Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-30
ROOSEVELT SIGNS
GUFFEY COAL BILL
Court Test of Governments
Power to Regulate In
duStry Is Seen.
BY the Associated Press.


Material for a new test of the Gov
ernments power to regulate Industry
was placed on the statute books today
when President Roosevelt signed the
Guffey bill setting up little N. r. A."
for the soft coal industry.
Shortly before he had signed the bin
establishing a new alcohol control
agency to replace the one crippled by
the Supreme Courts N. r. A. decision.
The Guffey bill is designed to allow
soft coal producers to fix prices un-
der Federal supervision. Proponents.
contend this will assure the industry
sufficient income to pay fair wages.
Advocated by the United Mine
Workers. the President and some
producers, it was approved by slim
majorities in Congress despite pro-
tests that it was unconstitutional.
In urging a reluctant House COM
mittee to start the measure toward
passage Mr.. Roosevelt urged that
doubts about its constitutionality-
however ACKNOWLEDGMENT be al
lowed to stand in the way.
Steel companies owning their own
mines may attack the plan in the
courts.
Price-Fixing by Board.
Minimum coal prices are to be fixed
by district boards Of producers, under
supervision Of a five-man National
Bituminous Coal Commission, which
oIe "a
provisions.
The law places a Is per cent tax
on coal sales at the mine, with 80
per cent of that TO be returned to
complying producers.
The commission is directed to make
a study Of the feasibility of Federal
purchase and retirement of marginal
coal lands and rehabilitation of I'M
employed miners.
The act sets up a three-man BIZ
luminous coal labor board to mediate
in labor disputes. The board can be
called on to act as arbiter.
Determination of wages and hours
would be left to collective bargain
ing between the producers and the
unions.
Ten Pens Used.
Mr.. Roosevelt used 10 pens in sign
ing the bill. One each went to Senator
Nicely, Democrat, West Virginia; Sen
ator Barley, Democrat, Kentucky;
Representatives Sam B. Hill, Demo-
crat, Washington: Vinson, Democrat,
Kentucky, and Driscoll. Democrat,
Pennsylvania: John L. Lewis, president
Of the United Mines Workers; Henry
Warrum. general counsel for the Mine
Workers; Walter Jones of Pittsburgh
and Charles O'Neill, Central Pennsyl-
vania coal operator
Representative Lewis. Democrat, of
Maryland, was offered pen, but de-
clined it.
Lewis predicted q settlement Of the
labor dispute in the bituminous fields.
Negotiations are to be resumed with
the operators September S.
THE enactment of this bill meas
urably clarifies the situation" Lewis
said. I'VE anticipate settlement"
He told reporters he declined a pen
only because he thought some of
the other fellows wanted them
worse"
Will Find Funds.
The President was reported to
have assured the assemblage the
Government would find funds some
where to carry the new bituminous
coal commission and that it would
be appointed soon.
Nearly every one at the ceremony
made q brief speech thanking Mr..
Roosevelt for signing.
A plain black pen-holder with
new steel nib, costing about cents,
was handed to the President by Rep
resentative Driscoll He said after
ward this unpretentious pen was used
to write the last three letters of the
Presidents name and to execute the
Roosevelt flourish.
1T am going to have this framed
and placed on display in the window
of the st. Mary's National Bank"
Driscoll said, where the miners of
Elk County will have a chance to
see it,
Alcohol Control Plan.
The alcohol control bill puts the
new administration in the Treasury
and in charge OF a code forbidding
false advertising. Misrepresentation on
labels and other practices considered
unfair.
The bill bars the sale Of liquor In
and from barrels. This provision was
the center Of prolonged controversy
in Congress.
Largely at the insistence of Repre-
sentatives Fuller, Democrat, Of Ar
kansas, and Duncan, Democrat, of
Missouri, the House originally voted to
permit such sales.
Senate Upholds Morgenthau.
Secretary Morgenthau commended 1t
would take an army" to enforce the
liquor tax laws If such permission
were granted, however, and the Sem
ate supported him.
Representative Fuller asserted that
the Treasury-not Morgenthau di-
rectly, but some of his aides-were
under the control of the whisky
trust" which. he added, has a COM
plete monopoly of the bottle business.
But the House yielded to Morgen-
thau's view finally, despite a parting
prediction by Fuller that "this will
cause us a bigger liquor scandal than
ever existed before prohibition"
The President has been working at
his desk far into the night studying
the pile of bills he must act on before
he can leave for a vacation at Hyde
Park, N. Y. Yesterday he signed the
railroad retirement bill and one pro-
viding funds to finance it.
Among those still requiring his