New-York tribune., 1917-07-23

draft of men for war, internal pros
perity in general and consistent
policy of keeping up the foreign COM
merce of the country has been as
tonishingly successful.
Nation Becomes Centrally
Controlled Workshop
This has been done by means Of
progressive government control that
has now reached degree of direct
touch with every inhabitants per-
sonal affairs that in August, 1914,
almost any Englishman would have
refused to consider as a possibility.
England is at this moment one CEN
trally controlled workshop. It's rail-
roads, its mines, its factories, its
ocean lines, its cables and wires, its
labor forces, its financial capital, its
groups of men of executive manage
ment, its farms and fisheries-they
are all subject to government orders,
and to large extent actually man
aged under the central authority.
England has accomplished a Won
derful organization of national unity
and team work, entirely compatible
with the individuality of initiative
and enterprise which Englishmen
and Americans will never give up.
Railroads, mines, the controlled in
dustries," shipping and other big
forms of enterprise are working
under the local management of their
owners-working under some salts
factory agreement as to remunera-
ton, and with the individual man
agements in the direct employ of the
nation, exercising all their abilities
to do what the government directs.
Outside of these, enterprises that are
still under independent management
and looking for profits in the ordi-
nary way are nevertheless guiding
their activities in accordance with
definite government policies, subject
u its permission in regard to ma
terials, labor, prices, wages and pri-
ority of preference in handling bust
ress. War control has practically
gripped every persons affairs.
Wastefulness at home or in the shop
IS an offence. The government has
rower TO assume control, whenever
it sees fit, of any factory, any rail-
read, any farm, any shop. 1t is a
summary offence against the de-
fence of the realm" for either work
man or business executive to absent
himself from any work or duty in
which the government has an inter
est, to wilfully miscarry instructions
or to impede or delay the production.
License System Supplies
Needed information
A man may not hire an ordinary
cmploye without express permission.
The important raw materials may
rot be purchased or sold without per
NIT and in the fixed order of GER
tain established priorities Of deliv-
cry. Practically nothing may be ex-
ported or imported without license.
1t is not permissible for capital to
be employed in unauthorized ways.
Government boards of experts in diff
fcrent lines of industry are fixing
prices of materials and wages of
labor.
However, American business men
who may think they see this extent
Of control coming in America should
know this accompanying fact: the
multiplicity of instances where it is
necessary to obtain specific license
to carry out some piece of business
does not mean actual restriction in a
minimum of cases. Permission is
given except in a small proportion
Of applications. To a small extent
only the government refuses licenses.
in a moderate number of cases the
purpose of restriction is to direct
manufacturing energies into chan
nels of greatest benefit to the nation
and just as profitable to the business
man individually; in a majority of
instances the license system is used
for the sole purpose of enabling the
government to keep informed about
the negotiation of business in its
early stages, so that it may exercise
intelligent control. 1t is exactly as if
the head executive of business con-
Germ should require that certain
transactions or, correspondence must