Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-13

the world BY tho unprecedented and
almost preposter-
ObliSation With Gus feat Of sup
plying the needs Of
opportunity. the biggest part Of
the world during the war. cannot
settle back into easy ways ana DO
much or little now in ways OF their
own preference toward keeping the
world supplied. American industries
have obligations as well as oppor-
tunities.
TO win the war American industries
had to be converted and nobilised for
maximum production; to meet the new
obligations OF worldwide commerce
in q new era OF peace they must be
readjusted and speed up their pro-
duction to balance the worlds de-
Enthusiastically considering the Ia
Dor situation, meanwhile.
So the Industrial problem is as big
now as 1t was during the war. and
the great American marine and the
shipping OF the seven seas must. wait
on the output Of fields and factories
and forests. mines and men.
The con" must be taken out OF re-
constructions; the prod" must be ap-
piled to production.
-
1t sounds big and optimistic to say
the world wants all the United States
can produce,
We Must Rebuild and that there
War-Torn Europe. u, ,er .m aemana
made goods rather than those of
commerce rivalrous nations; that this
country is entering on an era Of for
that this country must rebuild war
torn Europe. That's the ICON" in re-
construction. That is the kind of talk
the promoter has been accustomed to
hand out.
What is the use OF factory turning
out fancy goods for which there is
no immediate demand II shoes and
stockings are needed? What is the
use OF keeping the man-power en-
ployed In polishing stones for mon
uments II the world needs coal to
keep factories In operation? That is
how prod must be put into pro-
duction.
Coordination Of industry for eff
cient and consequent maximum pro-
duction to meet the
To Point Out most pressing and inn
Essan+;.,s mediate needs is what
industrial leaders are
aiming for. This does not mean gov
crnmental domination and control or
direction Of industry as a whole. It
does not mean continuing the system
employed by the War Industries Board
during the war period. It means show
ing the industries concreteiy and
what there Is a demand
for. SO that they can themselves cut
out the non-essentfals and give the
world what the world must have as
soon as humanity possible. American
industrial life can be trusted to read
just itself and to employ common
sense initiative in taking ADVANTAGE
Of opportunities and deferring produc.
ton OF those things for which the
little loneer.
Individual enterprise built I'D
great industrial fife in the United
States. and individual enterprise will
make the United States the greatest
commercial nation. in the world. But
industries can't send an
army of trade scouts and commodity
experts and statesmen and explorers
overseas to decide how much trade
there Is and in what lines. That Is
where Uncle Sans opportunity to help
American industry to help itself comes
In. Ut is with this appreciation of its
duties that the bur eau Of foreign and
domestic commerce Is pfepa ring itself
for increased service. It rs more cfose-
~ defining the province Of the various
Offices and branches OF the
service. 1t is studying itself and its
powers.
The greatest market and most press-
ing need for American goods is in the
country across which
System r. war has just swept ex-
r..s>a plosiveiy. In this coun-
"' try highways and rail-
roads. bridges. cities and factories
must be built by American engineers.
These factories must be supplied with
and raw materials from the