Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21
BY WILLIAM HARD.

In the midst Of the political tumults
of the past week in Washington the
truly important event was quiet hear
ing before the Judiciary Committee Of
the House Of Representatives on the
bill for the establishment of q Fed
ersl Industrial Commission" The pur-
pose Of this commission would be Ito
aid in the Sterilization OF employment
in industry, agriculture and commerce"
It would represent a permanent con-
tinuous effort by the Government of
the United States to foster all SOUND
means for arriving at uninterrupted
national economic stability and pros
perity.
Temporary relief measures for farm
ers in drought-stricken areas and for
workingmen to be employed on roads
and on river and harbor improvements
will be entered into the statute books
by Christmas The Congress upon
its reconvening in January, will be
asked from many quarters TO attempt
some legislation not for relief but for
reform. In this category the chief pro-
posed measures are the three speclnc
employment promotion bills Of Senator
Wagner of New York and the more
general bill for a Federal Industrial
Commission" to suggest further expand
ing steps toward the sterilization OF
production and consumption.
Proposed by Eagles.
The bill for a Federal Industrial
Commission" was brought 10 Washing
ton by an organization which was
greeted with some surprise by Federal
politicians, but which has had a record
Of remarkable success in Its efforts for
social welfare laws in State Legislatures
throughout the country. 1t recently
has spent some S250,000 in support OF
publicity for Its proposals regarding Boz
called "old-age pensions" which now
have been established in the legislation
of a dozen States. 1t has been similar
ly influential in the development OF
mothers pensions" and of "workmen's
compensation" laws. It Is "fraternal
order whose humanitarian purposes
seem rather oddly expressed by its bel
ligerent title of Eagles" and the COM
mittee which carried its Federal In
dustrial Commission" bill to Washing
ton included the following persons:
Conrad H Mann, president of the
Chamber of Commerce of Kansas City;
Otto p. Deluse. president of the Cham
Der of Commerce of Indianapolis; John
M. NORM Of Pittsburgh, ex-Representa-
tive and member now of the United
States Employees Compensation Com
San Francisco and Governor-elect Of
California; Senator Blaine Of Wiscon-
sin and Senator Copeland Of New York.
introduced by Blaine and Ludlow.
The bill was introduced into the Sem
ate by Senator Blaine and into the
Lower House by Representative Ludlow
of Indiana Its operative clause Is sec
ton II, which provides:
GtrT-t,n Ealaral Industrial Commission
is authorized and directed to make sur
veys studies and Investigations of all
problems relating to the sterilization of
employment in industry, agriculture
and commerce in the United States
with a view to formulating such plans
and recommending such legislation as
will enable employees to obtain a saving
wage and investors a reasonable diVl-
dend."
Testimony arousing keen interest
among members of the Judiciary Com
mittee of the House Of Representa-
tives was delivered to the committee
in advocacy of this project by
Frank E. Herring of South Bend, Ind,
editor of the Eagle Magazine and for
merly teacher of economies at Notre
Dame University, where, In addition
to teaching economics, he also taught
foot ball as a predecessor to Knute
Rockne.
Mr.. Herring, as a lifelong student Of
economic affairs, detailed to the COM
mtttee the unemployment disasters &C.
casioned by overproduction and under
consumption of basic commodities and
argued in favor Of the establishment
OF CONTINUES national bcSS f. She
exploration of all practicable plans
| ers or labor leaders for bringing pro-
duction and consumption into mutual
| adjustment.
Approved In Principle.
His ideas ELECTED approval in prin-
! ciple from members of the commit
! tee who reflected that much economic
! good in this present crisis has adj
mittedly resulted from the existence OF
| the Federal Reserve system for the
| adjustment of the currents Of money
and credit. They were impressed by
the possibility that q Federal Indus
trial Commission of outstanding citizens
OF high economic experience might be
able little by little to suggest to the
Congress some feasible systems for the
| adjustment OF the currents OF COM
modities In interstate and world COM
merce. Some of them believed that
such citizens might be found in PreSi-
| dent Hoover's already existing Com
mittee on Recent Economic Changes"
which contains In its membership Mr..
Owen d. Young of the General Electric
| Co., Mr.. Daniel Willard of the Balti-
more g. Ohio Railroad Co., Mr.. Clar-
| ence Woolley of the American Radiator
g. Standard Sanitary Corporation, Mr..
A. w. Shaw Of the McGraw-Hill Bust
ness Publications and Mr.. William
Green of the American Federation Of
Labor.
Representative Clyde Kelly of Penn
| sylvania, one Of the most active legisla-
| tors of the Lower House, stated
THE Federal Industrial Commission
| bill is a move forward toward finding
| out how to organize an American
| economic society that will be able to
harmonic its great power of production
with new and equally great and
| eficient power of distribution and gen.
eral human welfare. The theories which
were proclaimed by the old economists
Like Nautilus and Adam Smith and