Section Three of the National Industrial Recovery Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, provided for the formulation of what were known as "codes of fair competition". These codes regulated labor practices, production standards, pricing, and other aspects of industry. They were formulated by committees, or "code authorities", made up of representatives of each industry, with the assistance of National Recovery Administration deputy administrators, and were then approved by the President. The code authorities for each industry - subdivided by region where necessary - were charged with the task of enforcement.
The purpose of the code system was to provide a mechanism, with which the federal government could regulate and standardize industrial practices as part of its effort to promote economic recovery during the Depression. The Supreme Court invalidated the code system in May, 1935.
The New York Public Library holds office records, 1933-1935, of the code authorities for the Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale Industry, Beer Division, Third Regional Board; the Construction Industry, Painting, Paper hanging, and Decorating Division; Electrical Contractors, Local Administrative Committee; and the Motion Picture Laboratory Industry.
Code Authority, Third Regional Board, Alcoholic Beverage Wholesale Industry, Beer Division
This code authority (called, alternatively, the Third Regional Board, Wholesalers and Distributors of Brewery Products) had jurisdiction over breweries and beer distributors in New York State. Its office was in New York City. Its records, 1934-1935, twelve linear feet, consist of a group of office files; transcripts, summaries, and calendars of hearings; industry member files; and a group of files that remain unsorted.
Office files - which have been organized into a rough alphabetical order - document the routine operations of the Board's New York office, and its dealings with industry members, board members, inspectors, and New York State and federal agencies including the New York State Liquor Authority, the Federal Alcohol Control Administration, and the National Recovery Administration. They contain correspondence; minutes; permit applications; government directives; ballots and proxies; office expense vouchers; blank forms and examples of stationery; and clippings.
Industry member files contain the Board's correspondence with New York State brewers and beer distributors concerning payment of assessments, code violations, failures to submit forms, and other routine matters. Also included are complaints, completed forms, hearing notices, and some hearing transcripts.
A group of transcripts (with some summaries and calendars) of hearings held for industry members brought before the Board for not complying with codes, have been filed alphabetically by industry member name.
Two boxes of extremely jumbled material remain unsorted.