Evening star., 1919-03-23
BY SHELDON 8. CLINE.

IA dawnea during an the ns''~sss ~sss just Has
ended. Business has come to
the government to help it ou, of a
difficult situation, and the government.
instead of being a policeman armed
and suspicious, has acted the role of
friend and adviser.
The stage for the beginning of this
new era was set at the hearings be-
fore the industrial board of the De-
partment of Commerce. To these
hearings have come representatives
of the g. eat steel industry. come to
lay their cards upon the table, to
agree upon a program of prices and
to ask that upon that program the
proval.
Following the steel men will come
representatives of the lumber industry,
of the brick and cement trade and of
other lines of basic production. They
will expose their cost sheets and bare
were guarded jealousy.
With o. K. of Uncle Sam.
When they have done this and have
agreed among themselves and with
! the members of the industrial board
| on scale of prices which is reason
able, these prices will be published.
with the governments Endorsement as
to their fairness.
This is not price-fixing by the gov
ernment, nor is it price-f1xing through
combination for purpose of greater
profit. Law officers of the govern
ment have held that it violates none
of the statutes against conspiracy in
restraint .of trade. The industrial
board has no authority to compel pro-
ducers to enter into price agreements
nor to enforce compliance with agree
ments when they have been arrived
at. The whole undertaking is a vol
untary one. arising out of the neces-
stiles of an abnormal situation, and
its success depends on the good faith
of those who become parties to the
agreements, backed hys the force of
public opinion.
Not only has the board no authority
of law back Of it, but it has, in fact,
| no legal status. There is no statute
creating suck body or providing Tor
the discharge of such functions al IL
has undertaken. It's members, ex-
cept for two who hold other govaru-
ment positions and have been az
signed to duty with the board, are
volunteers, serving without pay, or
with only nominal salaries.
Commands Public Opinion.
But President Wilson approved Gre
alton of the board, approved its per-
sonnel and designated it to be the
representative of the government and
Of the people in negotiating with in
dustry to bring about a resumption
Of normal Industrial activity. Having
been thus created the board is in
position to call public opinion to its
support. It has need of no other
weapon Of authority. it's members say
When the idea Of creating such a
board was born in the minds of Sec
retary Redfield and number of his
advisers they were in doubt as to the
reception the proposal would receive
at the hands of Industrial leaders. In
the years before the war American
business always had resented govern
ment interference-a resentment it is
realized now. resulting from the fact
that government Interference most
always was officious and suspicious.
But sympathetic and helpful interfer-
.ence had come about in meeting the
emergencies of war and government
and business had come into relation
ship of mutual interdependence. It
remained to be determined whether
that war-born relationship could be
extended into peace times
Little Early Enthusiasm.
When it was first announced that
the government proposed to create
board to cooperate with industry in
the stabilization of prices there was
no great outburst of enthusiasm for
the project. Only few of the fore
most leaders of industry were able to
vision 1t. The first impulse of busi-
ness was to proclaim that, the war
being over, the government should
take hands Off and keep them Off
Gradually there dawned a realization
that the government. having been
holding business up by the tail, must !