
success in the Pacific coast states.
Men put back to work. payrolls in
creasing, store sales advancing, bank
debts gaining, are facts which can
not be denied.
Just how much of the improvement
IS due to NRA 1t is impossible to de-
termine, but it Is significant that al
most everyone concerned Is willing to
give the Blue Eagle" the credit.
George Creel, dynamic chair
man Of the National Labor Board
on the coast, estimates that the
NRA has put 1000, 900 men and
women back to work in this re-
gion.
His figure Is higher than some 9TH
er estimates, and may be too optimis-
tic, but Creel bases his data on re-
ports from county compliance boards
all over his district.
E. Tilden Mattox, district COM
pliance director Of the MIRA here, said
5000 had been re-employed under
the codes in California, Nevada and
Utah alone.
Add Millions 70 Payroll
Mattox declared payrolls in north
ern California and Nevada alone have
jumped $l7,200,0 900 monthly over the
figures Of last summer.
The same optimistic story comes
! from other leaders in the MIRA move
ment on the coast. Frank Messenger,
district compliance manager at Port
land, said $4,000 persons have been
given employment in Oregon. Furni-
ture manufacturing, canning, lum-
bering and retail business have been
primarily affected.
The NRA compliance representa-
tive in Idaho reported that 10000 job
less have found work in that state
because Of NRA activity.
Messenger described the building
up Of confidence through the NRA
and the Civic Works Administration
program as one Of the most healthy
VA1Ao ~ fbAA r&k
With both individuals working on
salaries and firms operating for pro-
fit" he added. the knowledge Of q
certain job or command for q given
output has resulted in things moving
forward. The benefits are clearly
visible and their effect will increase
markedly during the next six weeks"
Complaints Soon Settled
Mattox was more than optimistic
about the success Of the NRA on the
coast. His organization functions
smoothly. There are IS county chair
men in northern California response
BILE to him.
So successful have they been in
settling complaints from all sides that
less than 5 per cent ever come to the
attention Of the district compliance
director. And only seven cases Of the
thousands which developed have gone
to the national compliance division in
Washington for final settlement.
NRA officials here have more diff
Guilty with the cleaning and dyeing
industry than with any other. Pos
sibly this Is due to the fact that out
side Of the oil industry. it is the only
business which has adopted price fix
ing in its code.
The public definitely il opposed
to price fixing. More criticism b
heard Of the NRA because Of the
fixed price established BY the
cleaners and dyers than Of any
other feature In the administra-
ton Of the law here.
Price Cutting Attacked
Before the code was signed, "cut
rate" cleaning and dyeing plants
charged - cents for cleaning and
pressing = suit. The code set the fig
rre at 81, and this had to be reduced
later.
Complaint after complaint came to
the compliance office Of cleaners who
had cut prices in defiance Of the code.
The case Of one fragrant violator has
been sent to Washington, with the
recommendation that he be dispos-
sessed Of his Blue Eagle"
CalifoEnia's experience with price
fixing may prove valuable 70 MIRA ad-
ministxators In Warrington. When
the national recovery act was passed.
the state legislature was in session. 50
It adopted 4 little MIRA Of its own.
The era California Recovery Act),
Is It was called, worked out several
codes with price fixing features.
One of these, the BARRIERS code.
brought wholesale criticism. The
code fixed the haircut price ct IS
cents, the highest ever. BARRIERS in
outlying sections and small towns
were compelled to charge. the same
amount for haircut - tho man In
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