New-York tribune., 1918-02-25
HeadZessnese
By c. ". GILBERT

.'on OIL another country. So far as
have an industrial organization fos
purposes it heads up in the War Inan.4
Board. The last few weeks have +
critical weeks industrially, and on, -
Industries Board, the effective head :. 's
/ industrial system for war-makjno Nv,
itself without head. lis last cb.;1s
Daniel Willard, resigned in the nida,a
January. Since then has been a nerss
transition.
The whole future of the War Ind,...
Board has been uncertain. It's reorgss;s
ton has been progressing sonewbs,.
hind the scenes. It is worth while to ~.
the history of this board, which. as a,,.s.
said, heads up the matching of our md
trial capacity against the industrial
pacity Of the Central Powers, for it .s
picture Of organization here in Wasb,
/ ton.
The need for a War Industries Board =,
felt as early as the first of June Ady;.,s
organization had been tried Manv ".
lied that it was time to have organizas.
with executive power.
1t is worth while recalling this to ss,.
that the question Of an organization vs
power which is now being debated is no. |
rev one. 1t is nine months old. In si,
months we have got precisely nowhere.
1t took two months debate to securets
War Industries Board, a body witso~
power. Theoretically it had functions Il
vast importance.
1t headed up the industrial struct,r
with which we are going to fight German
AT its head was placed charming me-,
but not ore who was very reassurine fnr,
the standpoint of industrial capacity and
experience, the secretary and treasurer ii
a tool manufacturing company Of Ceys
land, earlier the secretary of the Cleveissl
Chamber of Commerce. He acted fal
weeks and then his health gave way asll
he began to try to resign. Finally. in SgJ
tember, he placed his letter of resignatd
IN the hands Of Secretary Baker as chssss
man Of the Council Of National Defence
A months delay took place, and on OcsI
Der 25 the resignation was accented. III
organization, which had been virtual
without head for many weeks, was nod
formally without head It remained /
for practically q month, when, on NovenI
Der 10, Daniel Willard was appontsI
chairman. He served till the middle 1
January, wnen he resigned, and the va
Industries Board IS again without heal
This time it has been so for six weeks.
Without Power; Without Chief
To sum this all up: The need Of cgI
tral industrial organization with powI
was felt as early as the first Of June. Il
is still unsatisfed. Seven months ago vi
organization without power was creatsI'
i'or two and one-half months of that tint
it has been formally without a head. Fa
four months of the time it has been acnE
ally without one.
Now, to look at the matching OF our ii
dustrial system against Germany's whi4
has taken place under these auspices.
member of the Administration said to d
to-day: What the matter is with tne cou
try industrially to-day is over-productiay
Why, if we had twice the shipping II
could not ship to Europe in years the sur
plies we are piling up
told him, what every one now recognizes
down here, that, in its excitement and bsf
cause Of the failure to ADJUST means II
ends, tne country had been swung too fa,b
from producing non-essentials. so caleds
which people want and could use, to pnf
ducing war supplies, which cannot ~
shipped and which cannot be used.
There is an over production Of war ma
terials measured by shipping, and an UNDER
production Of what the country ordinarily
requires, with a resulting dislocation Y
labor and prices and the possibility Of d
grave situation, which Dean Schneider III
scribed on the witness stand before hT
Military Affairs Committee the other Dc I
as a prospect of forced cutting down 4
production, to scale with shipping, and 3
the same time an increased cost Of living
Whose fault was it that the swing freq
non-essentials to essentials, SO called, hs1
been over-stimulated. the official WI
asked. Why, it was the fault Of the pres
of the country, Of the railroads, Of certahES
trade organizations-not that Of the All
rninistration. The answer ignores the rs'I
defect, even if entirely accurate.
No Real Industrial Control
Suppose we were matching our industrss.
resources against Germany's intelllgent9
No "over-production" would have results
Real industrial control would have caep
lated shipping facilities first and regulsIs
production according to tonnage. "f
didn't.
We ordered and ordered and orderef
like the proverbial drunken saisr, foresr