practices prevail. Neither you nor I want criticism conceived in a
purely fault-finding or partisan spirit, but I am jealous of the
right of every citizen to call to the attention of his or her
government examples of how the public money can be more effectively
spent for the benefit of the American people.

I now come, my friends, to a part of the remaining business before
the Congress. It has under consideration many measures which
provide for the rounding out of the program of economic and social
reconstruction with which we have been concerned for two years. I
can mention only a few of them tonight, but I do not want my
mention of specific measures to be interpreted as lack of interest
in or disapproval of many other important proposals that are
pending.

The National Industrial Recovery Act expires on the sixteenth of
June. After careful consideration, I have asked the Congress to
extend the life of this useful agency of government. As we have
proceeded with the administration of this Act, we have found from
time to time more and more useful ways of promoting its purposes.
No reasonable person wants to abandon our present gains--we must
continue to protect children, to enforce minimum wages, to prevent
excessive hours, to safeguard, define and enforce collective
bargaining, and, while retaining fair competition, to eliminate so
far as humanly possible, the kinds of unfair practices by selfish
minorities which unfortunately did more than anything else to bring
about the recent collapse of industries.

There is likewise pending before the Congress legislation to
provide for the elimination of unnecessary holding companies in the