The Washington times., 1935-03-07
NRA DEFENDED
At SENATE
INQUIRY
Revision of Recovery Act
To Clarity Operation and
Administration Urged
International News Service

Committee today that the reor
ganized NRA should limit code!
''to those trades and induStrie!
actually engaged in interstate com
merce" or affecting it Substan
TALLY.
Mr.. Richberg appeared as frs
witness at the opening of the Sen
ate investigation into the NRA
which is to precede enactment o.
q new NRA law to supplant exist
ing law expiring in June Of thi!
year.
In view of several recent court
decisions declarin 6 unconstitu
tional provisions of NRA, hi
warned that legislation for its
continuance should be carefully
drafted.
Defends Work Of NRA
Mr.. Richberg defended the
MIRA, declaring it has greatly
helped industry and labor. HI
said:
with codes covering subStan-
TALLY 80 per cent Of their pos.
SibIe cOverage, with hundreds
of thousands of separate enter.
prises and over 20 million en-
plOyes affected, the compare.
lively small volume Of COM
plants and the record Of their
disposition will show that any
sweeping indictment of the
NRA as failure or as having
operated contrary to the public
interest, cannot be sustained"
Outlining his views on con
Hnuance of NRA, Mr.. Richberg
recommended that:
"The policy Of Congress to
meet the needs Of the present
emergency and to prevent its
recurrence by appropriate regu-
latiOnS of interstate commerce
should be more clearly defined.
"The administrative activities
TO accomplish these defined
aims should be explicitly au-
3hOriZed. This will serve not
merely to strengthen the exer-
else of administrative authority
but also to define its limitations.
LIMIT ON CODES ASKED
Provisions should be made
for the voluntary submission Of
codes. But cOdificatiOn should
be limited to those traders and
industries actually engaged in
interstate commerce, or affect
ing it so substantially that the
establishment and enforce
ment of the standards of fair
competition are necessary for
the protection of interstate
commerce.
"The Presidents power to
Impose conditions upon his .ap-
prOvaI of code, or to require
amendments or notifications,
should be explicitly given. But
the opponents Of voluntary
codes should have the right to
withdraw their consent from
codes so modified as to be un-
acceptable to them.
There should be a clear
grant of power to the President
to impose a limited code when
ever there is no code in effect.
The limited codes should con-
tain only certain requirements,
such as minimum wages, maxi
mum hours, the prohibition of
notOriOuSly unfair bushes prac.
tices, and provisions to prevent
the waste of natural resources.
WAGE LAW SOUGHT
"COngreSs should itself set the
standards of minimum wages
and maximum hours for Admin
iStrative application in indus
trial codes. Some f1exibiIity in
these standards is absolutely
necessary.
provision should be made for
financing code administration
30 far as possible by the trade
or industry concerned.
provisions in the present law
for voluntary agreements to i'm
prove industrial or labor cOndi.
tiOns should be preserved.
"The present exemption from
the provisions of the antitrust
laws should be restricted and
defined.
LABOR CLAUSE BACKED
"The rights of employees
should be defined, as at present,
in section IA, which contains q
statement of principles which
are gaining in general under.
standing and acceptance, and
which have already received the
Interpretation and sanction of
the Supreme Court.
Machinery for the enforce
ment of the codes should be
strengthened by providing for:
Making violations of codes or
rules punishable only by a fine;
authorizing findings of fact on
emplOye complaints as the basis
for expeditions judicial proceed.
ingS; and making remedies
under the Federal Trade Com.
mission act available for the en-
fOrcement of codes under the
amended act"
Mr.. Richberg said these sugges-
tions represent recommendations
Of general accord" He added:
''They are regarded as prac-
tically necessary in the light of
experience, to the continued and
improved functiOning of the
NRA."
MONOPOLY CHARGE HIT