Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-30
Council Of National Defense
II Railroads and Munitions
BIZ Frederic j. HaSkiR
BIZ Frederic j. HaSk

Washington, April 27-Danial Willard, who is
chairman OF the advisory commission of the
Council for National Defense, belongs to that
well known school of Americans, founded by
Abraham Lincoln, who start with the lowlcst
jobs they can find, and toluy ascend to the
highest in their respective lines. This fact may
not seem pertinent TO Mr.. Wizards present job
of co-ordinatng the transportation and commune
cation systems OF the country for war; but it is
significant because few men OF this thorough
going and competent variety are now found in
American public service The creation of the
advisory commission marks the entrance OF
new kind OF man into our public life.
What sort Of men are these civilian commits
sioners who have left large affairs to devote all
OF their time without compensation to the work
of organizing for war? In what spirit do they
enter upon the undertaking? This letter and the
next one will be partial answers to these ques-
tons.
Daniel Willard is man rcputed to shun pub
licity, who has recently come in for a goodly
share OF it. His reorganization of great rail-
road system, his leadership OF the railroads in
their fight for freight rate increase. his endorse
ment OF the administrations eight-hour law, and
finally his selection to head the advisory commits
sion have made him easily the most famous rail-
road man in America. He is lean-faced New
Englander, with more brow and less jaw than the
typical money-maker-a man more idealistic than
acqusitive He began his railroad career at the
age OF l8 as track walker on the Central YER
mont railway. Willard was almost everything
that railroad man may be, including engineer,
conductor, roundhouse foreman, and finally at
the age OF 80, division superintendent. And
now that he was prepared, opportunity came
along in the shape of F. D. Underwood, who made
him assistant manager Of the Baltimore & Ohio.
From that time on the way to railroad presi-
dency was open to him, and his story becomes
monotonously successful. Willard has been de-
scribed as a sort Of unofficial mediator between
the public and the railroads. That leads naturally
to his present position as chief OF the representa-
tives of big business who are helping to organize
the country for war.
Mr.. Wizards share of the work of industrial
organization is to have all of the railroad tele-
phone and telegraph lines of the country ready
tor cooperative government service. He has
already held a meeting with fifty railroad execu-
tives representing 100000 miles of railroad, and
these have pledged themselves to organize a
continental system which will be entirely at the
disposal OF the government during the war. The
telephone and telegraph companies have also ex-
pressed themselves as ready to put all of their
facilities at the service of the government The
motor resources of the country have been care
fully listed, and they will be no small part of our
emergency transportation equipment; for America
has three million automobiles and can produce
million and a quarter year. The troops that
saved Paris from the first German onslaught
went to the front in private autos and taxis.
The few facts available about Howard E. COT
I'M. who is commissioner for Standardization and
industrial relations, are chiefly interesting as
showing that he belongs to the same type as Mr.
Willard. For he, too, has devoted all OF his life
to industry, and enters public service with both
his fortune and his reputation made, and with a
valuable equipment of experience. He, too,
started IN modest way, as a postal employe
but soon found that building automobiles was
his real vocation and has been building them ever
since with success and foresight which are
familiar to almost every one. Equally we'll known
are his achievements in his present position,
where he has made reputation by his fecundity
in original ideas. 1t was he who worked out the
plan for educating manufacturers to make gov
eminent goods by the judicious placing of small
orders. More recently he daringly opposed the
nationwide movement for economy on the
ground that it was parayzing business.
Dr. Hollis Godfrey, president of the Drexe1
Institute OF Philadelphia, is the only member OF
the advisory commission who is not connected
with business. He points out that Germany's
wonderful war efficiency is largely due to the
tact that in Germany the interdependence of
science and industry fully recognized, and the
two fully co-ordinated. In the United States no
such coordination exists The universities are
entirely independent. Our spirit is one of ex
IRENE indviduasm, and the inventor or scientist
feels under no compulsion to lay his discoveries
before the government. In a word, the United
States has no regularly constituted way of find
ing out what its scientific resources are
DR.. Godfrey conceives that the task OF his
committee is to supply this lack of coordination
between science and industry, and in so doing he
viii undoubtedly render a service of permanent
value