New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-23
Munitions Chief
May Be Added
To the: Cabinet
Wilson's Advisers Urge Gen.
tralizing Work of War
Industries Board
Favor One Purchaser
Instead Of Seven
Present System Condemned
as Too Cumbrous and
Indefinite
Bv c. W. Gilbert

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.-The ap-
no,ntment of a secretary Of munitions
is, expected by the best informed per
soma here. 1t will be the final step In
ORGANIZING the relations Of the govern
ment with the war industries OF the
country. Out of he advisory commit
tee, of the Council of National Defence
came the War Industries Board, still an
advisory body, and out OF that VIII
evolve finally single official with iega'
authority.
Az Il will require an act OF Congress
+o croatia an additional Cabinet oincer
M munitions secretary will be named
unit, after Congress is in session. AND
there may be delay even then. steps OF
this sort usually follow a long delay
an. N. formation Of Influential op'n'
ION in favor Of making the munition'ns
Of thi, country a Cabinet function Is
rrmi,takablc. Several Of President
wilson, most trusted advisers-Coio-
mel House, for one--are known to nave
reached the conclusion that something
uors definite and Jess cumbrous than
.,o Uar Industries Board is needed II
Tho purchase Of munitions is to 20 for-
ward properly.
Cabinet Said to Favor Plan
Support Of the plan for adding to the
Coh;ret "a understood to include GER
tain important members OF MI VII
con-. Cabinet. where formerly there was
. oereral determination against It. Inc
attitude of the Cabinet is easy enough
70 understand if one remembers tha'
Cabinet members lcok 81 Questions in
perfectly human ant personal way.
There are now ten members OF the
Cabinet. A certain glamor attaches &c
sitting in it. But each additional mem
Der created robs membership Of some
Of it's glory. "Big lin" sullivan used
10 saw after two years here that they
tie horses TO Congressman IN Washing
tom No Cabinet member wants ia
Gee the time come when by reason OF ar
expanding war organization they will
tie horses to Cabinet members in Wash
ington.
There is another side TO the per-
fectly human member Of the Cabinet
Not only does he not want to see his
iob made common, but he doesn't want
10 see a war hierarchy created in the
Cabinet, especially when he is one OF
the subordinate members. And the
concentration Of authority in certain
hands. due to the failure to create ad'
ditional Cabinet positions, has been
creating a hierarchy in the Cabinet.
Industries Board Disappointing
The importance of the department.
of War and Navy have naturally beer
exaggerated by the war until the heads
of certain other departments hardly
belong in the same class with the
heads Of these two.
A current magazine article says thai
there are four able members Of the
present Cabinet. Names are not given
but it is easy to identify the four. OF
these four, two who used to fill place
! in the public eye are hardly heard o!
to-day. They don't belong to the upper
levels Of the war hierarchy. 1t is easy
TO guess that there is considerable sen
] timent in the Cabinet for any change
in direction of dwelling. The appoint
ment Of Secretary of Munitions woult
be levelling process.
Outside of the Cabinet there arr
other reasons for creating a new Cabi
net office, some of which rest on thu
personal element in our government
and some on principles Of sound or
ganization. The War Industries Boar
has proved partially disappointing, a.
every one expected who saw that !
retained the vices of the old organiza
ton and remained purely advisory IL
its functions.
Bureaus of the War and Navy de
partments have not always taken l