| Show 0 national topics interpreted by william bruckart D C national press null ding washington washington tile the ale president has placed donald it lU Iti chberg his bis closest adviser in ID the job Rich bergs as head ol of the na job lional recovery administration 1 mr 1 r chberg Rl will be chairman of the national industrial recovery board which has now been enlarged to the number of seven and it Is proposed that this group divided between labor and capital representation will guide the poll cles cleg and programs as well as tile the enforcement of it may he be that air RIch bergs appointment should be given only passing notice political appointments in washington are many and the addition of one more normally would not attract attention it appears however that in this particular instance considerable significance should be attached to the appointment it will have repercussions in more ways than one this brings us to the question of the future As we all know nna legislation in the house and senate Is encountering rough sailing there are so many different ideas being put for ward warde about the principle of that thus far it has been exceedingly difficult to reconcile thorn them since the present national industrial recovery act expires by limitation of law on june ag congress faces the necessity of enactment of new legislation or allowing the present law to dle die and the codes under it to fall apart selection of sir mr chberg Rl on the basis of these facts then would seem to indicate that mr roosevelt had picked his best soldier to fight the battle that mr chberg Rl being eyes and ears for sir mr roosevelt would be the individual to guide the president in choice of policy and that tits his most trusted adviser would be the man to put forward details of the proponed extension legislation the undercurrent of gossip around washington however indicates something else in III the first instance mr Rl chberg Is in bad with organized labor and he has shown no disposition lately to make peace despite the fact that lie was for years the representative of railway labor unions mr it was who clashed with general johnson and who Is regarded therefore as indirectly responsible for general johnsons resignation as national recovery administrator the new chairman thus goes gnes into ills his job with threatening clouds on several sides it will not be forgotten either that such valiant campaigners as senator carter glass class and senator borah borab not to mention the alleged progressive senator nye are waiting for the legislation in the senate mr rich bergs hide will look to them the same as any other hide it is just possible therefore as some observers have suggested that mr chberg Rl may have been put pot out as the lamb on the sacrificial rIfI cIal altar indeed color Is lent to this supposition by the fact that mr roosevelt has taken little direct interest in promoting legislation extending tile the life of thus far he has said that he desired to have the extension granted but he has not turned on the steam as he Is equipped to do and as lie he has done for bills that were personal hobbles with him it Is made to appear therefore that perhaps there will be a disintegration of as such and that the functions desired by the administration to be retained will be parceled out some to the federal trade commission some to the labor department and others of lesser consequence scattered cred elsewhere while we are discussing legislation it may be well to consider ahat Is belog being done about the credit for program of extend home owners ing ie credit to home owners in cities and towns through I 1 the machinery of the home loan board the house has passed a bill which will increase by two billion eight hundred million dollars the amount ot of funds available for loans of this type by the home owners loan corporation this sum was approximately a billion dollars more than the home loan board thought was necessary but the sight or thought of so much money started the members of the house on something like a riot so they made ample funds available front from reports filtering through to washington I 1 think there can be no question but what the home loan system has been of help in thousands of cases undoubtedly availability of government money in this matter has saved unnumbered home owners from of nf ahra chrt sighted mortgage holders have insisted upon undue curtailment or absolute repayment of the borrowed money extension of the system probably has resulted also in reduction of general interest rates by private lenders of capital it if they wanted their money to work nt at all they had to meet the government competition whether the principle of govern government ment loans Is sound in normal times Is another horse time alone can tell the activity of congress espee especially lally in the house ind indicates that there Is a demand of some kind or other for these loans tn in preference to private capital and that necessarily must be considered us as an influential factor actor As is the legislation increasing the leod lead ing power of the home owners loan corporation has progressed however I 1 have taken occasion to inquire into operations of the corporation whick which Is wholly government owned from all I 1 can learn it stands out as the finest illustration of what politicians can do in the way of building leal ical machines that I 1 have seen in it score of years in the national capital it will be remembered that upon ere atlon of the board former representative seaboard bill Stephen Rou of 0 south carolina was named chairman sir mr stephenson being more honest about politics than many others an bounced unequivocally that appointments were vere going to be made on a political basis lie ile created quite a furore and finally found himself sidetracked for a time we here bere in Washing tot have heard little about politics la in the home loan system it has developed however that politics was not dead but sleeping the loan corporation in carrying out ont the lilea or policy of did some very tie pe peculiar cullar culiar things thing 8 accord doings ing to well authenticated reports actually I 1 am told some young men with out previous practical experience or training were supplied with copies 0 of tile home loan act given a ticket and ordered to the hinterland to open designated regional offices shortly thereafter out of the thousands of em cm in the home office of the loan corporation individuals were called into the office of the directing heads head and were ordered to go to one or the other of the newly opened establishments they were told at the sams same time that their salaries would be reduced to in addition I 1 am reliably informed hundreds of them have suffered further salary reductions since they have been on their new jobs while all of this has been going on the corporation set up a board of four fod members to in the headquarters before which remaining employees in the washington office have been called for examination this board was announced as for the purpose of determining which of the employees should be retained they wanted to be fair about it and wanted to keep on the payroll such of the employees as were unable to get along without the jobs they were holding it seems however that that board has become an inquisitorial rial body absolutely without precedent in the character of examination to which it subjects the employed the result Is that few it if any of the employees of the loan corporation entertain any belief that they can stay f on their jobs with any feeling of safety for example one mans experience Is quoted ne he was asked whether he had money in the bank and he had none lie ile was asked whether any of I 1 his people were on the relief rolls and they were not numerous other questions such as the rate he be bald for his board and room and the cost of his laundry were put to him he 90 then was asked if he be carried life to ta toi i su rance and his answer that he did apparently was wrong although he was not told directly the inference ot of questions put to him was that he be could live two months it if he cashed in his life insurance policy at wj any rate he was dismissed but this Is not all included in bill which increases the amount of t funds that may be loaned by the cor po horation ration Is a line of legislation that will have the effect of expanding poll I 1 ties in the organization written antl intal that bill are instructions that thedor the corporation po ration shall recall to washington 11 ll of those employees who were als patched to new jobs in the re regional state or district offices of course cours no one can say yet authoritatively that when these workers are recalled they will be dismissed here that however obviously Is the result 0 0 0 senator gore of oklahoma in the congressional record recently a telegram he courage received and Ms ills I 1 re needed ply fly to it that illustrates better than OWL any recent incident how much conrage Is required by a national begish tor to withstand the pressure froin home the occasion was consider consideration stion in the senate of the public corkil ant received by the th bill the telegram senator was signed by joe A brochi the mayor of hartshorne okla and CL 0 B lindsay mayor of nalle it follows Se several thousand pittsburgh couty it I 1 assembled unemployed people convention demand you support blest dent Roosevel ts four billion dollar rt re lief measure it if you vote against ines ure sentiment Is you stay out of tra county next senatorial race the following Is the senators reply exceed tills will acknowledge your angly diplomatic and hospit hospitable ablo teb grant gram it shows how the me dole that the soul your telegram intimates 05 asa your votes are tor for sale much value votes I 1 am not in the marka IB lre with will v 08 I 1 cannot consent to buy votes peoples money I 1 owe a debt to abe t taxpayer as well as the V t but I 1 shall discharge both none bully resorts to threats and 0 o but the coward yields to them D Now union |
