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NRA Citizens Committee Told Factories Hired 225 More; Store Jobs Increase

General Will Be Selected

Complaints of Non-Compliance Will Be Investigated

Employment for over 225 new workers in the industrial plants of Greenfield since the passage of the NRA was announced last evening by Waldo T. Ellis, chairman of the local NRA Citizens committee, at the organization meeting at the selectmen's room.

He stated the retail stores were also cooperating in adding employes but that figures regarding the payroll increases were not yet available because the code had only gone into effect this Monday and that some of the stores were not yet under the code. This information was forwarded to Washington in response to a request from the federal authorities.

Add 15 Per Cent

An independent check-up by a reporter among the retail stores of town indicated that between 15 and 20 per cent more workers have been added under the recovery code. Since the code does not become compulsory for retail stores until Aug. 31, the full increase is expected to be larger. Some of those hired by the stores have not had work for months, and one store manager expects that with the seasonal pick-up in September, there will be an actual shortage of skilled store clerks.

During the committee meeting it was disclosed that the local NRA work would be organized somewhat similar to the system used during the World war in connection with the sale of Liberty bonds. A general will be selected who will in turn select a number of colonels, these colonels will name majors and the majors appoint captains who will form companies to carry out such duties as are requested to promote the NRA. J. B. Kennedy, Gen. F. E. Pierce and Neson K. Lyons were named as the committee to select the general who will have charge of the local forces. This force will supplement the work of the local NRA citizens committee.

Duty to Investigate

J. B. Kennedy, regional NRA director, explained that one of the duties of the committee was to investigate and report all cases where the provisions of the NRA were not being complied with and also to report all complaints which may be received. He pointed out that as yet only meagre information had been received from the government regarding the scope of the work of the committee but this would probably be received by the last of the month.

He stated that he did not believe that the committee members would have many duties to discharge at present as the codes of some of the different lines of industry had not been completed. He felt that by the last of the month much of the present confusion would probably be dissolved and that the committee would then be in position to start activities.

R. Stanley Reid, chairman of the special committee which has been handling the local store codes, spoke briefly regarding local retail conditions but made clear that as the codes had been just adopted he could say very little at this time regarding the situation.

H. I. Jenks, business manager of The Recorder-Gazette, was elected secretary of the committee, completing the organization of this body. Chairman Ellis was also empowered to appoint a grievance committee to assist him in certain lines of the work if necessity demanded.

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This article describes the local committee in Greenfield, Massachusetts established to implement the program of the National Recovery Administration. The NRA was the main recovery policy of the early New Deal. The goal was to end the Depression by stopping the downward economic spiral of wages, jobs and prices. The NRA organized industries in specific sectors of the economy to sign agreements regulating these factors. These agreement were accompanied by much publicity in the form of public meetings and parades. Note that the "citizens committee" in Greenfield is organized along military lines with "generals" and "colonels" in the leadership. Although the article focuses on employment in retail stores, other local industries also signed NRA codes. The United States Supreme Court declared the NRA unconstitutional in 1935, in part because Congress delegated too much power to the President.

 

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"NRA Citizens Committee Told Factories Hired 225 More; Store Jobs Increase" article from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette paper

publisher   Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette
date   Aug 11, 1933
location   Greenfield, Massachusetts
height   10.0"
width   4.25"
process/materials   printed paper, ink
item type   Periodicals/Newspaper
accession #   #L08.037


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"Franklin County to get C.C. Corps Camps in Four of State Forests at Once" article from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette paper


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