The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-02-28

Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 28.-With the
German-American crisis seemingly
approaching the final break, Amer
ica's businessmen and manufacturers
were Mastering "to the colors" today,
prepared to back Uncle Sam from first
to last.
Several of the businessmen COM
mittees destined to cooperate with
the government quartermasters in
buying supplies for the army and navy
already have been appointed. Bascom
Little announced today. A poll of the
business interests in the country has
found them standing at attention.
awaiting instructions and eager to
help. said Little.
Little is the man Uncle Sam has
delegated to swing business into line
and win cooperation between the
government buying stations and the
day the perils and problems the United
States faces now that it must quickly
provide war materials.
Must Learn to Cooperate.
He is chairman of the national de-
Tense committee of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, which has
been asked thru Secretary of War
Baker to cooperate with the army
quartermasters in the purchase of sup
plies.
UNLESS the government and private
industries get together-learn how to
ter into threatened hostilities facing
Il tremendous handicap said Little.
THE safety of the government lies
in the widest possible production of
munitions in peace time product
plants, But this wide production can
not be had if the government pursues
a short-sighted purchasing policy,
which makes the private production
of munitions undesirable business. 1t
must be made attractive business.
THE government should become
the most valuable peace time Gus
toner of every plant that can be edu-
Gated for the national service in time
of war. 1t should realize that once
these plants have installed specialized
equipment to produce munitions, this
equipment must be kept employed at
sufficient profit to depreciate the
equipment. The governments aloof-
ness must be changed to one of friend
ly interest in the success of the pro-
Queer"
For Purchasing Department.
Little said he believed the first i'm
portant step to this end will be the
establishment of a centralized pur-
chasing department, entirely apart
from the administrative departments
of the army and navy. He deplored
the theory of the present system of
purchasing thru eighteen widely scat
tered officers.
The officers detailed for this serv-
ice-distasteful to them in many cases
are men of highly specialized tech
nical military knowledge and it is I'M
desirable for the government to lose
their services in the military branches
for which they were trained, when
another man with business training
alone could do the buying as well,'' he
said.
Asked what were the plans of the
national defense committee in its CO.
operation with the army quartermas-
tiers, Little said with emphasis that
the committee of five business men
ters at the eighteen government pur-
tiers a THE eighteen government pur-
chasing stations, would seek not to
interfere
I'VE will appoint men familiar with
the Industries of the various sections
he said. '"They will act purely in an
advisory capacity. If we find we can't
be of any help-we will get out.
Need Government Owned Plants.
The first thing to guard against is
'Krupp interest in war-large