Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-19

present moment, ana, II 50, what Is to be done about It
The charge that the fuel order il arbitrary and auto.
cratic has a queer ring at a time when the whole coun.
try is crying aloud for the Capitalization OF, authorit,
in the hands Of men who can ana will act in what We
may, If we choose. call an arbitrary and dictatorial man.
ner, and this objection comes with stranse inconsistenc,
from those who in the same breath deplore the existence
Of conditions in our transportation, in our munitions
work, In our shipbuilding. in our ordnance, in our sup
ply department, in everything, which can be renedied
only by the possession by some individual or individuals
Of authority as great as they which the country discov.
es that Garfield possesses, and its exercise in substan-
tally the manner in which Garfield has exercised his.
X X X X X x
The whole argument about the fuel order must CEN
ter around two questions. Are the conditions in the
country approximately as DR.. Garfield has described
them? If so, has the best method, or substantially the
best method Of dealing with the situation been chosen?
it is the business of DIRECTORS to forget generalizations
to point out in what essentials the method employed is
defective. and to point out what other methods could
have been employed to give relief with less disturbance
to the business and the very life of the country. Upon
the answers to these two questions will. in the end, be
rendered the decision Of the country as to whether Dr.,
Garfield is a big man who has handled a big situation
in a big way or whether he is a blunderer who cannot
safely be trusted with the disposition of matters which
are vital to the nation.
4 \ i X X 4
In the intense interest aroused BY the fuel situation
everything else has been practically forgotten. The
disposition of war work Of the nation has received at
tention in congress. and there is evidence of a very gen.
eral feeling that something must be done to cut red tape,
correlate work. and make it possible for men who are
capable of performing work to go ahead and do it. Two
suggestions among others, have been offered. One is for
the creation of a new cabinet department to be known
as the munitions department, and a bill was SOME little
time ago introduced by Senator Chamberlain providing
for this new department. The plan is modelled Quite
closely after that employed in Great Britain, ana the
purpose is to have the head Of that department take full
charge of the work of munitions supply, relieving both
war and navy departments Of that work. The p.an
is said to be opposed by the president. who holds that
nothing could be gained by adding another once to a
government which is already over-oreanised. An alter
native plan which is said to have the approval of the
president, and which has appeared likely to be ADOPT
ed is to provide for a director of munitions whose duties
would be the same as those contemplated in the Cham
oer1ain bill. but who would not be a member Of the
cabinet 1t may be remarked that the plan which
works we'll in the elastic British system, with its full
responsibility Of the administration to parliament, nisht|
not work at all in our more rigid organisation.
s. 81 *,* X
There has also been forecast a revision If ~. ,ooa
""S VI LII purpose u aldlnE In food Conservation nv
making mandatory many things which are now merely
recofnfnendatoFy. The observation of the debart,nen+
is that the recommendations are followed quite eener-
ally, and there is evidence of a strong desire n +na a IT
Of both dealers and consumers to coonera+e pv;+h ~.
government as fully as possible in the work Of food con-
servation. But there are exceptions to the rule. And in
oroer u make the plans work more uniformly it has
been recommended that the law be strengthened instheI
way indicate
X x * x X X
Some time ago an agreement was reached by en-
ployers in the packing industries, their ennn,oVe. and
the government, that all Questions involving the rela-
TONS of employers and employees should he rAfArrAd IN
a single arbitrator, and that his decision should be final,
In tne meantime there were to be neither strikes nor
lockouts. Dissatisfaction with this arrangement has de-.
Veioped among the employees Of several of the CHICAGO
plants and these employees have sent representative to
Washington to urge that the government tak. ov.~ ~.
enere packing. business of the country, the employees
pledg1ng themselves to work for such wages and under
such conditions as the government may fix.
+ \ + X
The great storm which struck the central and
eastern states some ten days ago, and passed out into
LIS A'iantic' seems to have lost none of its force as It
progressed as the eastern Atlantic has been treated to
e'ne u d widest weather that it has experienced for
many years. Among its results was the wreckine ~ tvo
British ~destroyers in home waters. 1nasmuch rs .not.er
great storm is now travelling over the same territory It
is to be expected. that there will be little act,,1,, :. ~.
wal. fields of Europe for some time,
y x 4 X
The week has been a quiet one on the battle front.
as a rule. Trench raids of minor Importance hax1 Or.
CURED without results Of any consequence. and ann.
gains by the allies are reported from a few sonern.,
larger operations both on the west front and in 1ta,x.
Elsewhere nothing Of consequence has been renor+.d
The toll taken by German submarines was the sno.u..,
Tor a long time. the list OF merchantmen sunk ino,ud-
ing only SIX vessels Of over 1900 tons ana two smaller
vessels stormy weather has doubtless kept a good deal
OF merchant shipping at home, and must also have noaaA
the work of the submarines more dif6cult than ,.,,s1
+ X X X X X