The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-06
0. 5. BOARD OF TRADE
IS ADVOCATED.
Doctrine Of Cooperation Is Suggested
Rather Than Unrestricted
Competition.

Atlantic City. N. j., Dec. 9Th
creation of a United States board of
trade. whose members should be Sc
lected with the same extreme care
as men upon the bench OF the United
States supreme court and whose re-
lations to industry should partake OF
the nature Of the United States SUI
preme court as related to law was ad-
vocated tonight at the war emergency
and reconstruction conference at the
Hotel Traymore.
The recommendation was made by
l.. M. Requa. general director OF tho
oil division of the United States fuel
administration, speaking before the
conferences heat. light and power
group. Mr. Requa said. in part:
in place of the doctrine of un-
restricted competition VIC must sub
stitute the doctrine OF cooperation. It
has been recognized that certain gov
ernmental supervision Is desirable, in
fact necessary, but in an attempt TO
maintain unrestricted competition we
have inflicted upon the nation sys-
tenn so utterly inefficient and made
quate that it broke down completely
In the hour of emergency and stress
and necessitated the substitution of
various makeshifts. all founded more
or less upon cooperation as the fun
damental principle.
TT 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 all evil
dence. SO alter our laws as to permit
of cooperative effort. The events OF
the past eighteen months have cor
clusively proved the case. IL our at
tempts have been hastily thought out
and blhnderingiy executed it in no
way alters the soundness of the con
clusion that Industrial activities of the
future must he founded upon cooper
alton and that unrestricted competi
ton must follow its blood brother
frichtfulness, into the limbo OF OBJ
lirien. Az citizens of a democracy, II
is our duty and obligation to see that
the lesson finds wise Interpretation
in our laws.
1T has taken a world war to bring
the lesson home 70 us. The case has
been proved; the demonstration made;
Il remains 10 us to make use of knowl-
edge so dearly bought
And We must not forget that this
cooperation succeeded because ii was
founded on mutual confidence. was
free of special privileges. secret under
standings and unfair tactics. II we
are to realize in full, for industry the
same benefits the 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 board IF trade. under whose
Jurisdiction should come the indus
tria, and commercial activities of the
nation This body should largely par
abel the supreme court of the United
States IN manner of appointment: it
should he surrounded by all the dig
nifty tina. cl1aracterizes the supreme
court
Into the hands Of body of such
men should he committed the super
vision OF American industry. This
body would plan ell policy ~ foreign
trades relations: Il would limit guide
and counsel both as to foreign and
domestic commerce; il would, in short,
rrescribe the ethics. limit the activi-
tiles, determine the practices; ard rep
resent goverunoent-to the end that
Industry should ne most efficiently.
henehcentiy and wisely perform lis
functions as the servant of rhe peo-
pie 4"