RECOVERY DRIVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21916, 27 September 1934, Page 11

RECOVERY DRIVE

LEADER'S RESIGNATION MR. ROOBEVELT ACCEPTS IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT END OF DICTATORSHIP By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 26, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 25 The chief administrator of the National Recovery Act, General Hugh S. Johnson, resigned to-day. President Roosevelt accepted his resignation immediately. Although General Johnson's action was not unexpected it marks a turning point in the development of the recovery drive of tremendous importance. In a friendly exchange of notes the President thanked General Johnson for his untiring efforts on behalf of the administration and spoke of future help expected from him, hut at the same time urged him to take a muchdeserved long rest. Observers believe that General Johnson will never again figure in the affairs of the N.R.A. and that the organisation now will be reconstituted into a sort of quasi legislative body, comprising legislative, administrative and judicial departments to supersede more or less the one man dictatorship General Johnson enjoyed. Some commentators declare that General Johnson over-stayed his time. His services were invaluable in the early days of the recovery drive in whipping public opinion into line and in enforcing the codification of industry by his hard driving tactics. However, that phase of the N.R.A. obviously is over and methods more in keeping with the American conception of democratic government are now called for.

Although the apparent break between General Johnson and the President is of long standing the actual resignation was precipitated by a speech which General Johnson made during the cotton strike when denouncing union methods. Following upon this, it is believed, the President considered that his further retention in office would be impolitic and arranged for his graceful retirement.