Evening star., 1921-08-07
"BIG BUSINESS" NOW
TO GET FAIRER DEAL
Lessons Taught by the World War Have
Been Taken to Heart by the
Nations Lawmakers.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

I the new era Of American indus
trial and commercial expansion.
profiting by war experiences. the
policy Of the United States gov
ernment and of Congress is likely to
be radically changed. Concentration
and control Is the new slogan for
business legislation.
Contrary to the legislative prone
ness of recent years to break up big
business into competitive units. the
leaders in Congress today see the
need for:
%. encouragement of cumulative
capital, under hard-headed business
management. toward monopolistic de-
velopment of essential industries and
new public service agencies.
(2). More careful control legisla-
tion, which. instead of hobbling or
ham-stringing big business with in
reference by Incompetent federal
agents, will place the safeguarding
of the peoples interests in the hands
of experts in those special commodi-
ties or utilities, thus allowing private
capital en- masse to upbuild industry
on comparably with the growing size
Of the nation.
Needs shown by War.
The war showed the need for unit
operation of the railroads to carry
the load for industry and commerce.
The war showed that while the fed
eral government worked for years di-
vorcing the railroads and water car
riers. it is now essential that they
should be operated comparatively.
The war showed that there must be
a domestic dye industry developed
and the tariff bill now in the works
has recognized the need for its de-
| velopment as a monopoly. The war
showed the need for monopolistic de-
velopment OF radio service through
the very nature of wireless communi-
| cation. The war showed the need
for port development with mechanical
| equipment, and a report of Army and
Navy engineers to Congress en-
phatically states that ports. and in
be publicly owned.
The war showed also the dangers
Of government ownership and opera
rion. House leaders today emphasize
that these industries and public utili.
ties cannot be developed in a big way
by the government, because. they ex
plain. government operation newt
ably means political operation. ant
that means inevitably inefficiency
/ nd ha in I'm hat
, verse the law of all progress
namely. increased efficiency through
decreased cost-and substitute in
creased cost and decreased efficiency.
Control That Doesn't Hamper.
The only alternative is big develop
ment. monopolistic development. b.
massed private capital given an op
portunity to reap profits earned not 8
much by heavy charges on the peopl
as by carefully achieved economies i
operation; but with carefully planne
government control that will no
hamper development. That is th
sort of legislation Congress is look
ing forward to in conformity wit
President Harding's pronouncemen
Less government in business an
' more business in government" Con
\ gress proposes to pay more attentio
to devising the best methods of un
hampering control than toward law
or preventin combinations consoli
dations. trusts and monopolies.
r The railroads of the Countrywide
more than any other agency build u
this nation-were developed as mo
Eopolies and through extensive subsid
in the form Of land grants. Leader
in Congress discussing the railroad
as an example say: Under the la'
we have developed the greatest trans
portation system on earth and unit
the government interferred with II
political operation it was both tn
cheapest and most efficient service"
Industries n Examples.
They also point to the teiephor
system. developed during the legisls
tive life of men still in Congress
which they eulogize as one of tt
lmost beneficial public utilities eve
brought within the use of the entil
population, now an indispensab b
agency of daily life, and which hs