The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-06
D. s. BOARD Of TRADE
IS ADVOCATED.
Doctrine OF Cooperation l. Suggested
Rather Than Unrestricted
Tompctiti

Atlantic City. N. j., Dec. 5.-~The
creation of United States board of
trade. whose members should be Sc
iected with the same extreme care
as mon upon the bench OF the United
States supreme court and whose re-
iations to industry should partakc OF
the nature OF the United States su
preme court as related to law was adj
vocated tonight at the war emergency
and reconstruction conference at the
Hotel Traymore.
The recommendation was made by
l.. M. Requa. general director of the
oil division of the United States fuel
administration. speaking before the
conferences heat, light and power
group. Mr.. Requa said. in part
I'm place of the doctrine OF I'M
restricted competition we must sub
stitute the doctrine OF cooperation. II
has been recognized that, certain gov
ornamental supervision In desirable, in
fact necessary. but in an attempt 10
maintain unrestricted competition we
have inflicted upon the nation a sys-
tenn so utterly inefficient and fnade-
tQuate that II broke down completely
in the hour of emergency and stress
dIlu ntCHSSltdtEu tue EabSLlthtiob Va
various makeshifts, all founded more
or less upon cooperation az the fun
damental principle.
ut is OF vital Importance to our ma
tional welfare that we shall profit in
time Of peace by the lesson which we
have learned In time of war. We
must. unless we are blind to sill evil
dence, so alter our laws as TO permit
of cooperative effort. The events of
the past eighteen months have con
clusively proved the case. If our at
tempts have been hastily thought out
and hldnderingly executed it in no
way alters the soundness of the con.
ciusion that industrial activities of the
future must be founded upon cooper
alton and that unrestricted competi-
ton must follow its blood brother
'frirhtfulness. into the limbo of OBJ
livion. AS citizens of a democracy II
is our duty and obligation to see that
the lesson finds wise Interpretation
In our laws.
TT has taken world war 20 bring
the lesson home to us The case has
been proved: the demonstration made:
4 remains to us to make use Of knowl-
edge so dearly bought.
And we must not forget that this
cooperation succeeded because il was
founded ON mutual confidence. was
tree of special privileges. secret uhdei ="
standings and unfair tactics. II We
are to realize In full. for industry the
same benefits, the j., same Fundamental
principles must be observed. Nor can
industry expect permission for such
cooperative effort save under some
wise and Just form OF government
supervision
1--WE should create the United
States hoard of trade, under whose
jurisdiction should come the indus
trial and commercial activities of the
nation. This body should largely par
allie! the supreme court of the United
states IN manner Of appointment; II
should be- surrounded by all the dig
nifty that characterizes the supreme
court
Into the hands Of n body OF such
men should be committed the SUPER
vision of American industry This
body would plan all policy OF foreign
trades relations: il would limit, guide
and counsel. both as to foreign and
domestic commerce; II would, in short.
! prescribe The ethics. limit the activi-
ties. determine the practices. and rep
resent governnent---to the end thai
Industry should he most efficiently
Iheneicently and wisely perform its
/ functions as the servant OF the peo-
q gIin ~