Show jt j i jI I Y nd HEAR t g around the the I J NATIONAL CAPITAL I 5 By ay Carter Field FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT 1 Washington Tightening Tightening of one of or ort t the ver very few New Deal law laws aimed u al i federal regulation of wages andt and t t hour and hours and Incidentally of child la labor la 1 bor bar also the also the Walsh Walsh Healey bill- bill bill which Is I. not under constitutional at at- tack lark in the courts courtl is II planned b bythe by bythe the administration i The plan Is I. to reduce the present exemption under the law from 10 aX j to at most mot 2500 and possibly I only 2000 It Is also alao planned to odd add some lome other restrictions aimed I at preventing the evasion of the purpose of the law through present loopholes I The law as It stands provides that i no concern can be awarded a gov gov- emment contract which does docs not com comply 11 with certain restrictions asto asto as asto to hours houn wages warel and conditions o of f 4 labor Broadly these thelo restrictions restriction ar ver very similar to tho provisions o othe of t the old codes But nut the law applies only to contracts amounting g to or more Lou Lots of bidders bidden have been getting around It b by the tho simple expedient t of making bids for tor only a part o of t an any proposed order the order the part never t t exceeding Government purchasing pur pur- chasing cLasing agencies have eagerly aided d In the process of getting around i this law The They were not particularly particularly enthusiastic about the law anyhow any any- how As Al a matter of fact most government govi gov i emment purchasing n are ate far from liberal the they are Just as hard hard- bolted boiled as any corporation purchasing a ing log agent A good deal of the publicity about I bl bl corporations refusing to bid Incidentally In in- n has been Incorrect ac cc according according aci i cording to officials of the procurement procurement procure procure- ment went division at the Treasury de de- I For Instance all aU the talk about the navy not being able to i get an any bids on copper No Bid on Copper t It is Ja perfectly true that the big copper companies did not bid Treasury officials admit Cut But It U Is ii 4 also allo true the would not have bid even had there been no Walsh Walsh Walsh-Hea- Ilea Ie Icy ley law There are two answers One If is that most mOlt copper has hll been sold lold for tor years eau through agents agent This t eliminated the th necessity of ar the bill biff copper companies ma maintaining sales Sala organizations of greater size Ilze than the they wished The other reason rellon Is s that most mOlt dealers In copper have been convinced for some lome time that the rise rile In price of copper copper still still far tar farbelow farbelow below Its 1920 level of 18 cents cents- had just started Thus Thul they were afraid to commit themselves to contracts con eon tracts which would bind them to deliver deliver de de- de liver copper at t a price specified now over a period of time In n the fu lu- ture lure The war scare Icare demand In Europe atone alone was enough to account for this In tho the opinion of Treasury officials i The new twist In the law would woul d hit hl hla a great reat man many little fellows fellows- chaps who have been buying In quantities from Irom the big producers and then retailing their purchases 1 to the tte government In less leu than 10 10 10 quantities The They have been n skimming a nice little profit out o othe of t the unwillingness of the big com com- companies panics panle to subject themselves to th the e Healey bill The pro profit t has been much greater greate y In some lome Instances than the call esti estimated i c mated additional cot cost to the manufacturers manu menu using this Intermediary yr method of selling their goods lood to th the government The reason for this i is 11 s that the manufacturers In man many instances Instances In In- stances are not convinced that a aUtho all aU U I tho the troubles wrapped up In th the Walsh Healey law would be confined confine I Ito to the additional cost COlt In some lome instances instances in In- stances no additional cot cost at all aU the th e manufacturers concerned asser assert allert t would be Involved Out hut bidding under the terms of t i the law would subject them the they y I fear tear to aU all sorts ort of government checks Some checks some of them started b by y I disgruntled employees some lome b by Y discharged employees employee but all aU In all al i i i amounting to a bl big bundle of trou j 3 ble So the they cheerfully allowed mid to skim a little profit rather rathe r i J than run the risk l Farmers Farmer Scream 4 What with the flood this year ear en and d the Ute drouth last year ear not to mention i piling up of surpluses In n Europe Europ a f against the danger dancer of war it ha has haa been more than two years rean sine since 1 there was any real rest need for some som artificial method of curta curtailing lUng crops crop in lit order to keep prices up ur Out B u i to hear the farm farmers era scream to th the theold theold old AAA A offices now omen now the soil er erosion ero ero- Non sion offices one offices one would think lb that s a Old Overproduction was wu wa s y right around the corner l In the nature of things the farmer forme r 1 looks looka ahead II He lie does doel not trust th lb the f new toll soil protecting scheme ilia Hints JUnt ti that it Is really intended to be a crop curtailing plan plan hints hints such as u the ruling classifying corn as al a to soil U depleting crop croP do do not satisfy hl him i M lie want wants something more definite He lie got lot to understand l AAA A pret pretty prett lg well before It lb Ita demise at the hand hands g of 01 the Supreme court and b he liked It IL It was the first time Ume In his bis ree ol lection or or in all U the lore folk he ha had d learned teamed at his hi mothers mother knee knee that that at t the farmer larmer had ever got lot something lug for tor nothing the nothing the first Urn time he he had d ever done anything except come o out rat atthe ti the little end of 01 the horn In to his hi h s dealing with the elt city folks folk There were some ome sectional twin twists twist 7 L also alao as II particularly in the South where the politician politicians made much of the fact that this was the first fint time the folks folkl in that region had bad gotten otten anything from the North since the Civil War var So despite Secretary Henry A. A Wallaces Wallace's statement a few days day ago that he was wu temporarily abandonIng abandon abandon- Ing ng his hll production control policy and his statement over the radio that tha t It would be wise for lor us UI to produce produce pro pro- produce duce as abundantly as a. we can this year there Is II a drive forming for fora a new AAA MA Nor Is I. there much enthusiasm en en- among the farmers farmen If It one can judge b by letters letten pouring In on members of the house houe and senate enate for the ever normal granary plan so 0 dear to tho the hearts heart of President Roosevelt and Secretary Wallace Normal Granary Idea Many of the tho writers letter doubt that enough wheat or corn or whatnot whatnot whatnot what what- not will be bought In b by the government government gov gov- ov for this reserve stock t to hold prices at al what seems to th the farmers farmen to be a fair level Some Som e are aro even franker They Insist that when a crop is I. short and would normally nor nor- mall malls mally produce high prices pricel th the farmers ought to get the benefit of or that situation How else they demand demand demand de de- mand can the they ever have what is really a good year The bald truth is 11 that the they want the government to protect them against the low prices price Inevitable with overproduction but they do donot donot donot not want the government to protect the consumers against the years ears of underproduction Which is Ja human enough and no noone noone noone one can blame them for lor trying to have such luch a plan worked out But Dut it Is 11 not the Presidents President Idea and it itis t ts is 11 s not Mr Wallaces The ever normal granary idea fits In perfectly with man many o of Mr Roosevelt Roosevelt's other economic the the- odes ories lIe He would like to straighten out the curves in manufacturing and trade of ot all aU sorts orts He lIe would like to have all aU years year eara fair lair years year with none good In the sense lense of bonanza bonan bOnan- za 14 and ond none nono bad Ills His tax theories theories the the- ories ones are a part of ot this theory Compulsory Arbitration I Congress Is 11 not expected to pass pus I any drastic leg legislation Illation with respect to la the automobile strike Most of Its members would not vote for ex- ex example example ex ex- ample to legalize a sit down strike and a huge majority could be rolled up against compulsory arbitration There Is 11 s much to be said ald in favor of compulsory arbitration sally call Practically It U finds few friends blend In theor theory it t Is 11 s in the In Interest Inn In- terest lerest of the public public public-In In the Interest of all the tho people as u against the very small minority comprised by the two tide fides in most strikes Assuming Assum Anum- ins ing that a body of judicial character charac charac- ter tat with Intelligence fairness and end with no leaning either to the side of labor or capital could be found it would seem leem an Ideal solution But Dut tr try to find and some labor leader i iwho who Is advocating If It there Isone is Js isone one thing that the Committee for Industrial Organization and the American Federation of Labor LaDor agree about it is that they do not want compulsory arbitration There ma may be exceptions which seeps to prove that this Is la not so 10 but they only seem leem to do so they to-they they are not actually exceptions at all aiL The classic Instance of course was the Adamson act of 1910 This was the called so-called ei hour eight ht houe law affecting the tour four railroad brotherhoods Tills This was 81 a decision Imposed b by congress on the surface but actually actually actually actu actu- ally It was nothing of the sort lort 1 It was the demands of ot the brother hoods Incorporated In a law which whit h was passed b by congress signed b by y the President and end approved in a five to four tour decision b by the Supreme Su SUo preme court The labor Jabor officials officials' theor theory is la that It t Is s all aU right to have the government govern ment Intervene on labor labors side the that It U is 11 a even all aU right to have the government government gov eov force torce the employers In an any Y given con controversy travers to arbitrate but arbitrate but I l is 11 distinctly not all aU right to have hav e an any government agency determine what the conditions condition cf ut settlement l are to be That would Impinge t loo foo much on the value of the functions function t s of 01 the labor leaders leader themselves I It might even lead to government supervision su IU of the amount of ant union dues exacted or government regu tegu lotion lation as to how those duo dues cool could d be spent Not that anyone at the moment momen expects expect any such luch a move b by lh the e government but the gentlemen a at t the head of ot the various labor organ have never been accused accuse i of being stupid about the i ties ilea of an any given line of governmental governmental govern mental action once started The Theare They y are arc rather keen keenly alert to anything which might later on prove an e em precedent l Much uch discussion right now Is b go- go g lug kg on under Wider cover about the po possibilities pos of the sit down strike If It put to a vote In n congress t tomorrow morrow w no such legalization would probably tx Dr voted Senators Senator and represent tives are Just a little shocked at what some regard as II a flagrant violation vio vic o- o lation lotion of property tights rights But Dut th the e whole thing thinS has hal not been thought thong ht through even b by the labor leaders leader e B BU U |