Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-26
GOVERNMENT LINKS
NATIONS BUSINESS.
Organization, More or Less
Permanent, First Ever
Effected.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Business and Government have be-
come partners, for the time being at
| least. in the biggest effort ct co-opera-
| ton since the World War. officials are
cautious about saying that the organiza-
ton now being forged will be perma-
nent. Certainly it is expected to bridge
the gap of industrial transition.
The movement thus far has been di-
vided into four groupS-business, which
includes finance and transportation as
we'll as production; second group. labor,
whether affiliated with the American
Federation or other bodies: third group.
agriculture which embraces all classes
of farm organizations, and finally the
Government group. which is subdivided
so as to cooperate with each OF the
foregoing groups.
Connecting Link.
Thus the Department of Commerce
is the link between the Government
and the business group: the Depart
ment Of Labor is working with the
employee groups while the Federal Farm
Board and the Department of Agri-
culture are joined with the farm organ
izationS.
Members OF the Federal Reserve Board
and the Treasury Department officials
are to sit In with the business group.
This general scheme has been made
necessary by the fact that organizations
like the American Bankers Association
exist separately from such institutions
as the Chamber of Commerce Of the
United States. In fact, until the pres
ent groups were formed there were no
direct links which could be said to en-
brace all the activities in given sphere.
New Group Interests.
These group interests are in sense
new. They always have existed, of
course, in a general way but never in a
form that permitted extensive Govern
ment cooperation. Indeed. often owing
to friction within group OF industry
separate organizations have grown up.
The Government is asking. each group
to elect its own chairman and eXecu-
tive committee so that the selections
will be on democratic basis and not on
the theory of Government dictatlon or
choice.
Already the wheels of the Govern
ment have begun to grind. The groups
are to stimulate activity within their
own ranks and participate in the gen.
eral plan of promoting confidence in
the economic progress of the country.
The Government group headed by the
ID all VI
with the State governors in the hope of
bringing about construction of public
works on a large scale.
Situation Is Canvassed.
The transportation interests and util-
ity companies fall within the business
group and their situation already has
been canvaSsed to determine POSSIBLE
tiles of expansion.
The latest move in transportation is
the announcement that the Govern
ment will award mail contracts which
will permit the building OF many new
merchant ships, assuring consumption
of steel which will help offset any slack
due to automobile decreases
Agriculture is embarking on a road
building program, and the construction
Of warehouses and terminals. The Fed
eral Government and the States can
add to road construction and the Fed
eral Farm Board is making loans avail
able for the building of storage plants
and distributing facilities.
Labor is cooperating on the basis of
maintaining industrial peace and in the
all-important task of assisting in the
flow OF unemployed labor to 1centers
needing skilled as we'll as unskilled help
On the whole, the Governments
plans are proceeding steadily. and be-
fore the end of the present month an
organization of the four groups men
toned is expected to have been perfect
ed and working machinery provided for
the drive to prevent business recession.
(Copyright, 1929