The Cordova daily times., 1919-04-09
WEDNESDAY, APRIL g, 1919
PREPARATIONS FOR RECON
 SEDUCTION

Approximately two years after Great Britain entered the war she took DC casion to consider the problem of re construction and formed com mittee in her cabinet to study the subject; and it was not until year later, August, 1917, that her ministry of reconstruction was established. The work in this direction in France was almost coincidental with that of Eng land. America did not take so long to set her reconstruction engine in motion after she entered the war, for she made use of the experience of her allies. It was in May, 1918, that the first real step toward creating an agency for reconstruction was taken.
 This initial move was made by Gros- venor B. Clarkson, then secretary, now director, of the United States Council of National Defense. MT. Clarkson had been with the council since it's permanent organization in March, 1S17 He submitted to I'resi- dent Wilson early last June memo- randum in which he stated the need for making survey of reconstruc- tion and readjustment problems against the soldiers return. The time was at it's darkest for the allies France and Britain's backs were at the wall, they confessed, and only the coming of America's men could save them. Americas troops were just stepping into the fighting ring; the future was unknown, and it looked to all the world as though the strife were to be a long one. The question of reconstruction and readjuslment to peace-time conditions lay far in a future.
 But President Wilson and Secretary Baker, chairman of the council, knew that day of victory would come, and knew also that the country must pre- pare for it. The President answered Mir Clarkson's letter accordingly, en- couraging the Council of National De- fense to take up it's study of recon struction. From that day on the tIoun- cil of National Defense has been build- ing up foundation for the investiga- tion of reconstruction problems, talk ing advantage of what other countries have done to add to it's own research
 Director Clarkson organized a staff which began the assembling of valu- able data. Its bibliography on the subject is regarded as most colnpre- hensive. It has acquired file after file of matter selected with minute care. This matter has been digested and indexed for reference by trained men and women. In assembling it's foreign material an examination has been made by experts of the recon struction research division of official publications of this and other govern ments, of the daily press, and other periodicals of this country and Europe. The preparation of this matter, re- lating to forty eight foreign countries and groups of countries, has included its classification and arrangement for reference in series of dozen or more pamphlets, indexed according to countries and chronology.
 The council selected men qualified to study the nations problems of read justment One of these Is o. M. w. sprague, professor of finance and banking at Harvard. The council has also built up a substantial working library on reconstruction and related subjects.
 The dissemination of this informa-l ton has been carried on effectively. Original matter has been sent in pamphlet form to government officials and others especially concerned with the subject of reconstruction; charts nave been sent out and a daily digest goes to the desks of the six members of the cabinet who are members of the Council of National Defense. to the director of the council, and to such of1cials of the council or federal de. partments as find 1t of speci6l service