NATIONAL RECOVERY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21586, 2 September 1933, Page 11

NATIONAL RECOVERY

MR. ROOSEVELT'S DRIVE ADMINISTRATOR AT WORK PEOPLE'S SPENDING POWER EFFORTS TO INCREASE By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 In reviewing the past month's activities in President Boosevelt's drive to stimulate employment and the purchasing power of the people before the winter sets in the administrators of the National Recovery Act to-day ascertained that 18 permanent codes and 210 temporary trade pacts had been approved, bringing upwards of 10,000,000 workers under the scheme for shorter hours of labour and higher minimum wages. " Our recovery plan is designed on the simple principle that 100 men earning 10 dollars each will spend more money than one man earning 1000 dollars and 99 earning nothing. That is all it is. Wo have no intention of making business walk the goose-step in a straight-jacket." In these picturesque words 'General Hugh Johnson, chief administrator, concluded a stirring address in Boston, where he had gone from Chicago on bis first big speaking tour " to sell'recovery to my fellow citizens." Goneral Johnson added: "There is no more sense in starving in the midst of plenty now than in 1776. Our agriculture is flat on its back and our industry is paralysed all because wo have been lending 'busted' countries money to buy our goods. This laid the basis for the four-year headache from which to-day we are emerging." The speaker claimed that 2,000,000 people already had been re-employed, increasing the country's pay-roll 30,000,000 dollars a week. A demand by organised labour for an even shorter working week than is embraced in the national recovery codes added to-day,to the stupendous task of General Johnson. The president of the American Federation of Labour, Mr. William Green, asked that the working week generally fixed at 40 hours under the codes bo reduced to 35 or even 30. Mr. Green admitted that about 2,000,000 workers had been absorbed back into industry since the drive was begun, but lie said there were still 11,000,000 . idle.

An interesting summary . of 1 resident lloosevelt's policy of national recovery is contained in a letter received by a Hamilton resident from Mr. Frank Milner, rector of Waitaki High School, ■who at present is in the United States. "President Roosevelt's plan,' Elites Mr. Milner, '"is a mammoth war-time attempt at economic rehabilitation run on Seddonian lines—really paternalism, or rather State Socialism. It was prompted by the stunning blow which the nation has received lately, and the menace of employment, which, if prolonged till another winter, means social disorders. It is a. liugo and audacious experiment, and Mr. Roosevelt is urging all possible help and all_. the old war-timo organisers to across. The nation is now behind him, but no one knows how it will turn out.!' CANADA'S POSITION EXPERIMENTS NOT FAVOURED THE ECONOMIC CONFERENCE (Received September 1. 5.35 p.m.) OTTAWA, Aug. 31 The proposal to ban Russian lumber from Britain, under Article 21 of the Ottawa agreement, is still under consideration, but no decision has yet been reached,' according to the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. R. B. Bennett, who returned from Britain today. Without doubt the World Economic Conference would be convened again, said Mr. Bennett, either in whole or part. He predicted that it would take place when the United States had., so adjusted her domestic conditions as to permit the conference to consider world problems more intimately. Canada could not afford to imitate tho United States in all the phases of the national recovery programme, said Mr. Bennett, in an address to members of the Board of Trade. As the fifth exporting nation in the world Canada's very lifo depended on her export trade. In this she encountered competition of highly specialised, industrialised and efficient nations. If the country was to continue to compete it could not afford to experiment with shorter hours of work and higher rates of pay. BENEFICIAL EFFECTS TOURIST TRAFFIC BOOM INCREASE IN SHOPPING ■WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 All over the United States the beneficial effects of tho National Recovery Act are being quoted this week, as the final campaign for tho signing of tho codes is being pushed to its hardest extent. In Seattle a morning newspaper is rejoicing with 140,000 lumber jacks in the forests of Washington State, who are benefiting from a rise in wages from 25 cents to 42 cents an hour. Tourist travel for July-August is double what it has been for the past four years. The motor roads to Yellowstono Park are once again crowded, and the Chicago World's Fair promises to bo a really great success. This is a typical comment of tho man on tho street: "Mr. Roosevelt has just found a new way and a good way to take money from people who have too much, and ho makes them like it." « As an example of what is happening, a New York theatre presents a chorus singing: "President Roosevelt, wo are back of you, Slackers scram! This is a plan To give a job to every man." "Scram" is tho latest and best slang for "Get away from here." Dressed in red, white and blue, the girls adopt a familiar recumbent attitude, and with a forest of legs spell out "N.R.A." Little bits like this receive vociferous applause from audionces all over tho country. A leading, Chicago business man estimates that 6,000,000 worklcss persons will get new jobs before General Johnson finishes his programme. The big city department stores are unquestionably feeling tho benefit of .what they describe as a "Christmas shopping movement in summer." "The country has gone Roosovolt altogether" is an. expression heard on every hand.