Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-26
FORUM TO REVEAL
NEW CENSUS TASKS
Merchandise Distribution Is
Feature to Be Discussed by
Lamont and Feiker.

ver's engineer companion, and Fred
erick Morris Feiker of New York will
speak in the National Radio Forum ar
ranged by The Evening Star and spon-
sored by the Columbia BroadcaSting
system, Saturday night. Mr. Lamont
will discuss the subject of Prepared
ness for the Census of Merchandise
Distribution" The forum will be heard
locally through WMAL.
For the past several weeks Secretary
Lamount has been actively engaged in
supervising and directing the initial eff
forts calculated to enable the census
machinery to function effectively. This
is big undertaking. But this man,
who was personally picked by President
ilUoT.%.r 80 take over his own depart
ment of the Government, is used to big
undertakings.
At the time Mr.. Hoover drafted him
for his official family he was identified
with number of large industries and
business concerns and was president of
the American Steel Foundries. During
the short time he has been occupying
Herbert Hoover's old desk at the De-
partment Of Commerce Mr.. Lamont
has been applying himself to the Gov
ernment's business in the same hard
working manner in which he served his
former business interests.
Census Is Complex.
The principal administrative prob
lens which he is now handling are de-
cidedly unusual, by reason of the fact
that the census of 1930-the decennial
census provided for In recent act of
CongresS-haS much of the aspect of q
pioneering venture. The novel features
consist chiefly of the unemployment
census and the merchandise-distrib
ton census. In laying the foundation
for these and other branches Of the
enormously complex census activity, Mr..
Lamont is vigorously pursuing the poll
icy introduced by his predecessor, Her
bert Hoover, when he was head of the
Commerce Department-that of CO.
operating consistently with practical
business men and obtaining the benefit
Of their matured judgment and advice.
1t will be about this important Gov
eminent undertaking that Mr.. Lamont
will speak next Saturday night. In CO.
operation and with the assistance of
all interests. Secretary Lamont had re-
Gently chosen executive and advisory
committees to counsel the department
with respect to the various important
phases of the coming census. The COM
mitteeS whose personnel has already
been selected are to concern themselves
with the censuSeS of manufactures, I'M
employment and distribution, the three
subjects so vital to the economic well
fare of the country at this time.
But 1t will be to the census of dis
tribution that Secretary Lamont will
devote principally his radio discussion
Saturday night. AS advisory committee
for that census, Mr.. Lamont has been
able to enlist the services of a genu-
inely distinguished group of IA men,
recommended to the department as
being representative of all interests
most intimately concerned with the re-
committee held its first meeting last
week at the Department of Commerce
1t drew up preliminary plans for at
lacking the problem of waste and dis
tribution through the medium of the
new census. Secretary Lamont ad
dressed the conference and participated
in the discussion of the many questions
that arose.
AS will be explained by Secretary
Lamont in his radio remarks. those
questions relate both to the scope of
the distribution census and to the
methods that should be employed. Be-
cause the census is wholly new, many
trails must be blazed by Secretary
Lamont and his assistants. Safe paths
ground in the fields Of economic and
Government resen--', The act of Con-
gress did not define precisely the char
acteristicS of the census.
So the advisory committee has been
taking the first steps to decide exactly
what the census of distribution should
aim to ascertain. In this connection
endeavoring to concentrate on the
vital things that promise to be actually
feasible. And. too, they are starting to
outline the methods that seem likely
to bring the largest and most cordial
response from the business men who
will be requested to supply information.
Their course is designed to diSpel mis-
apprehensions and suspicions-to make
clear the meaning of the work-and
thus to pave the way for the gathering
of useful, disable data.
This important feature will be out
lined by Secretary Lamont in his
Radio Forum talk The business men
of the Nation, as we'll as officials OF
the Department of Commerce. are pro-
foundly convinced of the Importance
of this Nationwide investigation.
They have repeatedly stated that de-
fective distribution is the greatest bust
ness problem confronting the country
today. They have estimated that bill
lions of dollars are lost every year to
the American people through pre-
ventable waste in this field. They have
indicated what some OF the unWlse
practices are. and where to learn OF
the major deficiencies and extrava-
gances appear to exist. They. there
fore, look forward confidently, and with
a feeling of the keeneSt qualification,
to the prospect of determining the
facts of the matter on Nation wide
scale. Secretary Lamont will tell the
radio audience about the salient fea-
lures of this new and interesting
activity.
Problems Ahead
Because the great problems confront
ing the Department of Commerce not
only as they apply to this country, but
to the other nations President Hoover
has been represented as selecting man
with many Of his own attributes, as well
as one who is familiar with the ways of
big business, and who is trained exec
utive and a skilled engineer. The Census
problem Is only one of many this Gov
eminent servant must solve during the
next few years. One problem that Will
be always before Secretary Lamont is to
find new markets for American goods IN
other countries and in assisting IN the
foreign trade expansion of this country.
Mr. Feiker is managing director OF
Associated Business Papers, Inc, New
York, N. Y, and Is a noted editor, pub
Usher and business consultant.
Born in Northampton, Mass. and
graduated from the Worcester Polytech-
mic Institute, Mr.. Feiker has had long
and varied experience as organizer and
manager of technical enterprises in the
field of engineering and industry. in
Guiding establishment and management
of the industrial magazine Factory
dealing with the problems of factory
management and production; chair
manship and general direction OF the
editorial, technical, and business mag
azine System; editorship OF the Elec,
Sorrolnr,r,naYaf and general