| Show NEWS BEHIND I N D THE TH NEWS 1 w Written e for The Telegram ele By y Ray Tucker W WASHINGTON A A congressional congressional congressional investigation of the federal communications commission has become a certainty as a result of unpublished revelations of Tommie Corcoran's attempt to boss the agency that supervises such vital services as radio telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone and telegraph In one ouster proceeding he even went so far as to order the the- commissioners commissioners commissioners commis commis- to vote his way and four of them did The are as scared of him as if he were a man from Mars Mr Corcoran forced the firing of an time old-time Woodrow Wilson D Democrat e m o 0 c r rat a t General Counsel Hampton Gary Gary but but he still wants the the scalps of such key men as the chief examiner secretary and publicity man He intends to fill their places with obedient new dealers beholden to him as asso asso asso so many malY lawyers and investigators investigators investigators gators in m other departments are Barring last minute intervention by F. F D. D R. R who has looked the theother theother theother other way so far the young man manwill manwill will undoubtedly succeed in this newest purge Already the commissions commission's record record record rec rec- rec- rec ord is none too savory The files reveal manipulation manip in granting licenses so as to favor new deal individuals and firms In some instances the legal staff has been required to render opinions with which it disagreed only to have losses in court cited as the reason reason reason rea rea- son for the discharge of Mr Gary Though represented as appalled over internal squabbles Mr Roosevelt allows them to fester and fume with prospective de demoralization demoralization demoralization de- de moralization of the dollar billion-dollar radio industry and political control control control con con- of the air waves But if he heI I doesn't interfere its it's a cinch that congress will wilI Behind the determined move to gain unchallenged and unquestioned unquestioned unquestioned control of the commission lies the new dealers' dealers bitter feud with the newspapers newspapers- newspapers of of the United United United Unit Unit- ed States which they regard as hostile The undercover aim according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to insiders is to foster the radio radio and and eventually television tele tele- vision vision vision-as as a powerful competitor to the printed word Chairman originally opposed newspaper ownership of radio stations then recanted pub pub- But in almost every secret meeting of the commission he has voted or declared himself in opposition to the Once the legal and examining staff is brought under subjection the move will be to amend the law lawso lawso lawso so as to empower the commission to regulate the rates which advertisers advertisers advertisers adver adver- pay for radio time The next step would be to revise downward downward downward down down- ward radio advertising rates in order to increase this source of competition with newspapers Mr Corcoran is now writing a anew anew anew new radio statute incorporating most of these ideas ideas and and some others But any law written by Tommie in view of his role as as American All-American will have small chance of squeezing through congress next winter The chief holler against him will be constitutional constitutional constitutional con con- rather than personal namely Why should a year 40 old man elected to no office not responsible to the people and removable only by the president boss the communications commission commission commission commis commis- sion the civil aeronautic authority authority authority author author- ity the national resources committee committee committee com com- the wage-hour wage tion and fearful ca cabinet inet members members members mem mem- bers Another curious conflict in the batch of laws regulating hours and wages of American industry has been exhumed by the legal sharps in the government It threatens endless difficulties as the administration embarks on a avast avast avast vast program of rearmament nt Many factories handling government government government gov gov- gov- gov contracts will operate under two sets of wage-hour wage laws the the Walsh-Healey Walsh statute governing governing governing gov gov- federal jobs and the fair lair labor standard act Madame Perkins Perkins Perkins Per Per- kins administers the first while the excessively ly independent EImer Elmer Elmer El El- mer F. F Andrews supervises the the second So heres here's what will happen happen happen hap hap- pen The Walsh-Healey Walsh act provides provides provides pro pro- vides for a hour 40 week with time and a half balf over that while the Andrews statute does not authorize extra pay until after 44 hours of labor Miss Perkins may fix the hourly scale at 40 cents while Mr Andrews may set it at the minimum of 25 cents Thus in the same I factory and at the same bench Miss Perkins' Perkins favorite may earn 16 a week for 40 hours while Mr Andrews' Andrews man may get only 11 11 for 44 hours on the same job In some instances the discrepancies might be even greater It will hardly make for fora a happy factory family For the proprietor it will mean keeping two sets of records records records-an an expensive process In fact operation of the Walsh Healey act has already reduced sharply the number of bidders on government contracts The collision with the wage-hour wage statute will make it worse worse Copyright 1938 for The Telegram I |
