The Washington herald., 1918-03-14


We need a commission to go to ia
pan. The trip should be taken early.
and the commission should be COM
posed OF the best men OF the nation.
Of the Oriental nation.
This Is tho consensus Of opinion
among leaders OF Congress. True. not
many members have given the affair
thought-and some Of those who yield
to the suggestion above are unwilling
to see the step taken unless the Presl-
dent Is for it-but there are signs that
the problem will be put up shortly in
such a way that this action cannot
be averted.
We owe Japan q visit or two. any
way. but particularly the Ishii call
made last summer when the war
needs of the nations were gone over
and when the call had more than or
dinary significance.
The attitude OF the government, on
the curtailment of industry during
the war period, has never been made
KNOWN There are many ideas and
parts OF ideas which have been given
out on the subject but We are indebt-
ed to George N. Peek, Of the indus
tries board, for a view which while
labeled unofficial" still s m s
enough OF officialdom to be very near
ly what We are seeking.
Every newspaper and every agent
Of publicity should be utilized In the
nation TO display some OF this to pub
lie gaze. We quote Just enough of Il
TO give better understanding Of
some of the acts We have recently
heard discussed. As made known yes
terday to Congress this statement fol-
lows:
THE discussion of the Limitation
Of 'nonessentiar industries started
with very unfortunate misuse OF
words The idea, as exploited In the
newspapers, that the government in
tended to cut Off 'nonessentiaI' in
dustries, had in it possibilities for dis
aster.
"All industries are closely inter-
related. For instance, certain so-caII-
ed 'nonessentials' may be sent to
South America to pay for commodi-
ties absolutely needed for essential
products and no large class can be
arbitrarily cut off without seriously
affecting general business conditions
in the country. Certainly no industry
is 'nonessentiar to the workmen and
capital employed therein. and when
one considers that over 100000 peo-
pie and so, 900 000, 900 of capital are en-
ployed by 'nonwar' industries. the
need Of caution in dealing with this
problem Is manifest.
''On the other hand, our Industrial
equipment Is limited. We do not have
materials, machinery, transportation,
labor .or capital sufficient for fighting
the great war and for normal busi-
ness at the same time. The war must
be prosecuted to the utmost and busi-
ness must shrink to provide the neces-
sary equipment with the least posi-
BILE injury to the business of the coun-
try.
The first consideration of the
Nation and all of its Industries must
be to contribute the utmost toward
winning the war, and to that end
business must, where necessary, be
diverted from its established chan
nels; or If absolutely necessary,
the flow must, during the war, be
entirely stopped in order to provide
adequate labor and material for war
hSSubs ~ uOcS nOl, nOWeVcF, 1OllOw
that there will be less business
than usual, but rather more unusual
business.
IF the so-called non essential
industries are cut on many of them
would be ruined and others perma-
nently crippled.
The Commercial Economy Board
of the Council of National Defense
has undertaken to cooperate with
business men in eliminating. as the
governments requirements demand,
needless uses of men, materials,
equipment, and capital in. all lines
of commercial business; in other
words. to conserve commercial re-
sources as necessary to meet the
governments need.
"The boards policy is to work
forehandedly. It investigates forth
coming supplies and demands, to
see where shortage is threatened:
then INTRODUCES SUCH economies as
.