Evening star., 1935-03-07
Proposes Strict Code Limit
in Testimony as First
Witness Before Senate
Investigation Body.
WOULD COVER OTHERS
ON WAGES AND HOURS
Asks Two-Year Extension of Ma.
chine-Denies Small Enter.
prises or Consumers Injured.
Lays Labor Troubles Under
Law to Union Weaknesses.
Sy the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A New Deal chart for revamping
N. R. A. to limit codes to trades and
industries actually engaged in inter-
state commerce" was given Congress
today by Donald r. Richberg, but it
did not satisfy Blue Eagle critics.
For two hours the eaSy-talking di-
rector of President RooSevelt'S Ma
tional Emergency Council outlined his
views on the future of N. r. A. to an
eagerly listening Senate Finance Com
mittee. He was surrounded by ad-
visers and aides, including S. Clay
Williams, retiring chairman OF the
Recovery Board.
Specific List Requested.
In the end. the committee. still
somewhat in the air as to which codes
the administration proposed to drop
asked Richberg to submit specific
list. He returns to the stand tomor-
row.
Richberg said he was recommend
ing extension of NJ R. A. for two
years substantially in present form.
but he proposed tightening up the anti
trust laws, strengthening enforcement
powers, limiting codes to businesses en-
gagged in interstate commerce. empoW-
ering the President to impose limited
codes regulating hours and wages, and
giving legal backing for the Blue Eagle
insignia.
Defending the administration Of N
r. A., Richberg contended the noise
of the complaints was nothing to COM
pare with the amount of satisfaction
which is, of course. silent"
Most of the complaints, he said,
come from five codes, which were
named as the restaurant, retail food
and grocery, trucking, hacking and
retail motor sales agreements.
Asked by Senator King, Democrat,
of Utah if the codes had not fostered
devices tending to suppress competi-
tion, Richberg said the demand for
protection devices had come
chiefly from the small enterprises and
had operated to their benefit.
Runs Into Difficulties.
He ran into difficulties when mem
bers of the committee sought his def
milton of interstate commerce. He
said his plan would probably elm
mate many codes covering local or
service industries, but later said the
service trades were the only ones he
could name that definitely were not
interstate commerce.
Critics of N. r. A. on the commit
tee Immediately told reporters they
were not satisfied with the recon-
mendations.
THE recommendations for modifica-
tion are very good, but they don't go
far enough" Senator King said,
adding:
IF all he asks for should be
granted it looks to me as though
N. r. A. will be perpetuated with many
Of its obnoxious features and pro-
visions intact relating to individual
liberty, private initiative and the right
of an individual to run his own busi-
ness"
Few Codes to Be Dropped.
Senator Nye, Republican, of North
Dakota, one of the authors of the in
quiry in which Richberg was the first
witness, said few codes would be
dropped under the administration
plan and that the recommendatio
were Ito justify what has become a
great national racket
Senator George, Democrat, of Geor-
eia, also said Richberg did not go
quite as far as I hoped" but said his
recommendations we're open to inter-
probation.
Chairman Harrison commended
Richbergs testimony as "a very fine
statement"
Senator Hastings, Republican. of
Delaware, representing the regular
Republican viewpoint, said he judged
they are only going to abolish few
codes" and added that he was dis
appointed.
Richberg began with a prepared
statement, listing II specific sugges-
tions for legislation.
It was Richbergs first appearance
before q congressional committee as
. representative of the President.
He recommended that the pres
ent exemption from antitrust laws
should be restricted to apply
only when the codes themselves have
been written "in compliance with the
anti-monopoly requirements Of the
act" and urged the committee tc
retain section Ia, labor's guarantee
of collective bargaining rights.
Among his II suggestions was one
to permit proponents of voluntary
codes" to withdraw their con.
sent from codes so modified (by the
President) as to be unacceptable te
them"
Eighteen Senators were grouped
around the witness chair seat as he
made his statement. All spectators
seats were filled and number stood
around the walls of the large hearing
room in the Senate Office Building.
He paused occasionally in the read
ing of his statement to make aside
remarks or to answer questions.
Admits Variation in Views.
His proposals, Richberg told the
committee, were prepared by repre-
sentatives of the N. r. A. and Other
interested Government departments
but he added that when it comes tc
details there may be various divisions
> of opinion as to exactly what provt-
-N--II-.--I = n.cn a Nnl,,yoyo 10