Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-28

participated actively in the preliminary
work.
BY responding with energy and dill
igence to the requests for data needed
in this census, our American merchants
will help to bring to fruition a great
pioneering venture in the determine
ton OF economic truth. They will be
showing a consciousness of the Sol1dar-
ity of our commercial structure. They
will be performing a genuinely pa
triotic act. And, moreover, they Will
be doing something that may ulti-
mately rebound to the substantial ad-
vantage of their respective enterprises.
The preliminary steps toward the
census of distribution have been au-
spicious May the final result be
crowned with the reward Of economic
thank you for listening to this dis
cussion of the project.
Mr.. Feiker spoke as follows:
Great Point In Conversation.
Every man within hearing distance
of my voice has probably either asked
or answered this question once today
We'll, howS buSiness?" Next to the
weather. business is the greatest start
ing point for a conversation, with the
possible exception of "How's your golf
ner of your favorite newspaper you learn
each day the answer to the question,
'Hows the weather." It may not BE-
many years before in the left-hand up
per corner you will find a condensed
answer to the question, "How's Bust
ness?"
SO universal is this question, so i'm
portant to the everyday conduct Of
trade. that 1t is not strange that bust
to help them find the answer Eight
years ago, when President Hoover be-
came Secretary of Commerce, he called
together at Washington group after
group Of business men representing all
kinds of business and asked them how
the Department of Commerce could aid
industry and trade. AS a result of meet
ing with scores Of committees there
were established a series of activities
and services in the Department of Com
merce, all tending to provide ways and
means of reducing great areas of waste
in the production and in the distribu-
ton OF commodities. From these meet
ings with manufacturers and retailers,
engineers, bankers, exporters, advertis-
ing men, and scores of other groups,
there were established many helpful
services to industry and trade.
U. s. Work Saves Industries Millions.
No government in time OF peace has
ever developed so highly organized and
effective service as has been developed
In the Department of Commrce. This
work has saved millions of dollars to
industry and trade. 1t represents also
the greatest development of teamwork
in business. Participating in this or
ganiZed effort to reduce wastes have
been the business organizations such as
lNn TENyf 1l kaN
merce, hundreds of trade associa tons,
technical and scientific societies. and
the organized trade and technical press.
One great fact has stood out from this
eight years Of analysis and service of
business. We need more detailed facts
to do business at a profit. The rule of
thumb is passing. Manufacturers apply
ing invention, labor-saving machinery,
power, new management methods, have
cut the cost Of production. Wages have
been maintained and increased, costs
reduced, and the sale of commodities
extended into thousands Of homes.
All these improvements have come
through better knowledge of costs. In a
word, we have learned how to measure
and coAtrol costs of production.
We are still in the initial stage of
finding how to control the costs of dis
tribution. Great areas of waste exist,
NOT through the 1auit or the individual
but because the individual does not
know. When you discover. as one job
Der did by analysing his sales and
profits, commodity by commodity. that
he could make more money by reducing
his volume, statistics mean something
to him.
Obsolete Rules Of Thumb"
We have many rules-of-thumb In
business. One is IT must have a COM
plete line" Probably there is more
money tied up in inventories, more stock
getting dusty on shelves, and more loss
in distribution from this rule-of- thumb
than any other. Manufacturers work.
ing with the Division of Simplified Prac-
tice Of the Department of Commerce
have found that 1t is possible to save
thousands Of dollars in inventory and
increase tllrnnuerg for the rata liar ia-r