East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1921-05-18
URGE u. s. INDUSTRY
TO PREPARE FOR WAR


NEW YORK, May 1S-- GHarld D.
/ Jacobs, L. p, staff Correspondent) ~
| American industry should be main
tanned in the same degree Of pre-
/ paredness for war as the army and
navy. according to Bernard NJ. Baruch.
/ The modern application Of George
/ WashingtOn's admention--'i time of
/ peace prepare for war lis explained
10y BaEHeh in his book. American In
dustry in the War;" which Is in effect
/ a report of the war Industries Board,
of which he was chairman. Baruch
makes these suggestions:
A peaee-time skeletonlzed orgauiza-
ton along the same lines as the War
Industries board should be established
to provide congress with accurate ana
complete information regarding all in.
dustries, and to form the nucelus Of
new board in case Of another war.
The government should encourage
: and assist in development of the pro
{ duction of certain essential materials,
used both in war and peace, which
have been virtual inonopolies in other
countries in the past.
upon to maintain under government
supervision the skeleton Organizations
in certain departments through which
rapid manufacture of munitions and
war materials could be developed.
There should be established a
/ peacetime- skeleton organization fol-
lowing the lines of the War Industries
Board," Baruch says.
/ 1t should be headed by chairman
who should have associated with him
the chiefs Of the centralized purchas
ring bureaus OF the Army, Of the Navy,
and Of any other Government depart
meht which might be called upon %
I make large purchases in case Of war.
I To function under the several principal
| divisions there should be selected
I about o chiefs of commodity sections
Each chief of commodity section
/ would name a committee to represent
! the industry under his charge. The
4 committees of the different industries
4 could meet separately as occasion re-
\ quired. The main organization should
meet in general conference at least
/ once a year
! During the war the country was
constantly threatened with shortage
! in available supply of nitrogen, man
ganese chrome tungsten dyestuffs
/ coaltar derivatives, and several other
I essential materials These materials
/ had always been imported. The Gov
ernment should devise some system for
protecting and stimulating their in
I ternal production.
| Under the supervision of the proper
/ departments of the Government, GER
/ tain war industries SHOULD be en-
| couraged to maintain skeleton organi-
I cations through which they could de-
/ velop the rapid manufacture of guns,
I munitions, airplanes and other direct
f, military equipment. This might be
/ done in some cases through Govern
ment purchases of factories, in others |
through the placing OF sufficient or
/ ders TO permit the owners to keep the |
| plants In existence.
These measures are suggested az !
direct methods of insurintg against |
some Of the heavy losses and unfor- |
tunate delays which the country ex- |
perienced in the process Of converting /
its Industries from peace to war |
basis They involve very small current .
, expenditures, but are capable Of being 1
/ instruments of saving many millions
Of dollars in an emergency" +
Regarding the advantages and dis
advantages Of huge Industrial organi-
cations, Baruch says:
"The country will quite properly de-
mand the vigorous enforcement Of all n
proper measures for the suppression 1
Of unfair competition and unreason-
able restraint OF trade. But this es-
sentially negative policy Of curblng
vicious practices should In the public
Interest. be supplemented by positive
program, and to this end the expert
ence Of the War Industries Board
points to the desirablity OF investing
some Government agency. perhaps the
department Of Commerce or the Fed