Evening star., 1934-01-24
SQUARE DEAL PLAN
SPEEDED BYN. RIA.
Manual for Complaints Issued
I as Roosevelt Moves to
Aid Consumer.
Hy the Associated Press.

BY tle ASSUCldtcu EiCoos
While President Roosevelt discussed
with his recovery council the question
of protecting the consuming public
from excessive price increases. the Ma
tional Recovery Administration yes
terday was issuing new rules to expe-
dite handling of complaints and to try
to assure a square deal for consumers
and small business men.
A manual for adjustment OF COM
plants was issued by N. r. A. Tor the
guidance of the newly appointed State
directors and for the more than 200
code authorities ruling industries. At
the same time, plans were under way
for a merger of the two Government
consumer units. the one attached to
the N, r. A. with that of the farm
administration, for the purpose OF set
ting up consumer councils throughout
the country.
The new complaint handling rules
provide three different avenues to in
sure official review Of charges and to
expedite action. The manual declares
that even where a code authority or
other industrial agency has been au-
thorized to handle complaints the
party making them can insist on an
independent N. R. A. review. either In
Washington or by the State director.
Appeal Moves Provided.
If the complaint goes to officials and
charges the code authority with being
hostile or monopolistically dominated,
the case will not be referred to the code
authority.
Whenever a code authority fails to
satisfy a complainant, he has full right
to demand a personal hearing before 1t.
and, falling satisfaction, to take the
case up with N. r. A.
The new rules were required to meet
the change being made in the country
wide compliance organization now being
transferred to agencies under the Ma
tional Emergency Council set-up.
With their preparation, ofhclals
pressed their plans for the forthcom-
ing general meeting of code author
ities. which are still to be the basic
compliance units for N. R. A. The
meeting may not take place on Feoru-
ary IS, the date originally indicated
by Hugh S. Johnson, but possibly as
late as March !. SO as to give 1urther
time for preparation.
Prepares for Revision.
johnson told reporters yesterday ne
was having a full study made OF all
overlapping between codes, a list OF code
provisions found desirable or model"
and another of provisions which have
proved too unsatisfactory for continu-
ance. These, with surveys OF re-em-
ployment needs and opportunities. will
form the basis for the wholesale re-
vision program.
The administrator devoted con-
siderable portion of his day to new
attempt ito clear up misunderstanding
at the Capitol, comforting extensively
with Senator Norris, Republican. OF
Nebraska, on the N R. A. situation.
He did not indicate how much headWay
he had made and offered no comment
on his recent exchanges with senators
Nye and Borah.
At his press conference he did not
amplify the credit expansion study
plans announced Monday beyond say
ing his assistant, Arthur D. Whlteslde.
believed restoration OF commercial
credit could be achieved now with
minimum Of Federal assistance. He
added the latest steps in monetary
policy should do away with much OF the
hesitation on the part both OF lenders
and borrowers which hitherto has stood
in the way.
Short Cuts Provided.
An important provision Of the new
1SSuIdtAOl4S 40 tAloIs AiA NeAoN
where the party complained against
has no intention of observing the code,
a shortcut should be taken to the
Federal Trade Commission or the De-
partment of Justice for quick discipline.
Where this is not the case, the ma
jority Of complaints will go either to
code authorities or their subordinate
adjustment committees, which in many
lines are being set up regionally and
even locally. The 48 State directors.
supplemented by additional officers in
New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, will
have at their disposal field adjusters to
straighten out Misunderstanding on the
spot.
The separate handling of labor COM
plants through regional and national
labor boards will continue unchanged.
Strict instructions were issued to all
compliance officers that the names OF
complainants must be treated as conf