Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-10
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
(Speoial to The Rullatin. }


 Will the government do towards putt ting colleges and technical schools back on their former civilian basis What will 1t do towards rei1nbufsing them for the heavy financial less which they have sustained through their prompt and generous response to the request that the institutions be turned over fer military training? The government does not know, neither do the schools, Reconstruction work must be extensively done in all such institutions and the surprising swift ness With which demehilizatien was ordered has left no time fer matup- ing plans and as result the entire college and technical system of the nation is thrown into confusion. In many instances the sudden caneella- tion of government contracts has caused a complete collapse. There are 500 educational institutions scat tered throughout the country which turned over their plants to the gov ernment on October first on a contract that they were to be run along mili- tary lines till June first, thereby put ting them entirely out Of commission for a school year, The customary course gave place to military course: 9 system of payments was guaranteed by the government, but scarcely had the armisties Leen sign ed when the government promptly mo- tified the institutions that so far as the government was concerned, the matter was ended and the contract would be cancelled, Now the question looms up, what will such schools and colleges do for the rest of the school year2 Who will pay the running ex penses? The government states it will at later date reach the finaE- eial end of the question and that iA the meantime all contracts made with Instructors, working staff and others, together with all leases, should be terminated. The demobilizatien Of such institutions as army student training camps must be complete on Dec. IS. The government Is not blind to the embarrassing position in which the institutions will be plaeed, and it has expressed appreciation for the work they hove done. but adds that even though it wis be a hardship, there is nothing to be done at pres ent- Schools are instructed to clear out the soldier boys and wait results That is about all there is to it. The war department will then take up with each college and school sepa- rately, the question of reimburse ment for the cancelled contract but warns them that it will "take some time' to get around to all of the 500 and in the meantime no partial pay ments can be made to 2lv institu- tion. It's hard luck for those insti- tutiens which with splendid loyalty, l turned over their plants to the gov ernment and have carried out their Dart of the agreement to the letter The state colleges of nearly every | ta in hi IL | Ya1e has the credit of having been the first of all the colleges to notify the war department that it would imme- diately begin. reconstruction work on a plan of it's own. Dartmouth was a elase second in taking the same course the. two running practically neck to neck in the matter of getting back onto a civilian basis. Enlisted runder the student army trafning camps system there have been 1T5,06t enrolled in colleges and 50,e0p in ve- cational schools,
 | The Hardware Manufacturers Or.
 Sanitation for War Service held ar
 important meeting here this week al l the office of Congressman John c Tilsen, at which Murray Sargent e New Haven was chief spokesman
 Representatives of the Rule J Leve
 Company of New Britain were pres, q ent and the matter under discussion
 was how to meet reconstruction need
 in the manufacture of certain wa essentials without running counter tt the sherman Act to prevent eembi
 nations in the restraint of trade There was. urgent need of cooperation
 along certain lines, and the war de
 partment winked at it as a war ener
 geney, but during reconstruction it i thought to be wiser 10 have fedora approval and if necessary Congress man Tilson will introduce Q bill Eaak , ing the war time of the organization , continue until the reconstruction Wor is completed. MT. Sargent, who is
 member of the war industries beaFt will complete his duties on that boar the 18th of December
 Congressman Merritt of cenneetisu
 believes the railroads should be com hIned in units large enough to ge the greatest economies and yet ne [ too large for satisfactory and eff elent management of details. "Thi 3 combination need not be along re I gional lines, said Mir. Merritt to ri |. Bulletin correspondent. "that is wit . reference to particular states, bl 2 should be along economic lines wit [ reference to the cheap and efficie1 t handling of freight. for both f9Feig Q and domestic commerce. The power t Of the interstate commerce comrni: sion should be euRtailed to leave u
 new railroad combination more in
 tiative and freedom of action. IT
 reads should not be eurtailed so the
 cannot have money enough to expar y their facilities to meet the demand e ol the country. To do this 1t is el . yious they must control the price g their transportation, and that tn . power must not be controlled f
 either political or narrow bureauer; . tic reasons" It would be & simp , matter to arrange for 8 repayment o the United States for public pun @ pose uses, any excess which had be' n charged, and also for return to u = stata5 of portion of such exec
 charges, in the opinion Of Mir, Me
 ritt, who states that the railroad mt
 themselves are the best experts
 solve the great question. Said f "Any effort is worth while to pr s, vent a complete government owne
 ship of the roads which would inIe
 duce political questions which mig
 in time shake the very foundations
 the government"
 !. "We shall keep the coast guard SC 'f vice under the navy until the pea 'e treaty is actually signed" said Sec l. tary Daniels today. This 4 teme
 was made in answer to 4 q Y ion IS The Bulletin correspondent as If whether the armistice would result " the return of the coast guard to t
 treasury department, to which it
 attached in time. of peace. At the e g of the war it automatically returns '- that branch of the service, and le presidential orders might be put on
 peace basis before that time, but t ,e secretary of the navy made it cle that he does not intend to ask th