| Show Ford Battle Draws Nations Nation's Eye Auto Maker M k r and Blue Eagle Chief hief Engaged Eng ged I in Race ce for Principle t B By DALE HARRISON Associated d Press Staff Writer NEW YORK Aug 31 The 31 The V 8 and the theN N R A symbols of ot far more than thana a mere motor car and a mere blueeagle blue blueeagle eagle ca le are engaged today in a race for principle on in n untried speedway speed way At the wheel of ot the car is 13 Henry Ford Riding the eagle is General HughS So Johnson Behind the one Isa isa Is Isa a lifetime of invention and Indus Indus- raised to a science Behind the other is high resolve laudable purpose purpose and and the law The umpire is th the president of the United States 4 For Henry For Henry Ford who dedicated one oneat of at the worlds world's monster industries to shorter hours and a minimum wage the N R lt A fiat to sign up or face whatever music the administration should elect to 10 play may quite quit conceivably conceivably con con- be climactic in a strictly personal way leaving entirely aside Its economic aspects He has in a degree dedicated his industrialism to the development of at efficiency l n y aimed at personal benefit to both his con consumer consumer con con- sumer runner public and his At a time when employer and em em- in the motor as well as other major major trades were in economic con con- diet each seeking advantage accordIng according accord accord- Ing to his rights Ford pioneered with the five day minimum wage pioneered that is Is among the big em em- Falling by reason of ot his position po po- po Into the class called capital ho he 10 fou fought ht nonetheless to function independently in iii- dependently of ot capital and often contrary to it IL The essence of the Ford industrial philosophy as evidenced In the Ford factories assembly plants ship lines mines forests farms laboratories and railroads is b much the same as the essence of the N R fl A. A As a consequence cons conse quence tho the country sees toda today two principles identical in many ways was tiP conflict Ford operating his business on a ascale sc scale reale le he contends is more liberal than blue eagle cagle rules says that to sign signup signup up Lip with the N R A would mean to pl sign n down to it H. l In one aspect it may be said that ford believes that to sign tIc the motor I industry code would be to accept terms of ot industrial conduct laid down by his competitors for lor the national automobile chamber hamber of commerce numbering virtually the entire indus industry dus try in its s m membership excepting excepting Henry Ford Ford approved approved the code and will administer it Henry Ford has liv lived his industrial carrier along these lines He has never favored unionization of at his and his weapon against unionism has been to 10 provide working conditions and wages which he felt met or even exceeded th those se which unions required In a way away away his stand has been much the same toward organized labor as it appears appears' appears ap ap- appears appears' pears pears' to be today toward the motor industry code A standard fully up to the requirements yet aloof from them He has has' been an industrialist who sought sought-as as nearly as possible to control completely all the resources of raw s material production distribution de delivery livery and labor even to the point of ol widespread servicing of of his products after they reached th the consumer His basic program is not his alone now but it blazed trails in the early days of af motor car manufacture The determination of General Johnson Johnson John John- son not to permit the Ford Motor Continued on Pase 7 I Iwo wo I 4 S I FORD BATTLE BATTE HOLDS INTEREST Continued from Pate Pare One company to be an exception to a ana ana- na national na- na program for prosperity is predicated predicated pred- pred on the same ground as that thai taken by Ford on n the other side that thai i. i is Is that a definite detinUe carefully prepared I program shall not be hampered merely merely mere mere- ly because one viewpoint opposes it The only way you can get people to act to together her General Johnson has said in discussing the Ford situation is to lo get them to agree to act to to-i to gether It makes snakes no difference what an individual employer does does' on his own This was a reference to theFord theFord the theFord Ford contention that the Ford Motor I company already i is operating on a plus N R A basis The motor Industry code is a great national compact com corn pact among employers and everybody everybody every every- body has got to agree to lo all the terms of or that agreement in order to get the blue eagle cagle General Johnson has expressed quite frankly the belief that the American Amer Arner- ican lean public might crack down on onFord onFord onFord Ford i if ii he declines to sign the code SIGNATURE NECESSARY Mere conformance to all aU the terms of oC the code or or even an Improvement upon the terms of at the code would not nol be sufficient the administrator said to lo permit Ford to fly the blue eagle Signature of ot the code itself is Js sary Ford Frd is a personality as well as an employer For him to lo withhold his signature from an N R A code which his fellow motor car makers have accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac creates definite public interest This public interest serves to magnify the issues involved The action of at the president in an interesting himself personally personally per per- in the situation has added to the public importance Should Ford fail fall to sign the code by September 5 which 5 which is the date when it becomes operative and binding bind bind- ing the ing-the the gauntlet would be down The TheN N R A admInistration then Ihen would have three courses open It could provide a separate code for Ford Johnson General hat has said he would not follow this course It would |
