Evening star., 1935-04-05
n. R. A. COERCION
CHARGE DENIED
Minnesota Compliance Di'
rector Places Responsible
ity in Washington.
By The Associated Press.

BY The Associated Press.
Intimidation and coercion charges
were denied before Senate investi-
gators today by Mrs. Anna Dickie
Olesen, Minnesota N. r. A. comph-
ance director, who placed RESPONSE
bihty for her actions on Washington
recovery headquarters.
The charges against Mrs. Olesen's
administration had been made in
previous testimony before the Senate
Finance Committee by George Tracy,
president OF the Perkins-Tracy Print
ing Co. of st. Paul, and Smith Scog-
gin, spokesman for the st. Paul
typographical Union.
II have been charged with persecu-
ton, intimidation, coercion and COL
lusion," Mrs. Olesen told the commit
tee warmly. II deny all the charges.
We have prosecuted no one. We
have intimidated no one. We have
coerced no one. We are In collusion
with no one
Quizzed by Committee.
Mrs. Olesen was questioned closely
by committee members about details
of the Perkins Tracy controversy.
She told the committee she had acted
throughout in the Perkins-Tracy case
on directions from N. r. A. head
quarters in Washington.
Testimony on the case was for
warded to Washington, she said, and
the Perkins Tracy Co. was found
guilty of violating the graphic arts
code by using the wrong cost &C
counting system.
Senators Clark, Democrat, of Mis-
souri,, and Black. Democrat. of Ala
bama, tried to get Mrs. Olesen to
concede the cost accounting system
demanded by Washington was unfair,
but she insisted it was not her re-
sponsibility.
Moves for New Test.
Meanwhile, the administration
moved suddenly to put up new N.
r. A. constitutionality test case for
Supreme Court determination. Be-
labored by critics for dropping its
. previous test case, that involving the
Belcher Lumber Co. of Alabama, the
latest move was made yesterday with
an air of urgency by the Justice De-
partment.
It evidenced q desire to get a de-
cision by the present term of the
court before the N. r. A. act expires
on June 16 and before Congress ad-
journs.
The Government picked the
Schschter poultry case-involving
wage, hour and sales provisions OF
N. r. A. codes-as the strongest case
it could find. The high court has
twice been concerned in recent years
with operations of New York City
poultry market concerns.
In another quarter of the Capitol
House Republicans loudly applauded
Representative Cox, Democrat, oi
Georgia, when he said the Justice De-
partment's withdrawal of the Belchel
case clearly indicates either an un-
willingness to let the Supreme Court
act, or that the national industrial
recovery act is ready for the discard.
At the same time, Donald Rich
berg, N. r. A. chief, in explaining at
his press conference the withdrawal
of the Belcher case, said it was not
the best test of N. r. A. that could
be found. Justice Department off,
cials expressed the same view.
The case, involving wages and hours
provisions Of the lumber code, the
department called peculiar" "un-
satisfactory" and involving no find
ing of facts"
United States and Company to Appeal.
The appeal in the Schechter case is
to be carried to the court by both the
Government and the Schechter Poultry
Corporation of New York. On Mon
day, the Circuit Court of Appeals in
New York upheld District Courts
conviction of the corporation on II
counts of violating the poultry codes
sales provisions, but reversed the lower
courts conviction of the company for
violating wage and hour provisions on
two counts.
The company is going to appeal the
part of the conviction the Circuit
Court upheld The Government will
appeal the wage and hour provisions
reversal.