The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-17
BACK DEFENSE
 COUNCIL" SAYS ! NATIONAL MAN
Connecticut Bureau Has Done Good Work Says
 Chief Porter
Especial to The Farmer.)

Especial to The Farmer.)
 Washington, Sept. 17-''The Con- necticut State Council of Defense is part-and a very important part of a big machine which covers the en- tire country and works in close touch with the Council of National Defense in Washington in directing the civilian activities of the war;" according to a statement made here today in an in- terv1ew with George F. Porter, chief of the section on cooperation with the states, Council of National De- fense. MT. Porter explained that the Connecticut councils work is thought highly of by the national council and that 1t Is considered unusually efh- cient in performing it's duties.
 The Council of National Defense, organized under authority of Congress and built up from a small initial or ganization, now occupies large part of the big Munsey Building here. Its expansion has been so great that the section on cooperation with the states has taken outside quarters, and it was in the new offices at 1917 Con- necticut avenue that the correspond ent found MT. Porter. There he has a 
 ter is a Chicago young man who gave up his business interests last spring and volunteered for national service. The task of encouraging and co-ordi-i hating the activities of the several states was assigned to him.
 Hanging on the walls of MT. Por- ter's office, near the desk where he works, are a series of charts. Nearly all have for their background map of the United States. Push pins with heads of different co1ors indicate the progress of the several states in or ganfzation work. An inspection of these maps shows that on, every one Connecticut has all the push pins called for by completion of work as- signed to the state councils of de- fense.
 When the correspondent spoke with MT. Porter. he explained that Con- necticut's people were more or less familiar with the work done in their home state to deliver it at it's fullest efficiency for war work, but were not as familiar with the relation between the state council and the Council of National Defense. MT. Porter agreed to. explain how the threads from 48 state councils of defense throughout the country, including those from the Connecticut State Council of Defense, are drawn together in Washington by his section of the Council of National Defense.
 Mr. Porter did explain the relation clearly, and when he had finished, he said:S
 "If I were asked for bit of ad- vice to Connecticut readers, my coun- sel would be, get behind the Con- necticut Council of Defense. Find out where it needs aid, and get in and help your local organization. They will have work to suit every sort of special ability. The share they may give you to do may look humble. But remember it is going to take pretty nearly a hundred million people to beat Germany; and they won't all be in the trenches or sitting around com mittee tables in Washington. most of them will be staying at home doing their part there, and there is no bet ter way for you to join this great army than to work for the defense or ganizations of yoir city and state.'' In explaining the relation between the state councils and the Council of National Defense, MT. Porter said: :. "Just as the federal government discovered long ago that the machin- cry which suffices in time of peace was not enough for war, but must be strengthened by the addition of the Council of National Defense, the Food Administration, the Shipping Board, and other administrative de- partments, so the states found that they must build up special organi- zation to meet and solve the problems of war. In accordance with the sug- gestion of the national council, every state appointed a state council of de- fense. In some states they were call ed committees of public safety, but in every case they were patterned on the parent organization at Washing ton. They became the official bodies for performing the work of war in the states.
 '"rhey formed home guards to take the place of the militia drafted in the federal service; they got behind the movement for stimulating and con- serving our supply of food, coal and other necessities: they co-ordinated the work of innumerable aid and re- lief societies; they extended aid to aliens; helped the recruiting and Liberty Loan campaigns;- tackled the problems Of labor supply and indus trial mediation; carried through the Commercial Economy Boards cam paign for non-return of bread by bakers and for reduction of deliver 1 ies; and undertook many more tasks most of which required the building up of an. effective organization by counties and towns within the state 1 What splendid work such an orsanl- zation could accomplish has beer made especially clear in Connecticut l where the council has done particu. larly we'll in work along many lines. The section on cooperation witt | states was formed to keep these of | ficiale state councils in touch witf | Washington, to pass on from one tt another the benefit of the experience of each, to standardize their work