New-York tribune., 1918-02-02
Wilson Will
Centralize
War Buying
Wants to Prevent All Dis
cussion of Cabinet and
Munitions Bills
staff Correspondence |

stay CORES Spondence
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-Two facts
stand out tonight with reference to
the war preparations programme Of
the Administration. These are:
I. The President is having worked
out centralized control of govern
ment purchases.
Q. He does not want any congress
sional discussion of the matter or of
the Senate bills aiming at that OBJ
iective until he has completed his
plan.
The President late to-day told eleven
Senators, who went up to see him at
his request, that he not only did not
want the ministry Of munitions bill
and the super war cabinet bill passed
but that he did not want them dis
cussed in the Senate or the House. He
declared that discussion of them might
create abroad false impression among
our enemies Of division and Of discord
in this country with reference to the
way in which the war should be prose
cuted.
Centralized control of government
purchases has been accepted by Secre-
tary Baker, however, as an essential ad-
ministrative step, following the full dis.
cussion of the governments business
practices developed by the Senate IN.
vestigations, according to the opinion
Of men who have had direct access to
the Secretary of War.
Several Plans Considered
Just what form the new central pur.
chasing organization will eventually
take is not yet clear. However. it can
be confidently stated that several plans
each aiming at control over both pur
chases and production, are being con.
sidered by the Secretary of War in an.
tlclpatlon of legislation soon to be sug
gested to Congress.
Two plans seem to stand out among
those discussed. One provides for ar
with aouthorities not unlike those al
ready vested in the Food and Fuel ad
mlnistrators. The other provides ;
central purchase control board, presid
ed over by a chairman with sweeping
authority to pass upon all questions ol
purchases, his decision to be subject te
the approval of a board to be composed
of the Secretaries of War and Nav,
and the chairman of the Shipping Boarc
or permanent representatives designat
ed by these department chiefs to sesve
on the board.
According to plans in contemplation
DI
ir session continuously, devotng its
attention exclusively to the question oil
munitions production and supply.
If members of the Cabinet accep,
posts on the Purchasing Control Boarc
they must relinquish their regular ad
rainstrative responsibilities, delegatine
them permanently to designated sub.
crdinates.
Baker Convert
Besides the fact that Secretary OF
War Baker appears a genuine conve ri
to the necessity Of "a central control
over munitions production and supply
there is evidence that he is now dis
chosen to take charge of the work ali
the authority he needs to make his
programme effective. This is recog.
rized as a decided change Of front b,
the Secretary Of War since his initial
appearance before tie Senate Military
Affairs Committee.
Among the men prominently men
toned TO head the new purchasing or
ganizaton is Edward R. Stettnus, re-
Gently appointed surveyor general of
army supplies, whose broad experience
in Allied purchases commends him
particularly to all those in official
Washington who want to see the war
wheels move forward with dispatch
+ Though gossip credits the President
with an intention to nominate Bernard
NJ. Baruch, OF the War Industries
Board, as head Of the proposed cen
tral purchase control organization, and
while no one attempts to belittc in
the least the services rendered by Mr.
Baruch as a member of the War In
dustries Board, it is nevertheless con-
tended that the new munitions head
smust be more of an industrial expert
: than business man.