Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-01-10

- = v Na IL
with candid recognition of the facts abroad
and at home. to set our own house in order
and prepare intelligently for the new day.
The Government has. however. done
much to pave the way by the creation Of
such bodies as the Federal Trade Commits
sion, the Federal Reserve Board the Fed.
elaI shipping Beard and the Federal Tariff
commission. 1t has enacted laws forbid
ding unfair foreign competition II has
established and is cnlargiug a great for
eiEn service. the best Of it's kind i'm the
world, for the direct promotion Of Amer!-
can commerce. 1t is great research labora-
tories studying and solving the prob
lens that lie behind Industry. All state
ments to the contrary notwithstanding.
there is no Government i'm the world that
docs more, II any does as much for the
aid Of business as our own. The trouble
rather is that the business world knows
little Of what the Government does for it,
we are the MASTERS Of the world It
would not be untruthful to take the ini-
tials l. w. W. with which we are familiar.
and attach them to ourselves as meaning
the Industrial MASTERS Of the World. II
would he easy to give examples through
out an afternoon of the fearful wastes
throughout the land for lack of thought
or FOR lack Of care. 1t is all very we'll to
say that the natural effect of competition
is to make men study their own business
ana run 1t economically. II Is so In some
cases. There are fine examples Of this
very thing But it is not so on the aver
age. one manufacturer has recently said
TO an acquaintance Of my own that he
would like a higher tariff upon his goods
because he need then only attend strictly
20 his business for six months in the year,
whereas under present conditions he has TO
work hard the fun year The Department
Of Agriculture will tell you that we waste
fl mo- of
into lumber and add further waste Of
several times ten millions year in dry
ing the lumber we make Vast amounts
Of scrap wood available for making pulp
or alcohol or other valuable products are
either burned or allowed to rot Whoever
is in close touch with the wonderful work
Of the Bureau of Standards or the Forest
Products Laboratory knows how lament
able the wastes are and how Indifferent
most Of us are to them. We like to he
lavish. We would rather hand out roll
than save a few cents This wastefuness
is one Of our great Industrial weaknesses.
We cannot compete and we ought not to cN-
pect to compete with nation like France
or Germany SO long as we are wasterui
and they are thrifty.
FUSS OVER FREIGHT RATES
There is no nation that compctcs with
US that would not rejoice to take our freight
rates as they are without complaint and
WIN great EauheSs' ieI we '"SS ""ol'.
them H great deal. Meanwhile, step out
ON the strect-look at the TRUCKS 'nat go
by Are they All -ulIN loaded! Is the
work duplicatcd' PIS the WeIl-kno"h prI"
Ciplc OF a heavy trainload and long haul
in operation IN the carriage upon our S'reetS'
or, as matter OF fact' are we NOT ouph-
eating yes IN some cases oc'uPU'at'hE'
The work OF carriage Upon the very E"ouS
which we transport by rail- so chcaply'
"It Is, I think the fact that It costs more
20 take a barrel from the warehouse to the
IA tway in Philadelphia than It does to
transport II from Philadelphia to Chicago.
II would bc thought ridiculous to split the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad up into pieces of 100
miles but precisely that is what is done
with the goods when we get them by rail
to philadelphia or to New York | rather
more than suspect tho cartaEe bill of the
country Is five. perhaps ten. times as great
as the freight bill Nobody knows w"
have never tried tu find out. We just ac-
cept it, Yet the facts are obvious TO any
man who will stand on the sidewalk and
use his eyes.