Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-12-10

-h,.b - eaams To me we should nave
49, much AZ heart is the creation OF
tho right instrumentalities Dy "nion
tn mobilize our economic resources
in any time of national necessity. l
take it for granted that do no neeo
your authority to call into systematic
consultation with the directing omcers
of the army and navy men OF recog-
nized leadership and ability Irom
among our citizens who are thorough-
" familiar. for example, with the
TRANSFORMATION facilities of the country
and therefore competent to ADVISE
how they may be co-ordinated wnen
the need arises, those who can sug-
gest the best way in which to bring
about prompt cooperation among tne
manufacturers of the country, snoulo
II he necessary. and those who could
assist to bring the technical skill OF
the country to the aid OF the govern
ment in the solution OF particular
nroblems of defense. l only hope that
If l should find it feasible to con-
stitute such an advisory BODY the
congress would be willing to vote the
small sum of money that would be
needed to defray the expenses that
would probably be necessary to give II
the clerical and administrative ma
chinerv with which to do s~erviceable
work.
Mobilization Of Resources.
What is more important is, that h
industries and OF the coun-
try should be available and ready Tor
mobilization. 1t is the more impera-
lively necessary, therefore, that we
should promptly devise means for do
ing what we have not yet done: that
we should give intelligent federal aid
and stimulation to Industrial and Vocar
tional education, as we have long done
in the large field of u agricultural
industry; that, at the same time that
we safeguard and conserve the natural
resources of the country we should put
them at the disposal of those who will
use them promptly and i~ntelligently,
as was sought to be done in he I'd
mirable bills submitted to the last con-
gress from its committees on the pub
lie lands, bills which I earnestly rec
ommend in principle to your consid-
Grafton; that we should put into early
operation some provision for rural
credits which will add to the extensive
borrowing facilities already afforded
the farmer by the reserve bank act
adequate instrumentalities by which
long credits may be obtained on land
mortgages; and that W. should study
more carefully than they have hitherto
been studied the right adaptation OF
our economic arrangements to chang
ing conditions.
Many conditions about which we
have repeatedly legislated are being
altered from decade to decade, it is
evident, under our very eyes, and are
likely to change even more rapidly and
more radically in the days immediate
ly ahead of us, when peace has re-
turned to the world and the nations
Of Europe once more take up their
tasks of commerce and industry with
the energy of those who must bestn
themselves to build anew. Just what
these changes will be no one a GER
tainly foresee Or confidently predict.
There are no calculable, because no
stable, elements in the problem. The
most we can do Is to make certain
that we have the necessary instru-
m~entalities of information constantly
at our service so that we may be sure
that we know exactly what we are
dealing with when we come to act, II 1t
should be necessary to act at all. We
must first certainly know what 1t is
that we are seeking to adapt ourselves
to. l may ask the privilege Of address
ing you more at length on this impor-
tant matter a little later in your ses-
sion.
In the meantime may ] make this
suggestion? The transportation prob
lem is an exceedingly serious and
pressing n in this country. There
has from time to time of late been rea-
son to fear that our railroads would
not much longer be able to cope with
1t successfully, as at present equipped
and co-ordained. I suggest that 1t
would be wise to provide for a COM
mission of inquiry to ascertain by a
thorough canvass of the whole ques-
ton whether our laws as at present
framed and administered are as serv-
iceable as they might be in the solu-
ton of the problem. 1t is obviously a
problem that lies at the very founda-
tion of u efficiency as a people. Such
an inquiry ought to draw out every
circumstance and opinion worth con-
sidering and we need to know all sides
of the matter if we mean to do any
thing in the field of federal legislation.
Regulation Of Railroads.
No one, l am sure, would wish to
take any backward step. The regula-
tion of the railways of the country by
federal commission has had admirable
results and has fully justified the
hopes and expectations of those by