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Show National Topics Interpreted hv William Bruckart Washington. Reminiscent of the stirring days' of 1917, leaders in the nation are calling Rallying for patriotic sup- with a call for united effort, posters post-ers flap from the walls of public places, all in a new war. But this war being conducted by our government gov-ernment and its people is a war to release the country from the bondage bond-age of an economic enemy, a final gigantic drive to restore a people to the plane where happiness can replace destitution, where steady employment can replace Idle time and where ' profits will appear instead in-stead of bankruptcy. The government, through President Presi-dent Roosevelt, is calling upon all and sundry to stand together again just as firmly as they did just about this time of the summer of 1917. Instead In-stead of the draft of men, however, the government Is asking only that employers of labor, those who manufacture man-ufacture things to sell, those who engage In business of any kind, conform con-form to certain rules. Those who buy the things that are produced by labor are asked to help in the cause by refusing to deal with the Individuals Indi-viduals who do not co-operate and agree to the rules from which the President expects so much good to come. And so we have a national code, a national agreement, a set of rules of conduct. While the farm relief legislation is getting under way,-,and it Is well under way, that farm prices may be increased, the government govern-ment has attacked the other phase of the problem, namely, relief for the millions whose lot it Is to live and work in the cities. For them he Is promising shorter hours of work, a retention, If not an actual Increase, In-crease, in pay. Of the manufacturers manufactur-ers and the wholesalers and the retailers, re-tailers, the government Is asking that prices be not raised beyond the necessities resulting from increased cost of raw materials and wages. In others words, the government has asked that there be no profiteering, Just as it demanded during the world war that some consideration be given the consumer. No one can predict with what success suc-cess this new drive will be attended. attend-ed. It Is new In character. It is described de-scribed by Gen. Hugh S. Johnson, the national recovery administrator, administra-tor, as an appeal to the conscience and opinion of the people and to their good instincts. I quote the general further: "After four years of hopeless and I seemingly helpless suffering and inaction in-action it would be unforgiveable not to open to the country the chance It now has under the law to unite once more and overcome and maybe to defeat the depression. This Is a test of patriotism. It is the time to demonstrate the faith of our fathers fa-thers and our belief In ourselves. "We are a people disciplined by democracy to a self-control sufficient suffi-cient to unite our purchasing power our labor power our management manage-ment power to carry out this great national covenant with vigor, with determination, but with the calm composure and fair play which always al-ways mark the American way." In brief, the government is proposing pro-posing that actual agreements will be signed by the The thousands w h o National Code are 1)C,"S askl'11 to make concessions. The mail carriers have delivered blanks to all of them. Each blank carries a statement of fourteen points to which the employer of labor, la-bor, the manufacturer of commodities commodi-ties for trade, the retailer or other dealer, Is being asked to subscribe. They constitute the nutiotuil code. It Is to be effective from August 1 to December 31. By that time, It Is hoped that individual Industries of all kinds will have had an opportunity opportu-nity to work out codes, acceptable to General Johnson, that will serve as rules of principles and practice for that particular Industry, whether wheth-er It be for the makers of glue, mold-ers mold-ers of pottery or the manufacturer In the heavy industry such as steel. The national codo Is a stop-gap, a bridge for the recovery machinery to use while a permanent passage way to prosperity Is being erected on a firm foundation. Industry must pledge Itself not to circumvent the agreement In any way. Labor must pledge Itself to avoid disturbances resulting from Its use of the strike as a weapon. State boards are being set up they have been named In most states to help out the national administration. Child labor Is barred. A week of thirty-five hours of work Is prescribed pre-scribed and If the establishment must stay open longer more people can have Jobs, all at the old rate of the recovery administrator's administra-tor's explanation of the code said there would he no coercion, It does seem pressure will be used If the basic agr iicnls do not come in, signed, at a rapid rule. It may not he coercion, but certainly I here Is a tremendous economic force to he used, for the consumers are asked to deal only with those who have signed agreements to conform. During all of this drive to get things going again the code calls It the "President's drive for re-employment" there are apt to be many unfair and unjust acts by the overzealous. There are certain to be recalcitrants who are unwilling to make concessions for the common com-mon good. I have heard It suggested In conversations con-versations here that the sudden move to blanket Answering the nation with a it ct . voluntary agree-the agree-the Skeptics ment on bU8lnesg conduct might cause many persons in the country to become skeptical skepti-cal that things were not going so well. It was feared that those without with-out complete Information as to the plans and purposes of the government govern-ment might look upon the far-reaching action as meaning that a new crisis was impending. The suggestions sugges-tions were not altogether without supporting reason. In the deluge of visitors who have come here to draft new codes in conference with General Johnson, many have come with doubt In their mind as to the value or the justice of the whole scheme. They were honest in their judgment and simply viewed the program as unworkable and as forcing them into unnecessary hardships. It seems, therefore, that an analysis of some of the reasons for the code should be made after it has been stated with some emphasis em-phasis that there is no new crisis, nothing more serious than before, to be seen on the horizon of the Immediate future. It will be remembered that the announced program of the President Pres-ident when he started the recovery plan was to boost commodity prices. He wanted to see the farmers get more for their products as a means of saving agriculture from the Inevitable In-evitable bow-wows and he wanted the other sources of Industrial life to profit. As long as prices were so low, there could be no restoration of normal business activity, In the President's view. Carrying out this line of reasoning, reason-ing, there came the farm aid laws, the Inflation authority, the farm and city home refinancing bills and other powers. The President withdrew with-drew government support of the dollar in foreign exchange by saying say-ing there could be no gold exported. Obviously, prices went up. They moved In a hurry. Speculation crept into the picture in a big way. The j net result of this was that the cost of living moved rapidly higher but wages and salaries lagged behind. The recovery administration thought the problem could he met by the industrial codes, but the codes were slow In getting started and numerous controversies have arisen between units of particular industries and between Whole Industries In-dustries nnd the recovery administration. admin-istration. Delays were serving only to widen the margin between the two basic factors of wages and prices, and so General Johnson nnd the President put their heads together to-gether on the code which we hnve been discussing. The recent nose dive In grain prices occasioned quite a bit of talk In Washington of-Break of-Break in ficinldom, espe- Grain Prices cin,,y nrpmui tha Department of Agriculture. Ag-riculture. Secretary Wallace, however, how-ever, was the calmest man of the lot. He did not let the fact disturb dis-turb him that wheat dropped off 25 cents a bushel In one day, for the reason, he said, that Mr. John Q. Public was gambling In the market mar-ket Sooner or later, the secretary said, John Q. Public had to take a llclttmr. Mr. Wallace said, however, that public participation In the grain market was not the sole reason for the sudden decline. He thought the rise In price had been too rapid and that a reaction had set In. Another man In the Department of Agriculture Agricul-ture likened the price rise to tho growth of bean stalks In over-rich soil. It went nil to top. But the secrptnry said the members of tho Board of Trade In Chicago saw tho break coming nnd they sought to protect themselves by calling for more collateral or cash from thoso who were trading on margins. That naturally hnd the effect of frightening fright-ening many speculators, according to Mr. Wallace, but he did not blame the Board of Trade members. It wns something of n combination of circumstances, then, that broke the grain markets. Nevertheless, the Department of Agriculture Is watching tlio grain trading through numerous pairs of eyes. Ono of the things It already has done is to Invoke the provisions provi-sions of the grain futures law which requires the Board or Trade nt Chicago to make dally reports of Individual trailing where the amounts are 500,000 bushels or more. Tho purpose of that Is to keep the department Informed as to who the big speculators are, since It Is conceived that a speculator specu-lator can Influence seriously wt, lots of about 5(111,0(10 bushels. 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