The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1938-03-24

would be to permit no discretion at
all in the administration of the act,
TO pass a law specifying that no
workers could be made to labor
more than a given number of hours
week nor paid less than a
given amount per hour or per week.
Seek Magic Formula
This would be all right if it were
not for the sections of the country
and the particular industries which
think they must have a differ
entail. The only way to have
| law and 10 permit such exceptions
in its enforcement is to vest dis
erection in some administrative
body.
Solution of this problem requires a
magic formula. Administration ex-
perts have been busy trying to
evolve this formula ever since, but
it is still undiscovered. The Presl-
dent is not willing to humble Miss
Perkins in order to get the law
through. No other solution has been
suggested which would come with
in a mile of success.
It might be found tomorrow. The
! President still hopes that 1t will be
found before the end of the present
session. But he is not as optimistic
as hesawas. In fact, there are lndl-
cations that he has become con-
vinced the bill will not pass this
session, though he is still insisting
on it.
The new committee appointed to
study the situation, of course, is
just gesture. The same man ap-
pointed to that committee have been
working on the problem as individ-
uals for more than year. Mere
ly naming them to a committee is
not going to clear up the fog. Nor
will the fact that they meet as
committee help much. They have
been comforting as individuals,
and as members of the house labor
committee, for these many months.
There is no magic in the word
COMMITTEE, and, short of Ed Nc
Grady, there is no magic in anything
else that has been suggested.
Electric Industry
Every now and then something
crops up TO make the dispassionate
observer wonder if Franklin D.
Roosevelt really hates the electric
industry as much as it believes.
Most recent among these develop
ments is the letter which J. D. Ross,
one time government ownership ex-
ecutive in Seattle and now big boss
of Bonneville, wrote to MIR. Neal
in Knoxville. The sum and sub
stance of this letter was that it was
good policy to buy out the existing
private companies, and to pay a
fair price.
There has been considerable
question as to whether this was not
I a bad slip on Mr.. Ross part, one
calculated to get him into pretty
serious trouble with the President.
The answer seems to be that there
is, so far, no indication that it has.
The further answer is that very re-
Gently Mr.. Roosevelt, discussing
the Supreme court decision approx
ing public loans and grants to local
communities for government owner
ship power plants and electric dis
tribution systems, said that he as
sumed municipalities and other
local governments contemplating
such projects would negotiate with
the privately owned units now sup
plying them with view to avoid
: ing duplication.
: The point seems to be that Presi-
dent Roosevelt does not 60 anything
: like SO far as either George w. Nor
} ris, Nebraska senator and daddy Of
! IVA, or Representative John E
t Rankin, the Mississippi utility bait
]. er. Rankin has said frankly, many
. times, that because Of their past
$ sins he would, in buying out private
! ly owned utilities, pay only second
: hand junk value for the proper
ties.
Roosevelt's prudent investment
, theory" applied to the price which
should be paid for any utility is
, pretty tough, the utility men think,
and their opinion is shared by most
men who have ever been in bust.
ness, but it is lot better than
Mr.. Rankin's idea. In fact, it is
not very far from correct to say
that Roosevelt is about half way
between John Rankin and J. d
,, Ross in his idea as to what would bt
fair price for any privately owned
utility.
Check ON Prices
There are plenty who think tina
. Roosevelt is not really eager to hav'
the entire electric industry of thi
country publie-eWned and operates
| that all he wants is enough of
> SO operated to be a check on til
q prices charged by the privatel
I owned companies.
. Roosevelt believes strongly in tn
I social value of cheap electricity
Those who hold the view just state
believe that cheap current, and nc
public ownership, is his real objec
: tive. Tinctured a little, of course
| Al. !. y