Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-10
WAR CONFERENCE BOARD
PROVES MOST EFFECTIVE
Evidence Of Splendid Correla.
ton of Activities.
WEEKLY SESSIONS ARE HELD
Members Express Great Qualification
at Way Tentative Plan Has Work.
ell Out-May Soon Develop Into
Officially Recognized Body.

} WASHINGTON. December s-rhe
war conference board. II name nfor-
mally adopted for the weekly mectin:
OF heads Of government: departments
which is sort of war council. al
ready has developed into an agency
which gives evidence Of effective cor
relation of war activities.
For the present the council. or board.
will continue its weekly sessions in the
Office of the Secretary Of War. and no
statements will be made about the
questions considered. because the dis
cussions arc informal and the action
taken is performed through the de-
partments. bureaus or commissions in
tcrested.
Members Of the board express great
qualification at tn way the tentative
plan has worked out so far. and before
long the board may develop into :;
more definitely organized and oaciai!y
recognized body for the consideration
of board questions OF the conduc; o.
the war.
NJ the meetings have been the six
Cabinet members who compose the
Council of National Defense. heads OF
the food and fuel administrations and
the Shipping Board and Daniel Willard,
chairman Of the war industries board.
IL was pointed on. that such boar
might in the future be the tribunal
through which n settlement could be
reached OF such problems as that
which developed among Judge Lovett.
priorities committee chairman; Food
Administrator Hoover and Fuel Admin
istrator Garfield over the question OF
transportation prioritics. These three
agencies recently found their stated
aims in direct opposition, and there
was 40 higher authority. representing
all the issues involved. 10 which they
could appeal
II is believed the war board as now
constituted represents all the principal
government agencies engaged in car
ryinG on the war. and. through dis
cussions By such board, policy could
be worked out which would best meet
the needs OF such situations as they
may arise in the future.
Another development OF the past
week which makes for>the unifca,ion
Of industrial mobilization for the war
has been the vigorous and aggressive
measures taken by Daniel Willard in
Industries board.
For a long time there was no chair
man to this body. Each industry was
being organized more or less indie
pendently. Then Frank Scott was
made head Of the war industries board
and shortly thereafter he became III
and. finally. had TO resign. Judge
l-ovett was named TO act as chairman,
and he was threatened with Dneumo-
MIA and was away from his desk for
some days.
All this delay led the United states
Chamber OF Commerce to appeal TO the
President for more closely knit or
Ean!zation of industry regulation: hut
this report 10 the President now Lee
dormant. and il is understood that the
industrial leaders Of the country real
iZe that most of their recommendations
arc being carried out through the et-
;orts OF Mr.. Willard.
Thus the government now has. IN eff
feet, two bodies. which. in effect. act
as general war council. and another
rs an industrial clearing house. which
are two measures recommended by the
country.
The nexibility of the organization o.
both bodies enables the departmental
heads involved TO watch their work! ing
and TO modify their operation so far a.
exigenc;es demand.