Evening star., 1924-12-14
HOOVER GETS THINGS DONE
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

The National Conference on Street
and Highway Safety, now In session
| in Washington, is a splendid exem-
plification OF what has come to be
known as the Hoover system of get
ting things done Months ago the
Secretary OF Commerce, who abhors
| waste as nature Is said to abhor
| d. vacuum, became imbued with the
idea that the most challenging waste
of modern economic and social life
in this country Is the appalling an
nual total of persons killed or In
jured in traffic accidents. Something
needed to be done about 1t.
Cooperation is the fundamental
principle of the Hoover sysvem AS
semble the people most interested
and best equipped to accomplish what
together intelligently and effectively
toward the desired end. That meant
conference.
Now, there are two ways OF con-
Quoting a conference. One way is
to assemble 1t, have numerous ad-
dresses on topics in interest, then
mark time while committees and
subcommittee study and prepare re-
ports on various phases Of the prob
lem in hand, and then waste time
wrangling over those reports-often
hastily drawn and far from compre-
hensive-until> finally some sort Of a
half-baked program is adopted.
The other way is the one followed
by Secretary Hoover in this instance.
After consultation with others equally
interested he appointed eight COM
mittees of from 30 to 80 members each
to investigate and make exhaustive
reports on statistics. traffic control,
construction and engineering, city
In
cation, the motor vehicle and public
relations The conference was not
called until, after months Of in
tensive research, the committees
were ready with their reports, which
were printed, released to the press
and distributed to the delegates.
Thus when the conference assem-
bled all it's Preliminary work had been
done, all necessary data had been
dial proposals had been studied with
the greatest care and conclusions
and recommendations had been
evolved that were representative of
the best thought on every aspect of
the traffic problem. Discussions
would be led by persons thoroughly
informed through their committee
work, the conference could get down
to brass tacks Immediately.
A Human Dynamo.
Herbert Clark Hoover has been char
acterized as human dyhamo-the most
dynamic personality modern America
has produced, with the possible ex-
ception Of the late Theodore Roosevelt.
But perhaps the best appreciation Of his
varied career is the statement that his
great outstanding quality is his ability
not only to get things done, but to get
done things that count.
Service has been and is the keynote
of his life. That is conceded even by
those who differ with him In many
things. 1t was true of him when carly
In his career he put aside profitable
private offers to go to China as chief
engineer Of the Governments Bureau Of
Mines. It was true Of him In 1900. at
the time of the Boxer uprising, when
at Tientsin he established his first food
relief. distributing food regularly to the
Chinese refugees.
/ 1t was true OF him when as tho ex-
ecutive engineer Of various concerns he
commanded an army Of more than
IFS, 600 men and handled them in such
a manner that no strike ever interrupted
their operations during his administra-
ton.
1t was true Of him when In the Spring
OF. 1914 he left California for France,
Germany and England, to enlist the in
terests Of their governments and In
dustrial leaders as exhibitors in the
San Francisco exposition.