The Winslow mail., 1926-06-04

mouLS OF destruction WnlCn were
being devised and which if became
necessary to combat
Our own Army had several di.
visions competing one with another
for materials, transportation, hous.
ing, and SO forth On top of tha.
there prevailed the demands of the
Shipping Board, with the slogan
that ships would win the war, and
Of the Food Administration, with
the slogan that food would win the
war. Further, there was the Rail.
road Administration with its need
for material and labor, and finally
there was the feverish quest for
labor and supplies on the part Of
the munitions makers-all compet-
ing for labor, money, materials,
transportation, fuel, power, and
each insisting on the greater impor-
tance of it's activity. All this while
the labor supply was being lessened
by the flow of men into the Army.
While an endeavor was being
made to bring order out of chaos,
the great undertaking had to go on.
Men, ships, munitions, food, ma
terial, had to be provided. Old
organizations, bureaus and tradi-
tions had to be met and changed,
but not destroyed until the new
he Of oil
is, not that there were so many
mistakes, but that so much was
accomplished.
At the time we entered the war
prices were at their peak, and tend
ing higher because of the wars in
satiable demands. The problem
was not alone to secure the ma
terials and labor and to stop the
confusion, but to do it in such a
way that the morale of the people
would be maintained. The prices
of some things, like steel and cop
per, were fixed far below prevailing
rates, and the wages of labor in
those industries were standardized.
The more highly organized an in
dustry, the easier it was to arrange.
Order did not commence to appear
until the Army funneled it's needs
through one man sitting with a Sec
tion of the War Industries Board
and until the Navy, Shipping
pnord A1Iioe ord Doilyood Adv,,ir
istrations did likewise. Each de-
partment satisfied it's requirements
through a central authoritative
body This was called the War
Industries Board, controlling and
all materials and CO.
through it's chairman
the whole system of governmental
and civilian supply and demand.
1t was created by executive order
in March of the year 1918.
Briefly, this board endeavored to
mobilize the industries of America
so that the fighting forces of the
Allied and associated nations could
draw from the United States-the
last reservoir of men, materials
and money-the things needed for
the winning of the war at the time
the things were needed and with
the least dislocation of industry
and the least disturbance of the
civilian population.
The War Industries Board was
like any other super
visory committee, with a chairman,
vice chairman, members in charge
of various activities, bureau chiefs
and subordinate workers. 1t sur
veyed and sought to arrange the
whole industrial war field under
the plenary powers conferred by
the President and the Congress.
How well it did this is a story for
others to tell. What it did is the
basis Of the plan 1 am here draw
ing.
1t was comparatively easy to fix
prices and to distribute materials,
and indeed to stabilize the wages
Of labor in those industries in
which prices were fixed. The labor
however, became increas-
ingly difficult, particularly when
General Crowder found it neces-
sary to withdraw men for the pro-
posed campaign of 1919 after f.
100000 soldiers had already been
taken.
Much has been said about the
profiteering of labor. 1t is an un-
just accusation. 1t is only fair TO
say that this condition was pri-
marily brought about through the
inexperience of the organization
within our own governmental de.
partments and by the furious bid
ding of munitions makers and ship
builders for services. That situa-
ton. together with the increased
prices of the things that labor had
to buy with the results of its work,
made it inevitable that labor must
get higher wages.
So it became evident that the
price fixing program had to go even
further, and the War Industries
Board. when the Armistice came,
was proceeding with campaign to
fix the prices of all the basic
things that labor had to buy. Some
had previously been fixed. l speak
of labor in a much broader sense