The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-04-01

| One OF them provided that manufac-
turers, jobbers and retailers Of shoes
/ could make end sell shoes onlyo1 q
] specified quality at fixed psdce, eff
fective July, 1919. No one who did
not have a card Of the War Industries
Board in his window could sell shoes,
and only the standardized shoes could
be sold. No jobber or manufacturer
would sell shoes to anybody who did
not have this card. The shoes were
to be stamped Glass A, B or and had
to be of the quality prescribed and
sold at the price fixed. The country
was so organized in every district that
there could be Immediately reported
| to Washington the name of any shoe
retailer who did not carry out the reg
ulations of the War Industries Board
as to price and quality. Through re-
strictions on his labor, money, raw
materials and transportation no man
ufacturer would have been permitted
to sell to any. dealer violating the reg
ulations. The Armistice stopped the
execution of this plan.
Another plan of this nature: The
manufacturers of mems and women's
wearing apparel had in 1918 been call
ed to Washington, together with the
retailers of various goods, and notified
that regulations would have to be
made in regard to retail prices and
Standardization of clothing.
The rulings by the board were made
known through the Issuance of official
bulletins at irregular intervals and
were widely distributed by the press,
which co-operated in this most neces-
sary work with whole-hearted pur-
pose that gave to the orders of the
War Industries Board the instant and
broad circulation they required.
Mr.. Hoover already was doing much
to perfect his control of food products
and prices. There was also talk Of
fixing rents, and in some cities this
was done.
If we were to start, in the event Of
another war, at the place where we
were industrially when the World War
ended, the President, acting through
an agency similar to the War Indus
tries Board, would have the right to
fix prices of all things as of a date
previous to the declaration OF war
when there was fair peace time rela-
tionship among the various activities
Of the nation. 1t would be illegal to
buy, sell, serve or rent at any other
than these prices. Brakes would be
applied to every agency of imitation
before the hurtful process started. An
to . ~,
money and materials would be i'm
posed, instead of having the blind pan
ic heretofore ensuing on the first ap-
pearance of the frantic demands OF
war The Draft Board would have be-
fore 1t the rulings of the priority com
mittee, together With the estimated
needs of every business and profess
sion in its relationship to the conduct
Of the war, and men would be select
ed accordingly. The Draft Board
could more iptelligently decide, with
the advice Of the priority committee,
many of the problems with which it
would be faced There would be no
sending of men to the trenches who
were needed for expert, industrial war
work and then bringing them hack
again. Businesses not necessary to
the Winning of the war would be cur
tailed The Draft Board would have
that information before It,
The prices Of all things being fixed,
the price fixing committee would make
any necessary adjustments, as was
done during the war. Under the sys-
tenn used in 1918 these prices were
made public and adjusted every three
months, so that any eeHsumer az pFe-
Queer had his day in court when he
considered prices unfair Those who
complained that during the war prices
were too bigA haa this ready recourse
to hand.
In the meantime all the industries Of
the country would have been modified
by the formation Of committees repre-
sentative of each Industry as was
done IN the World War Over them
would be placed a government direc-
tor or commodity chief The various
government departments would ap-
point committees representing their
requirements, so that on one commit
tee the resources of the nation would
be represented and on the other the
demands of the government. The gov
ernment director would stand between
to decide, in conjunction with the pri-
GRITTY committee, to what department
supplies should 60.
Money would be controlled and d.
rected like any other TesouFee. TAX
ing the profit out Of war; is not
synonymous with "conscription OF
wealth." as it is sometimes regarded.
Fhe latter Is g theoretical project. pro-
hibited by our Constitution, contrary
to the spirit of our social and political
institutions, and impossible in prac-
tice. Taking the profit out of war is
an orderly and scientific development
OF the economics and conduct of mod
ern war, necessary to the effective
mobilization OF national resources and