New-York tribune., 1922-12-17
General Plan Needed

Another problem presented by the
money economy is the clash between
our desire for Efficient production and
our fear Of being exploited By very
large corporations. At present the
work Of production Is systematically
planned and controlled within the
limits Of each independent business
enterprise. But we have no systematic
plan for industry as a whole. Our
Industrial army IL like collection Of
efficiently isd--squads under sergeants,
companies under captains, regiments
under colonels, q few brigades under
eral staff and without a general plan
Of campaign. However we'll the sepa-
rate units are disciplined and led,
there is loss Of efficiency through lack
Of cooperation among the units. Under
such circumstances every increase in
the size Of the independent units ex-
tends the area within which careful
organization exists and lessons the
area in which no planning is possible.
But as the companies combine into
regiments and the regiments into brig
ades, We are afraid that the larger
units will levy upon us a tribute which
exceeds the savings from heightened
efficiency. How, then, can we unite the
efficiency Of large-scale production
with safety to the consumer To that
vexed issue Of economic policy the or
ganizing genius Of the engineering pro-
fession may address itself with excel
lent results.
Other problems might be discussed
the possibility Of cutting down the
overhead which business needs impose
upon industry. the possibility Of rails
ing the efficiency of government sery-
ice, the elimination OF oil methods Of
making money that are detrimental 20
public welfare, the advantages Of in
Yestment in improving the personnel
Of industry as compared with the ad-
vantages Of investment in plant. con-
ficts in interest arising from the i'm
mortality Of nations and the short
span of individual lives, what consti-
tutes waste and how IL may be min
imized, the effect Of changes In the
standard Of living upon production, the
relations between the distribution Of
income and production OF income-all
matters Of concern to engineers and
economists alike. But enough has al
ready been said to illustrate the main
contentious, and illustration Is ell that
is possible in treating so wide topic
in a brief paper.
To sum up, the industrial revolution
has been marked by changes in eco
nomic organization as well as by
changes in engineering technique. TO
keep this benehcent revolution going
will require further changes of both
types, economic and engineering. We
should not be less alert to note the I'm
Projections Of economic organization
than we are 10 note those Of mechani-
cal methods. In one field as In the
other our best hope OF constructive
accomplishment lies in developing sci
entifc analysis in quantitative terms.
How TO make production for profit
turn out a larger supply Of useful
goods under conditions more conducive
TO welfare Is a problem that gives
scope for the most diverse abilities
and training. II Is a problem that can
be broken down into manageable parts
which can pc attacked by quantitative
methods, and the advances made BY
one discoverer can be made the start
ing point Of his successor.
THE foregoing paper tods read by Dr..
Mitchell at the recent annual meeting
Of the American Society Of Mechanical
Engineers, held IN this city,