New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-23
Government andBig Business
United on atriotic Plane
Brought Together by War to Mobilize the Resources of
100000 600 People, the Two Forces That Once
Regarded Each Other Askance Con
stitute Mighty Machine

w.sbinoton. April %. - War has
brought government and Big Business
together on a plane Of effective patriot
ism. LISA revelation in the possioili-
ties Of cooperation between two forces
which hitherto have regarded eaeh
other askanee. Not otherwise could
the resources Of 1OO,OOO,OOO people be
modified for war The wonder is that
the way was found so easily and with
SO few prelimnsries.
Almost unawares, and with little or
10 publicity. there has been construct
cd out Of the best talent the country
affords 4 machine Of enormous impor-
lance. with practically unlimited power
over the processes Of production, dis
.ribution and consumption. 1t has no
short name. Its official title is the Coun-
ell Of National Defence. That is the
political part OF IT, The other. or work
ing. part is called the Advisory Com
mission, and that Is the part oil Big
Business.
The plan is like this:
COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENCE
Members:
BAKER. Secretary Of War. chairman.
DANIELS, Secretary Of the Navy.
LANE, Secretary OF the Interior.
HOUSTON, Secretary Of Agriculture.
REDFIELD, Secretary Of Commerce.
ADVISORY COMMISSION
Principal members:
DANIEL WILLARD, president Of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, chairman
Of subcommittee on transportation
and communication.
HOWARD Z. COFFIN. viee-president
Of the Hudson Motor Car Company,
chairman Of committee on industrial
relations and Standardization.
HOLLIS GODFREY, president of the
Drexel Institute. chairman OF com
mittee on science and research.
JULIUS ROSENWALD, president Of
Sears-Roebuck Company, chairman
of supplies committee.
BERNARD NJ. BARUCH. chairman OF
committee on raw materials.
SAMUEL GOMPERS, president Of the
American Federation Of Labor, chair
man OF committee on labor.
DR.. FRANKLIN , MARTIN, chairman
~ committee on .Aedicine and santa
ton. rI
There are other committees or boards
under the control Of these. One OF the
newest is the Commercial economy
Board. A. W. Shaw, president OF the
A w. Shaw Company, Of Chicago, IS
chairman of this, and associated with
him are Edwin f. Gay, dean OF the II sr-
yard School of Business Admlnstra-
lion. and Wallace d. Simmons, presl-
dent of the Simmons Hardware Com
pany. of st. Louis.
There has been created also the zen
ernl Munitions Board, headed by
Franl A Scott. Of Cleveland, an OK
uert in the quantity production Of mu-
nitions.
Tho Food Board will be headed by
Herbert {. Hoover. organizer and ad-
ministrstor of the Belgian Relief.
There is States Organizations
BOARD. Of which George c. Porter IS
chairman. =,
As rapidly as possible the work of all
the committees is being divided among
experts at the head of new sub-commlt-
tees which arc coming into being every
dav. For example, the raw materials
committee Of the commission, OF which
Mr.. Baruch is chairman, already has
subcommittee on oil. wool, steel,
nickel, copper, leather and rubber; and
the supplies committee of the commits
sion, headed by MIR. Rosenwald, has
sub-comn-ttees on cotton goods, wool
len goods. shoes and leather:
The membership Of each subordinate
unit OF the organization comprises the
best equipped specialists TO be found,
and since only the executive officers Of
the council are romunerated practl-
cally all the men now helping Uncle
sam TO get into shape for business are
doing so gratutously.
Surprising Contracts Made
Mr. Baruch, member of the Advisory
Commission and chairman of the raw
materials committee, arranged for the
\ delivery of 45,000,000 pounds OF copper
i at 16 2-3 cents a pound when the mar
n ket price for the metal was 81 cents
Mr.. Baruch also was instrumental in
securing desirable arrangements with
the steel companies, the details OF
which have not yet been made public.
The council headquarters are on the
tenth floor OF Washington Office