Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-11-14
PRESIDENT WILSON'S REIMBURSEMENT
 MESSAGE ID US.
Economic Committees to Be Appointed Country Not
 to Suffer In Change.
Steel Industry Is Given the
 Most Consideration.


 Wilson has under consideration the appointment of a reconstruction com mission to develop a comprehensive program tor the nations conversion from d war to a peace basis. The commission wou'f te advisory rather than executive in functions and the DllnS developed and co-Ordinatcd by it would he carried out by exercising government departments and agencies
 As now considered. the commission would be representative of commer- cial, industrial, labor, agricultural and social interests. it's membership would ba small ami it would deal with all phases of the great problem of easin" the country from war to peace.
 The president is understood to be distinctly opposed to the suggested plan of having 8 congressional com mission prepare q reconstruction pro- gram. He is said to prefer men who can give their entire time to the wGrk and vino h4vc maoC special studies of economic and social prob lens. The president is said now to be considering what emergency legisla- ,tiOn may be necessary before the gov ernment can proceed systematically to turn all resources of the country to peace time production.
 How to shut off further war pro- duction without closing plants throw ing men out of work and causing financial strain, is the most immedi- ate reconstruction problem facing the government
 Hundreds of telegrams of inquiry reaching government departments to- day disclosed anxiety of business men over this question and offered a multitude of suggestions for dealing with it. As q clearing house for such suggestions, the reconstruction com mission would function. Establish ment of such board was recom- mended to President Wilson by Pro- lessor o. M. w. Sprague, an econo- mist of Harvard who has conducted re-constructions research work for the council of national defense. Gov ernment authorities having charge of the placing of war contracts are con sidering a plan for diverting raw ma- terials fro mwar industries as fast as these curtail their activities. to other industries where they can be used at once for reconstruction needs. War orders will not be cancelled in a wholesale way, until such plan is developed, it is believed.
 Tn this connection. the chamber of commerce of the United States to- day, made public letter to President Wilson, citing evidence of anxiety among business men over the govern ment's future course, suggested de- velOpment of uniform policies for all developments and some measures for preventing sudden drop in prices of raw materials.
 Y. $. Contracts CanN He'd. "As you are doubtless aware the letter said, 'the cancellation of con- tracts by some government agencies during the last ten days, has caused a great deal of apprehension and dis turbance, the extent of which, fort unately has not attracted public at tention because the war news has so greatly overshadowed it. The devel- Opments incident to the cancellations referred to indicate the differences we will have to face unless the tran sition is gradual and the vast labor and financial interests involved are most carefully safeguared. The stop page of work in the small numbef of instances where steps have already been taken is causing uneasiness among the banks which, in almost every case, are extending credit to the contractors and is likewise af- 1 fecting the credit of large numbers of , sub-contractors who are supplying i materials to the principals.
 "It seems to us that it is possible to work out certain common princi- ples, which should obtain in all gov ernment developments in affecting settlements on contracts now to be stopped and adjusting them on fair basis If one bureau or department follows it's own ideals, another pur- sues a different course, it seems that it will lead to endless controversy and confusion. For this reason, we be- lieve agencies set up in the various bureaus and departments to deal with the question should be controlled by some common authority order to pre- vent great difficulty
 l Pending the development of an adequate organization, we earnestly hope that clearance committee may be appointed at once to which will be referred all proposals to cancel con- tracts with instructions to all de partments, that cancellations shal not be made without the approval o1 this committee, in order that raw ma terials which will be released to us< them immediately for peace time needs. We are of the opinion tha Iwar contracts should not be can celled until prevention is made fol the absorption of these raw mater ials."