The sun., 1917-07-29
WILSON NAMES
new WAR BOARD
Three New Workers, Baruch,
Frayne and Lovett on Buy
ing Commission.

wAsHINoToH, July 2s.-President Will
son acted to-day 10 eliminate the cum
bersome and otherwise unsatisfactory
features of the committee system OF the
Council OF National Defence by approv-
ing the formation OF a powerful war. in
dustries board OF seven members to have
supervision of all Government war in
dustry needs. including purchase Of all
munitions, foods and other war supplies.
The President will control the new
board through the Council OF National
Defence instead of through several inter-
vening committees.
Frank A Scott OF Cleveland, until now
the chairman Of the general munitions
board, will head the new board. which
will assume the functions OF the general
munitions board. along with its other
| tremendous responsibilities
The other members will be Bernard NJ.
| Baruch of New Iorh, VINO will be chair
| man Of a commission of the board In
charge of Government purchases ; Lieut.
| Col Palmer L. Pierce. representing the
army: Rear Admiral Frank +, Fletcher,
representing the navy; Hugh Frayne of
New York, widely known labor organ
| izer; Robert s. Brookings a ST. Louis
merchant. and Robert s. Lovett of New
York, chairman of the executive COM
mittee of the Union Pacific system.
VIII Expedite Work.
Lack of coordination, duplication OF
| work by committees lack of authority
on the part OF important members Of the
| advisory commission and the growing
criticism that members OF committees
were In position to divert orders to the
firms they represented led to the shakeup
OF the committee system by the Presi-
dent with a centralizatlon or power in a
single board mona of the members of
| which can profit In the purchases of any
| of the commodities for the Government
The purpose of this action" said a
! statement authorized by the Council of
National Defence is to expedite the
work of the Government, to furnish
| needed aid TO the departments engaged
In making war purchases, to devolve
. clearly and definitely the important tasks
indicated upon direct representatives OF
| the Government not interested In COM
! mercial and industrial activities with
| which they will be called to deal and to
make clear that there is total dis
| association OF the Industrial committees
! from the actual arrangement of pur-
will lodge responsibility for effective ac-
ton as definitely as is possible under ex-
/ isting law"
In both houses sentiment was develop
| ing against 4 system which would per-
nit a committee member to act for the
Government in arranging for purchases
OF supplies in which his own concern
] dealt Senator Reed and others at
tackled the system repeatedly.
New Boards Functions.
The new board will become a clearing
house for Americas war needs so far as
they may be supplied by the Industries
OF the country. Among the specific
! functions delegated to the board are the
following:
Determination of most effective
means of mesting the nations needs
which OF course will include means of
increasing production of war ma
terials.
Creation OF new industries or the
extension of chose at present in ex-
istence.
Determination of the sequence and
| relative urgency OF the needs of the
different Government services for the
double purpose of preventing depart
rents bidding against each other and
of avoiding situation in which the
material will lose II to another de-
| I,artment,
Consideration OF the problem OF rea-
sonable prices for the supplies pur-
| chased.
Consideration of the Industrial and
labor aspects Of the problems involved.
Acting with Mr.. Baruch on the pur-
| chasing commission viii be Messrs.
Brookings and Lovett. In matters con-
cerning foodstuffs they will act In as
sociation with Herbert C. Hoover, the
food administrator. Mr.. Baruch will be
concerned particularly with the pur-
chase of raw materials. Mr.. Brookings
will give his attention to finished prod
ucts and Mr.. Lovett TO the problem OF
priority Of departmental needs.
May Buy for Allies Too.
As the functions of the board are at
present, It will not have anything TO do
with purchases for the Allies. but 1t is
understood that a plan is being evolved
which contemplates giving this power
either to an existing agency such as the
one announced to-day or to another COM
mission to be named later The plan
merely awaits the signing OF formal
agreements by the interested nations.
The reorganization is expected to do
away with the inefficlency that resulted
from a multitude OF committees whose
rather vague and limited powers were
not susceptible to being focused in any
single agency. Since the organization
OF the Council OF National Defence the
separate committees have been working
on their own responsibility. Each COM
mittee chairman has had TO interpret
his power and functions according to
his own understanding.
Tho result has been Nthat some COM
mlttees have gone much further than
others and lave brought down on them
selves the wrath OF Congress. Some
work done by one committee was being
done at the same time by another COM
mlttee. other business was not done at
all because each OF two committees
thought the other was doing It.