Legislation, executive orders, and court decisions

Title

Creator

Selph, Ewald E.

Language

English

Year

1949

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

120 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL March, 1949 Food Products By C. G. Herdman Director, Trading Division Marsman & Company, Inc. THE Manila market on food products continues without material change from conditions exist ing in January. Very considerable overstocks are still found in flour and canned fish. The situation has improved slightly on canned milk but local stocks are still more than ample. Stocks of all other food stuffs are ample but not excessive. Movement of stocks into consumption continues to decrease and there is no reason to anticipate a pick up of any consequence for some time to come. Considerable quantities of stocks in storage are held by entities insufficiently financed which are forced to liquidate stocks to meet commitments. This fact, coupled with the slackened consumer-buying has forced a certain decrease in prices, and importers in general are either moving their stocks at a loss or at an exceed ingly small net profit. Textiles By James Traynor ALL importers of textiles report substantial losses on sales throughout the month of February. The inventories which increased so largely during January continue to increase due to the extremely large arrivals during the month. Taking January and February arrivals together, yardage imported was ap proximately a 6-months’ supply, based on the year 1941. This overstocked condition has caused the local market prices to decline sharply. The situation is so serious that almost without exception importers stopped making new commit ments and no new buying is expected for the next two months. Importers hope for an improvement which will bring their selling prices up to about cost, but this will take some time and it is expected that unsatisfactory conditions will prevail throughout the month of March. Legislation, Executive Orders, and Court Decisions By Ewald E. Selph Ross, Selph, Carrascoso & Janda NUMEROUS bills have been introduced and are now pending in Congress which, if approved, will affect business and industry. Among them are the following: H.B. 2088 provides for firms which received war dam age compensation, to pay all employees on full time basis on December 8, 1941, salaries and wages from January 1, 1942, to February 26, 1945, the total amount not to exceed onehalf the amount received as war damage compensation. H.B. 2085 provides for such back pay by any commer cial or industrial firm with a capital of not less than PIO,000 but does not limit the amount to one-half the war damage com pensation. consider offset printing .o FOR MORE SPEED MORE VOLUME MORE VERSATILITY March, 1949 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 121 H.B. 22.17 provides for raising the specific tax to P6.00 per 1,000 on cigarettes mechanically packed regardless of manufacturer’s or importer’s wholesale price. H.B. 2222 provides for a more expeditious distribution of estates of deceased persons. H.B. 2228 provides for a permanent Code Commission to recommend revisions of all laws and to codify the same “in conformity with the customs, tf-aditions, and idiosyncracies of the Filipino people and with the progressive principles of the science of law.’’ It might be well to note that the present re vised civil code now before Congress contains several provi sions regarding labor which are different from the present labor laws. It also contains a revision of the liability of shipowners and other such carriers beyond the provisions of the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act and those of the Commer cial Code. H.B. 2255 provides for making Batangas an additional port of entry and customs collection district; and H.B. 2297 provides the same thing for Dumaguete. H.B. 2256 provides for amendment of the Court of In dustrial Relations law reducing from 30 to 10, the number of laborers, in excess of which the Court of Industrial Rela tions shall have jurisdiction. S.B. 366 to the same effect. H. B. 1375 has been reintroduced. It provides that “in dustrial enterprises shall share with their employees and la borers not less than 30% of the net profits set aside as divi dends of capital invested in said enterprises, whether such dividends be in the form of stock or cash.’’ S.B. 356 proposes to amend Act 3961 (Emergency Medical Treatment) by requiring the keeping of a stock of emergency medicines under the charge of a nurse whether there is a pharmacy in the neighborhood or not, if the number of per manent employees is not less than 30 nor more than 200, and there is no public free dispensary within one kilometer. If the number of employees is more than 200, the employment of a physician is required and the proposed amendment re quires a nurse also. S.B. 31>9 proposes the prohibiting of the sale of the pro perty or franchise, right, or privilege, or any part thereof, of any business enterprise employing 30 or more persons, with out providing for retirement gratuities for laborers forced to retire, of not less than those provided in the Government’s retirement laws. S.B. 371 proposes extension of the time provided by Re public Act 62 for reconstruction of corporate records, to De cember 31, 1949. S.B. 357 provides foi’ requiring every physician, dentist, or nurse employed or contracted by any person or entity operating a shop, factory, or any commercial, industrial, or agricultural establishment to register with and secure a per mit from the Department of Labor which must be renewed each year, and may be suspended for cause by the Secretary of Labor. S.B. 361 proposes to amend Republic Act 35 exempting new industries from internal revenue taxes, by providing that its benefits be extended to pre-war industries damaged during the war by not less than 50% of their value, for a period of 5 years from date of approval of the Act. S.B. 373 proposes that Congress create special taxes for a Social Security Fund to provide unemployment, sickness, ma ternity, and disability benefits, old age pensions, and public asistance to needy persons. S.B. 374 proposes the repeal of Commonwealth Act 600 (Emergency Powers of the President). S.B. 376 proposes prohibiting an employer from dominat ing or contributing financial or other support to any labor organization. This is aimed at so-called company unions. Several bills are pending for nationalization of labor. There is also pending a proposed concurrent re solution requesting that representations be made to the United States for reinstatement of the 2^ per pound duty on coconut oil produced from copra not of Philippine origin. ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY COMPANY MACHINERY—MECHANICAL SUPPLIES—ENGINEERS—CONTRACTORS General and Sales Offices 174 MARQUES DE COMILLAS MANILA, P. I. TEL. 3-24-08 3-26-20 Engineering Shops No. 1 CALLE L. SEGURA PASIG RIVER, MANDALUYONG TEL. 6-65-68 OPERATING (A) Machine Shops (B) Steel Plate Shops (C) Structural Steel Shops (D) Welding Shops (E) Blacksmith Shops (F) Sheet Metal Shops (G) Marine Railway Steel Tanks of all Types and Sizes, Steel Truck Tanks, Steel Truck Dump Bodies, Mine Ore Cars, Steel Fabrication and Erection, Sheet Metal Fabri cation and Erection, Machinery Installations and Repairs, Marine Repairs.

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