New-York tribune., 1918-11-28
Chairman of War Indus
tries Board Is Eager to
Leave Washington
High-Salaried Men
Wish to Get Home
Those in His Department
Represent Earning Ca
pacity of $25,000,000
By Theodore M. Knappen

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.-Bernard
NJ Baruch, chairman of the War In
dustries Board, said to-day that per-
sonally he was eager to go home, that
the Secretaryship of the Treasury had
rot been offered to him, and that he
could not accept if it should be.
de also denied he would be men,
ber of the peace commission.
All of his section heads, Mr.. Baruch
said, were as eager to get back to
their accustomed pursuits as the SOL
diers we're, now that the fighting WIS
over In fact, they looked on them
selves as soldiers of the common good.
Mr.. Baruch added that the PSI dol
lar-a-year men in the Washington
Offices of the War Industries Board
represented a combined earning ca
pacity as high as $25,000,000. Besides
these men, others had given up sal
aries of as much as $4,000 a year to
work for the board for $4,000 to $4,000.
Some of the men in these two
classes actually had undergone great
hardship in order to give the govern
ment their services for nothing or for
small salaries.
Business To Be Adjusted
They were, Mr.. Baruch said, fair
types of the American business man,
and with such business men of ability,
vision, patriotism and sympathy there
could be no question that American
business would of its own initiative
soon adjust itself to new conditions
Now that all ALLEGATIONS of material
by the board to the government or to
the Allies were either over or nearly
over, an interesting question has arisen
in regard to the diversions of the loans
to the Allies from military to peace
purposes.
1t appears that the Allies, especially
the French and Italians, have assumed
that any portions of the credits that
have been extended to them during the
war and have not been utilized could
be diverted to meet civil requirements.
Italy's Plight Shown
Italy, for example, is represented as
desiring to purchase 100000 pairs of
shoes with her credits at the United
States Treasury. Similar questions are
arising daily, and it is very difficult
Allied credits under the law and what
is not.
The law authorizes the extension of
such credits for purposes of national
security and defence and for the prose-
cution of the war"
; No general rule of Interpretation has
been established. Individual cases are
taken up daily and approved or re-
jected. The result is that the Allies
are meeting with bitter disappointment
in some instances.
1t was this situation that prompted
Secretary McAdoo to inform Senator
Simmons. chairman of the Senate FL
nance Committee, in a recent communi-
cation that it was his intention to ask
Congress for legislation that would
authorize the granting of credits for
other than war purposes.
Without such legislation all extern
sion of credits automatically will cease
with the signing of the treaty of peace
with Germany.
Term Of Agreements
Mr.. Baruch said to-day that as price
hXlng agreements expire from now on,
they probably will not be renewed,
The steel price agreement expires De-
cember 81. and it is not expected that
there w:li be any renewal of it. thonph
as each expiration comes the repre-
sentatiyes of the industry affected will
be called into consultation.
The question of the termination of
wool ALLEGATIONS still is up in the air
being dependent for an answer on the
war Department, but it is certain that
soon large quantities of wool thai
nave been reserved for government
uses Will be opened up for civilian
utilization.