| Show 0 o 0 national topics interpreted by william bruckart washington some twenty five or thirty newspaper correspondents were privileged t it e he U aint am A coin 1 other of day a y to to foot fool wid em witness the start of a now new stage in the national drive for economic recovery it Is unfortunate there were only those few persons able to witness that which I 1 am convinced Is going down lo in history as an event worthy of recollection it Is unfortunate that more persons were unable to see the spectacle of gen hugh S johnson the recovery administrator in that moment of determination his eyes glaring his jaws set it was decisive the incident to which I 1 refer was when general johnson at one of his regular conferences with newspaper correspondents announced that the time was near it if indeed it had not already arrived when somebody Is going to take one of those blue eagles off the window of some business house because that business house failed to live up to its pledges in the code and general johnson added with all of the grim determination of the army officer that he was when that happens it Is going to be an economic death sentence that outfit will be nearly through lie ile leveled a finger at the correspondents spon dents that under the atmosphere created by his earlier remarks seemed for all the world to me like ilke it might go off there was no braggadocio it was a positive declaration this assertion that some of those who promised to do their part would try to cheat and the added remark that such a business house was economically sentenced to death when their pet blue eagle insignia 7 was taken down was as sternly said as though it had been un an actual sentence of death from the lips of a jurist I 1 repeat it was impressive I 1 I 1 of do 0 not know how bow effective this ahr threat ca will be no one does because it never has been done in peace time in this country hut but make no mistake I 1 about it the individual who attempts I 1 to balk general johnson is going to have both hands full to employ a favorite expression of a colored boy whom I 1 know he aint goin to fool wid em general johnsons remarks on that occasion illustrate better than other words available to me the developments thus far in the great campaign to lift this country out of the economic depression heretofore and it still continues the effort was to get businesses into line into agreement to stand united and work for the common good those agreements among the individual businesses were and are agreements with and promises to the president of the united states that each will make the necessary sacrifices the required concessions that a given result may be attained everyone hopes for better times that Is the end sought and the signing of codes including the promises of individuals who buy things to deal only where the blue eagle Is displayed was just the preliminary work now however the national recovery administration has reached the point where the enterprise must either succeed or fall fail there are to be no more soft words the decisive moment has come general johnsons determination that he aint goin to fool will wid em cm has placed the entire power of a sovereign nation behind that which has been done this blue eagle insignia Is a powerful weapon it may later fall into dis repute but however powerful that hat may be the dis weapon ply play of that poster dow Is having an enormous effect for instance general johnsons attention was called to the status of public utilities operating wholly within a state a unit unto itself and not subject to the jurisdiction of the federal government ile he replied that the blue eagle knows no DO state stale lines this blue eagle know anything about interstate or intrastate commerce he said it if the recovery act falls to reach such corporations the blue eagle will reach them and so the stage Is set for the drive to encourage people to buy now and to buy only from those displaying the blue eagle let us look into this program the call to buy now represents a move to get people to let loose of money they have been holding ho liling back on account of uncertainty if they have had bad such money and thus to provide the 41 1 trIb ution agencies such as retail stores with business and of course profit if the retailer sells he be must buy from his source which Is tile the wholesaler cholm aler or I 1 the jobber and when they have dis dig posed of their stock they must seek replacements from the manufacturer lie ile in turn if he Is going to remain in business must manufacture replace menta and thus the cycle has been set in motion but there la Is more to it than just the proposition of moving goods along from producer to consumer each time that the consumer sets the cycle in motion by making a purchase he adds theoretically at least to the a ability bit ty of more jobs for workers he also adds to the possibility of a profit tor for all of those handling the commodity there has not been a time in recent years that stocks of manufactured goods in warehouses of the country were as low as they are now it Is a condition known as hand to mouth buying one result of that condition Is that when a retailer for example sells a couple more suits of clothes or shoes or di dresses esses he Is out of those sizes or styles unless he goes back to the wholesaler immediately and buis replacements he cannot make further sales rates of those particular things so it Is with the wholesaler and the manufacturer has no great stocks piled up either if he refills empty shelves he has to put people to work to do it when he hires workers the money they are paid immediately Is spent because tens of thousands of them have been out of jobs and with no money to spend even for barest enec essl ta es general johnsons purpose therefore Is twofold lie he is driving hard to get people to buy now if they have money with which to do it that the cycle of business may be set in motion full swing again and thus if successful the plan will provide jobs for workers profit for the dealers and manufacturers and markets for the producers of the raw materials in pleading for consumers to buy only from establishments where the blue eagle of N IL II A Is displayed general johnson seeks to cement the united effort for recovery and at the same time repay those who have made the concessions necessary for such a movement by turning the business to them with the destruction of cotton crop surplus under way in every cotton growing state the wheat acreage agricultural ad program administration has concentrated cent rated its attention on getting the wheat acreage program started which indeed it has been in more than a preliminary Il way previously I 1 reported that secretary wallace figured a wheat crop of not more than IGO bushels next year was all that would be necessary accordingly withdrawing of thousands of acres from planting will be necessary now the adjustment administration has sent out orders to farm extension agents wherever counties have them and has appointed temporary workers where no county agents exist and these people are laying the ground work for wheat farmers to sign contracts with their government the contracts will provide for withholding of acreage and the farmers will be paid for giving up that acreage through the funds obtained by the processing tax on wheat as it Is milled into flour something like 1100 agents either permanent county agents or temporary appointees by the department of agriculture ri are at work in twenty three states they are taking the initiative iu in organizing the farmers explaining to them what the purposes of the acreage reduction program are and how they will be compensated by joining in the plan chester C davis director of the wheat production division in the agriculture adjustment success Is administration en assured pertains no doubt at all about the ultimate success of the program nor does dr M L wilson of th ahe e same group who has been in close touch with actual wheat farmers they are agreed that it will go over just as rapidly as tile the farmers can have the thing explained to them in the meantime however wever lo io the millers of wheat are suli iring and the department part ment of agriculture Is playing tag with tile grain exchanges and hoards boards of trade the millers obviously are kicking about the burdensome processing in tax which they say Is difficult to pass on to the consumers fully the boards of trade and the department of agriculture tire are snarling and biting at each other over a different matter but settlement of their differences will affect the results of the acreage reduction campaign so S the whole thing constitutes one picture the grain exchanges have been criticized without end by secretary wallace and the others in positions of responsibility on thoi the farm problem secretary wallace has told the grain dealers beniers they have to come under a code like other businesses anti and they have submitted a code for its his consideration which lie he does not like nt fit all the secretary wants to keep the little fellows out of the grain speculation lie he feels arcla they have no business there and that their marginal trading has been the flip cause of some of the violent in prices because they can not always put up more money if the price falls out from under them the code submitted by the exchanges leaves more power in the bunds bands of the exchange governing beardi than mr air wallace wants to leave there and falls fails also to reduce the speculative factors the secretary serre aei rotary tary thinks necessary so the situation Is tense I 1 4 Is proper to say I 1 believe that restrictions already thrown around gra grain trading have virtually abolished coo contract markets C 0 1131 1933 western newspaper union ullon |
