Evening star., 1922-10-08
DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS
DEEMED URGENT PROBLEM
Cost Of Production and Selling Price
Must Be Brought Closer to
Benefit the People.

OIL any DlOc, or any state, OF any
section of the country or any indus
try-but the one that will work out
oest for the whole people.
Trying to Meet Conditions.
The cotton problem of some years
ago Is being worked out through the
location of some factories in the cot
'on belt. rather than the cumbersome
haul to factories in New England and
Eauling back the finished product to
southern markets. A start has also
been made toward the development of
the cheap water power of the far
west. and the location of factories
there to relieve industrial-congested
New England and to divide the trans
portation haul. Another important
step for relief In the coal industry
has been toward Identification of the
railroads. which will not only release
a very large part of the industrial
coal. but will also release for the car
riage of other merchandise the unbe-
lievably large number of cars that
are now needed just to haul the coal
used by the railroads.
This shows how various progress
sive enterprises are being pushed to
relieve certain parts of the one big
tation. But Secretary Hoover-him-
self an eminent engineer Of world
wide recognit;on-and the leaders in
Congress and in practical industry
are not satisfied with unco -ordinated
efforts of this kind. They believe that
the problem is SO big. SO vital. SO i'm
minent. SO all-encompaSs Ssing. that it
must have the most careful study as
a whole, and be solved by the same
genius of organiza-
tion with which all the people of this
country worked together to win the
war. They feel that this peace-time
problem. standing in the foreground
of Americas future, as we face an era
of unprecedented promise in world
trade, is just as deserving Of the
loyal cooperative organization Of all
gency. In the background, also, is
the urge that in solving the peace
time industrial and economic problem
we also build more strongly our ma
tional defense.
So. while the ship subsidy legisla-
tion is merely to provide <or trans
portation overseas of our exportable
surplus, the solution of the distribu-
tion problem means reduction of the
speeding up of industry, more goods
to sell overseas. at lowered cost of
so that we can meet trade
rivals not only with superior goods,
but 'the added advantage of cheaper
prices.
How Conditions Arose.
Now-contrary to snap-judgment-l
the distribution transportation prob
lem Is not due entirely or even prin-
cipally to the avarice Of the trans
portation systems, or even to the age
old acrapping between labor and
capital. 1t is due. first and fore
most. to, the one-sided development
of this country. The early settlers
spread along the Atlantic seaboard
and then surged inland. They got
supplies from the old world. and COM
merce across the Atlantic developed
Atlantic ports. Manufacturing was
in the thirteen original
states and the products of fields and
mines were shipped to them. AS the
pioneers moved westward they
shipped their spoils and the fruits, of
their industry to eastern markets.
The further they went in conquer
ing tho prairie into agricultural en-
pire tho longer the haul back to
market
The problem facing the leaders Of
today 10 ono Of new era It means
Of the Pacific as well
as the Atlantic coast. It means eco
nomic utilization Of our natural re-
sources. It means increasing trade
with the orient and decreasing trade
with the occident. It means that in
dustries in congeeted sections Of the
eastern United States will prosper
more through establishment of in
dustries on the western coast. which |
will relieve the mounting costs of
operating the existing factories in
the east It means that the central
states will ship both east and west. |
and that freight cars will no longer
go ono long haul full and the long
trip back empty. It means q new
economic shuffls.
It's a problem to sntice and thrill !
statesmen and merchant princes of
today fully as much as q Commodore
Vanderbilt or q Hartman or any of
the great Industrial pioneers of the
earlier days.
When Congress 10 called back to |
pass the administration ship subsidy
bill the real forward thinkers will
have their minds concentrated on the
infinitely larger problem, starting
present-day relief measures that look |
far into tho future for their real
achievements.
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