New-York tribune., 1920-03-01
WarPrOduction
Program Made
For Whole u. S.
Schedule for Putting Ma
ton on Emergency Basis
lis Being Drafted by III. N.
Shenton, of New York
Priority Rights Studied
Columbia Man Expected To
Be New Director of Ma
tional Defense Council
From. The Trtounc,s wasnin0ton Bureau

From The TriJumc's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Feb. 28.-Grosvenor
B. Clarkson, whose resignation as di-
rector of thg Council of National De-
fense does not formally become effec-
tive until April, has turned the duties
Of the Office over to Herbert N. Shen-
ton, of New York, as acting director,
and it Is expected that Mr. Shcnton
will be appointed to the place.
Mr.. Shenton is associated with the
Social Science Department Of Columbia
University, with which he has been
connected for ten years. He has been
an earnest advocate Of the develop
ment and more extensive use Of sci
entitic methods in analyzing social
conditions and activities. His work
has been in the laboratory rather than
in public presentation of results, but
his findings regarding many problems
are highly valued by men of affairs
Under his administration the training
of students in social science mas been
to the university.
In the first part Of the war Mr..
Shenton found that Columbia could
contribute much to the common effort
by training statisticians. He organized
intensive courses for government
statisticians, and these students rap
idly filtered into responsible positions
in all Of the wartime activities of the
United States. Another of his tasks
was the direction Of all the wartime
emergency courses of the extension
teaching and summer session depart
ments of the university.
Mr.. Shenton was called to Washing
ton by Mr.. Clarkson to organize staff
for the study Of the postwar read
justment of the country, as the Coun-
Gil of National Defense is a permanent
governmental agency, established be-
pare the way for mobilization of the
resources of the nation in time of
need and in Mr.. Shenton's opinion 1t
is the greatest agency for adaptation
and readaptation of industries ever
created by the Fedora! government. Its
work in peace time is to prepare the
nation industrially for war but in
studying that problem it has many by
products Immediately useful, both gov
ernmentally and commercially.
Under Mr. Shenton's direction there
has been compiled complete records of
every post-bellum readjustment. 1t
now is possible to follow every line of
industrial emergency effort through
mobilization and its problems to de-
mobilization and it's complications.
At the present Mr.. Shenton has un-
der way the drafting of a plan whereby
IN the event of an emergency the
country would go automatically on a
war production basis Allied to this
is program of research relative to
priority rights in industry, SO that
in another crisis priority in materials
sportation, labor, power, etc, could
be applied without the confusion and
selfdefeat that priority measures sc
often resulted in during the recent
war. No other governmental agency
is equipped for this and similar
studies, so that in some respects the
council is coming to be considered the
deiberative and planning mind of the
government Elaborate researches of
this sort uncover many facts that are
Of immediate use to the government
in it's ordinary functions and of the
greatest Importance to commerce and
manufacture.
A current task is the working out
through the interdep partmentai board
recently created at the instance of the
council, Of theory Of reduction of the
duplication of governmental stats
tical matter and the introduction of 8
pIdctlce tnaC VIII result IN extensive
economies through better coordination
and correlation of statistical activities
Other researches contemplated relate
to the limitations of transport anc
power which were so much in evidence
during the war. The supply of certain
essential raw materials, which may be
cut off even when the country is moi
itself in war, is one of much concern.
Though unrelated to its norma
functions the council of National De
Tense, with E. K. Ellsworth in charge
IS trying to straighten out the tangled
accounts of the Committee of Public
information