Executive Order 6354—Rules and Regulations Under the National Industrial Recovery Act

In order to effectuate the policy of Title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act, approved June 16, 1933, and to provide for equitable enforcement of agreements heretofore made with the President and codes approved by the President under said act, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States, pursuant' to the authority vested in me by Title I of said National Industrial Recovery Act, hereby prescribe the following rules and regulations which shall have the effect of modifying any inconsistent provisions of any order, approval, rule or regulation heretofore issued under Title I of said Act.

1. The provisions of the President's reemployment agreement, issued July 27, 1933, shall not be held to apply to employers engaged only locally in retail trade or in local service industries (and not in a business in or affecting interstate commerce) who do not employ more than five persons and who are located in towns of less than 2,500 population (according to the 1930 Federal census) which are not in the immediate trade area of a city of larger population, except so far as such employers who have signed the President's reemployment agreement desire to continue to comply with the terms of said agreement after the date of this order; and this release of such employers who have heretofore signed the President's reemployment agreement shall be further extended so as to release to the same extent all such employers of obligations not voluntarily assumed under the provisions of a code of fair competition approved by the President. This exemption is intended to relieve small business enterprises in small tows from fixed obligations which might impose exceptional hardship; but it is expected that all such enterprises will conform to the fullest extent possible with the requirements which would be otherwise obligatory upon them.

In view of general increases in prices which may or may not be justified in specific instances by increased costs caused by compliance with the President's reemployment agreement, or with approved codes of fair competition, the Administrator for Industrial Recovery is hereby directed to cause to be conducted such investigations as may be necessary to determine the extent to which manufacturers and producers have increased prices following, or in anticipation of, the approval of codes of fair competition, or after the signing of the President's reemployment agreement, and to set up adequate organizations for the handling of complaints against such price increases and of local complaints against retail price increases alleged to be contrary to the requirements of codes of fair competition, or the President's reemployment agreement, or in conflict with the policy of the National Industrial Recovery Act.

FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
October 23, 1933.