Word: nra
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There was, as usual, a fine ring of righteousness in the General's words but little enlightenment for the country at large as to one of the fiercest, fieriest backstage fights of the New Deal. All Washington knew that a mighty tussle was in progress over the future of NRA. Newshawks got circumstantial glimpses of the contest?a second-hand piece of gossip here, an angry word by way of confirmation there...
Fortnight ago the United Textile Workers held a meeting in Manhattan and with only a handful of dissenting votes demanded that NRA increase wages, cut hours, end the "stretch-out" and grant them union recognition. Otherwise?a strike on or about Sept. 1. Since President McMahon had been elevated to the Labor Advisory Board, Vice President Francis J. Gorman, a dark, stocky, ruddy-faced man, equally as well dressed as Leader McMahon, but more aggressive, was sent to Washington to prepare for the strike. Turning down overtures of the Cotton Textile Industrial Relations Board, he announced that 300,000 cotton...
Thus the "national strike of textile workers" remained a question mark. Last week President Roosevelt ordered NRA to cut the hours of cotton garment workers (not to be confused with cotton textile workers) from 40 to 36 per week and grant a wage increase of 10 to 11% to offset the shorter hours. United Textile Workers talked of winning a similar cut from 40 to 30 hours without reduction in pay, but few people believed that NRA would dare impose such an extra burden on the cotton textile industry. Much of the industry itself did not even care...
Meanwhile President Roosevelt, sweltering in the White House Blue Room which lacks the cooling facilities of his regular office, was at work on more measures, fallible in origin but divine in purpose. NRA make-over took much of his time. General Johnson had gone off to Bethany Beach, Del. for a two-week rest and left the President's ear open to Donald Richberg and Madam Secretary Perkins. So significant did newshawks deem the situation that some reported the General's resignation while others telephoned to Bethany Beach to ask him whether he had had a break with his associates...
Front-page stories from Washington reported that NRA was about to be reorganized. They still had the jitters. Retail sales were good last week and even heavy industries showed a slight improvement. And still they had the jitters...