Evening star., 1934-06-17
MORE BUSINESS
IN n. R. A. URGED
Advisory Group Confers on
Plans to Stabilize
Board.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
HOT SPRINGS, Va, June l6.-A
group of the Nations business lead
ers today moved to increase the in
fluence Of business in the conduct
Of the National Recovery Admins
tration, finding at the same time that
N. r. A. should be preserved in some
form.
These executives constitute the past
and present membership of N. r. AS
Industrial Advisory Board which at
tempts to represent the viewpoint Of
business to Gen. Hugh s. johnson,
NJ r. A. chief
The executives met here privately
today to see, in the words of George
H. Meade, their chairman, If they
could not do a better job of so rep
resenting their business colleagues
through the Nation.
Union Problem Presented.
In the background of the meeting,
but not up for discussion, was a pri-
vate report by Henry l. Hartman,
president of the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States, in which
he denied the constitutionality of
that section of the national recovery
act which seeks to prevent an en-
ployer from refusing to hire a worker
on the ground that he is a member
Of a labor union.
Hartman said an employer does
have a right to refuse employment to
such a worker for such a reason If
he so desires just as an employe may
refuse to work for firm that is not
unionized
Meade, in a press conference. said
also the entire group was "tremen-
douSly interested in seeing N. R. A.
SUCCEED" and that the attitude Of
the executives was definitely In sup
port Of N. R. A. He emphasized that
the group had no political interest
and was attempting to increase the
adequacy of the business viewpoint
by strengthening the advisory board.
Permanent Group Sought.
In general way, the intent of
the meeting was TO make at least
some Of the boards membership vir-
tually permanent in character SO it
could act with efficiency. In the past
the membership was rotated among
many business men so rapidly that,
Meade said, the influence Of business
in N. r. A. was not so extensive as
it should be.
The meeting was strictly informal.
Those attending included Gerard
Swope, president Of General Electric;
John j. Raskob, former General Motors
executive; Hartman; Gen. R. E.
Wood, president of Sears, Roebuck
& Co. There were no set speeches
and the discussions were conducted
from easy chairs.
Johnson 10 Attend.
After working in the morning, the
executives adjourned for golf and
horseback riding, to meet again
with Gen. johnson and Donald Rich
berg, N. r. A. counsel, who planned
to come here from Charleston, w. Va,
to participate briefly in the discus
sions.
Johnson, Meade said, was attend
ing at the request of the advisory
board. and that the boards efforts
were undertaken partly at the request
of the general.
The plan for strengthening the
board, not yet definitely set out, pro-
vides for a stay of six months or a
year of at least three business execu-
tives to advise with N r. A.
These men would serve without
compensation and would continue to
be drawn from the business advisory
and planning council of the Depart
ment of Commerce, which Secretary
Roper set up to advise him generally
on departmental matters.