Bisbee daily review., 1918-12-22
RECONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS TOLD
 BY hR. BARUCH
Chairman of War Industries Board Gives Resume of Conditions As He Sees Them, After Study

Chairman Barueh of the war indus
 tries board has expressed his ideas
 with regard to certain reconstruction
 matters, in substance as follows:
 Need for a permanent government organization to project measures Of conservation and standardization in connection with American industry are obvious.
 An agreement has been reached by
 the various war-making branches Of
 the government under which all can.
 cellations of war contracts are to be
 promptly reported to the war indus
 tries board in order that materials.
 labor and facilities may be diverted
 in orderly fashion to the civilian
 needs. The board has lifted the ban
 heretofore imposed on industrial and
 trade exhibits, such as automobile
 shows. furniture exhibits, etc.
 Section chiefs when. in their judg-
 ment, the necessity for their pres
 ence here no longer exists. should
 to pass on the question as to whether
 there is continued need for them.
 There are in the organization of the
 war industries board, exclusive of per
 sons attached to the regional offices
 and of the members of the council of national defense used by the board as
 field agents, just 251 of the sO-ealled
 -'dOllar-a-year men" To the energy and devotion of these men was due
 the fact that in no single instance has the war industries board failed 10 come through in schedule time with the requirements for the war pro gram sought for through this board
 Discussing the matter of cOnserva- tiOn and standardization an oppOrtun- ity exists for the country to make of a matter ofsneeessity a matter of ad- vantage. The various measures under taken, have been projected and car ried through under the stress of the war. program-each measure taken up with the individual industry involved. and no attempt made to establish general policy. The results achieved even in that way justified the sugges- tion that the whole subject should be transferred to one of the permanent agencies of the government. Properly conceived. a policy of industrial con servation and standardization in time of peace would make for a saving in money and labor. and con sequent increase in productive capaei- ties. Standardization of types and styles in various classes of cOmmOdi- ties would make for cheaper costs of ractrlrfnQr rhArafrrWf lower prices to the consuming public The possibilities from such economies constitute one of the great lessons learned from the war.
 The copper men, before the United States entered the war and at the time when the government was just it's military expansion in face of the approaching danger. yOlun- tarily reduced their price on copper to l6 2-3 cents a pound. The demand for copper in the future will be heavy. Between I5 and S5 per cent of the cop per production was in the hands of the American industry. With the re- lining facilities included. the propOr- ton controlled by the American pro iucers is nearer 90 per cent
 In connection with Americas war system of economic control an edi- .orial published in the Frankfurter not long before Germany aid down her arms. lamented the fact hat Germany had not adopted the far sighted methods of the United States O check abnormal rises in the prices or raw materials needed in the war program Opposed at first to the price fixing regulations of the government he industrial leaders of America had themselves come to appreciate the wisdom of the president in insisting lpOn a check on the prices for the ,asic materials where scarcity stimu- ated the tendency towards extraOrdi- larily high levels. Had different Iolicy been pursued. the steel and iron for example. would be fac ng return to peace conditions with he price for pigirOn boosted up tO 15O ton or more and other items if their production similarly scaled. { is in appreciation of the value of influence. that the steel industry and others are asking that control be extended over he period of transition from a war Co
 peace basis.
 The spirit of service" which. pos essed to an unvarying degree by Imerican industry in the period of the far. made the war industries organ sation of America greater than that f any other country. Each industry onsidered itself to be fighting Ger lany A similar spirit will see the ountry safely through the period of transition. On the other hand the xtent to which industry is to be able uickly to take up the reconstruction emands is dependent to a very great egree on the ability to get ships. Without ships the war industries oard would in great measure be owerless. The question remains to