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Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 1882-1945

"The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt"


It has abolished child labor. It has eliminated the sweat shop. It
has ended sixty cents a week paid in some mills and eighty cents a
week paid in some mines. The measure of the growth of this pillar
lies in the total figures of reemployment which I have already
given you and in the fact that reemployment is continuing and not
stopping. The secret of N.R.A. is cooperation. That cooperation has
been voluntarily given through the signing of the blanket codes and
through the signing of specific codes which already include all of
the greater industries of the nation.
In the vast majority of cases, in the vast majority of localities--
the N.R.A. has been given support in unstinted measure. We know
that there are chiselers. At the bottom of every case of criticism
and obstruction we have found some selfish interest, some private
ax to grind.
Ninety percent of complaints come from misconception. For example,
it has been said that N.R.A. has failed to raise the price of wheat
and corn and hogs; that N.R.A. has not loaned enough money for
local public works. Of course, N.R.A. has nothing whatsoever to do
with the price of farm products, nor with public works. It has to
do only with industrial organization for economic planning to wipe
out unfair practices and to create reemployment. Even in the field
of business and industry, N.


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