The Idaho Republican., 1917-08-03
Nhat Members Of Advisory Com
mittee of Defense Have Un-
dertaken to Do.
Big men GIVING SERVICES
Co.ordinatlng the industries Of the
Country SO That Each Can Rem.
der the Limit Of Its Potential
Service to Government.
BY EDWARD D. CLARK.

VoSAAA6tOAs u Aouuuiy q tuOuSaAu
times a day this question is asked by
visitors to Washington: "What is the
Council Of National Defense?'
It Is apparent also from ,letters that
are received in the capital that the
exact nature Of the council and Of its
great advisory committee is not gen.
orally nor thoroughly understood. The
Council Of National Defense itself con-
sists simply of six cabinet officers, the
secretaries Of war, navy, interior, agri-
culture, commerce and labor. The ad-
visory committee Of national defense,
which Is affiliated with the council,
consists of a commission of seven busi-
ness men who, with the departments
assigned to them, are as follows:
Daniel Willard, transportation and
communication (president Baltimore
& Ohio railroad), chairman.
Howard e. Coffin, munitions and
manufacturing (including Standard
zation) and Industrial relations, vice
president Hudson Motor company.
julius Rosenwald, supplies (includ-
ing clothing, etc., president Sears,
Roebuck & Co.
Bernard NJ. Baruch, raw materials,
minerals and metals, banker.
DR.. Hollis Godfrey, engineering and
education, president Drexel institute.
Samuel Gompers, labor, including
conservation of health and welfare Of
workers, president American Fedora
| tiOn of Labor.
DR.. Franklin Martin, medicine and
surgery, including general sanitation,
secretary General American College Of
Surgeons, Chicago.
All Freely Undertaken.
Upon these men devolved the task
Of so co-ordinating the industries Of
the country that each and all, fgura-
lively speaking, could render to the
government the limit Of its potential
service at the pressing Of button.
Less than 100 salaried persons are
working for the government under the
| advisory committee of national de-
+: fense-of the members Of the COM
mittee itself only one or two have
even rendered expense bills. From
| 400 to 500 men, whose incomes from
their business ranges from $1,000 to
more than 100000 year, are giving
their services to the government that
the United States may perform its
share Of winning the war against Ger
| many.
The vital thing at first was to as
certain the needs Of the country, to
learn the things industry must supply
to put our soldiers into the field and
keep them there and to supply the
needs of ourselves and our allies. A
dozen major subjects instantly sug-
gested themselves when the business
men began to put their heads togeth-
| er: the best use to be made Of the
railroads, both for the transportation
of troops and Of material to keep our
industries going and our citizens fed;
| the part the waterways should play in
the scheme Of transportation the mo-
bilization of military and industrial
resources; the increase Of agriculture
and manufacture to meet the abnor-
NAL demands incident to war; the
building Of ships, and the compilation
of an enormous mass of data from
which any reasonable question with
reference to military and industrial Ca
pacity could be answered.
Railroads and Telephones.
Already the 100000 miles Of rail-
road in the United States have been
virtually Communicated by the advi-
sorry committee, which, through Chair
man Willard, can issue to them more
arbitrary orders than President VIII
son, under the most drastic law, prob
ably would care to issue. This Is
voluntary service Of the railroad and
admittedly possibly is intended as IN
answer to some of the railroad criti-
cisms in congress.
One man also now governs the tele-
Theodore N. Vail, president Of
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph company. For the first time in
telephone history regulars and inde-
pendents are working side by side for
the good Of the country. More than
10000 miles Of wire have been set
aside for the special use of the army
and the navy and some Of the other
departments. Modern methods for
using the telephone are being intro
duced and new systems installed, one
Of which will cover completely the
signal service in the field. Washing
ton is being taught how to use the
telephone properly and a new central
Office with a capacity Of 10000 lines
is being provided.
In the mobilization camps and
among the lighthouses and coast guard
stations new telephone facilities are
being created, requiring 300 miles of
submarine cable, 800 miles Of pole
and more than 1900 miles Of wire.
The soldiers of the National Guard
who are guarding railroad bridges
and water supply systems have been
nut in touch with headquarters. If
secrets could be told, the story Of the
extension Of the telephone service in
the navy would make the people sit
up.