Evening star., 1935-03-31
The New N. r. A.

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prominent members of Congress. the
N. r. A., despite the insistence Of
President Roosevelt that 1t be given
another two years lease Of life, has
seemed much in need of the oxygen
tent. On Friday the administration
forces were galvanized into action.
Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi,
chairman of the Finance Committee
Of the Senate, rushed forward with an
announcement that legislation for the
N. r. A. continuance is to be speeded
up; that it is all a mistake that the
skids are under the Blue Eagle. At
the same time he introduced in the
Senate and handed to the public the
administration bill to extend the
N. r. A., with notifications, until
June 16, 1887.
The administration has clearly be-
come alarmed over the prospect of
N. r, A. legislation. Unless new
bill becomes law by June Is next, the
whole act setting up the N. r. A.
goes out of the window. Its expert
ence with the first big measure on
the present legislative program, the
work relief bill, which has hung fire
for practically three months and is
still to become a law, has not been
encouraging. The forces in Congress
and out aligned against N. r. A.
threaten long fight. Only two
months and half remain before the
date of expiration of the present law.
Without waiting to complete its in
vestigation into the operation of the
N. r. A. and its codes, under the
Nye-McCarran resolution of inquiry.
the Senate Finance Committee
authorized its chairman to introduce
the bill in tentative form. The in
vestigation, which has been running
on for days, is to be quickened.
The administration, in the mean
time, is declining a test In the Su-
prelne Court of the constitutionality
OF the N. r. A. and its codes. The
Department of Justice has announced
its intention of moving to dismiss the
Government appeal in the Belcher
case, involving the lumber code. 1t
is unwilling, apparently, to have the
Supreme Court pass on the constitu-
tionai questions involved while Con-
gress is in the throes of writing
new law to extend the N. r. A. Yet
members of Congress seem at least
entitled to the opinion of the court
before they finally draft a new meas
ure for the N. r. A.
The draft of the administration
bill seeks to get away from the ques-
ton of constitutionality by making
new definition of Interstate COM
merce" and seeking to limit the opera
ton of the law to interstate commerce
as distinct from intrastate commerce.
! Section IA, providing for. collective
bargaining, remains unchanged. Labor,
however, is given permission to sue
| for back wages, If it can be proved
that employers have violated the code
provision for wages. There is pro-
vision for limited codes" which may
be set up by the President. govern
ing reasonable wages and hours of
labor, for industries that do not come
under the more extended codes of
fair competition.
The bill attempts to bring within
the provisions Of the interstate COM
merce clause of the Constitution for
the purpose of Federal regulation all
those businesses which may affect
Interstate commerce as well as those
directly engaged in the shipment or
ooIN VI SUOuS Ill 4IlCISLdJC CUulLllcI Cc.
The demand that something be done
to prevent extension of monopolies
under the N. r. A. has been given
consideration. 1t is provided that the
codes must not be calculated to pro-
mote or sanction the creation of
monopolies.
Already critics of the N. r. A.,
among them Senator Borah of Idaho,
have their hammers out for the new
bill. However, as explained by Sem
ator Harrison, the measure is only
in tentative form and has not been
considered by the committee. It may
be vitally amended before it reaches
the Senate. The purpose of the launch
ing of the measure at this time was to
prevent a collapse in the morale of
the N. r. A.