Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-17

address to the meeting of the National
Electric Manufacturers Association does
not lie, as Owen D. Young explains, in
the plan that he outlined nor In the
criticism of that plan that viii follow
its presentation. The real significance
quoting again from Mr.. Young, lies I'm
the fact that responsible industrial
manager and the members of great
industry are ready to put to the public
an offer to assume voluntary response
bilities Of vast consequence, not only In
the economic, but IN the social field.
Here is tender Of social performance
by an industry, definite in terms and
measurable In effect"
Neither Mr.. Young nor Mr.. Swope
attempts to sail under the false cclors
that would identify them as crusading
idealists or visionary doctrinaires anx-
ious to hasten the coming of the nail
lennium or to attain even so relatively
simple a goal as the elimination of
unemployment and the preparation of
bed CT roses for industrial America
AS successful and unusually intelligent
leaders of one of the great industries,
they seem to see that just ahead of
them the road that we as Nation
have been following for such long
time branches off in three directions,
providing a choice between as many
routes.
Cne Of these roads offers the plan,
which in the past has often been found
most workable cure of many ills,
which consists in doing nothing, .
Doing nothing, in this case, can mean
the retention Of the traditional Amer
lean policy CT individual freedom of
action or, as Mr.. Young puts it, "unor-
ganized individual planning and opera
ton" But If history repeats itself, "its
action win necessarily be at, times
chaotic, and We shall, as a result, pay
the economic penalty of that disorder,
such as we are paying now"
The second CT these routes offers the
solution that lies in putting the respon-
sibility for leadership on the Govern
ment, which, in other words. means the
unwilling surrender of industry to
political government.
If the various States act" says Mr.
Swope in his discussion Of this posi-
bility, industry will be confronted with
different solutions, lacking uniformity
and imposing varying burdens. making
competition on a national scale difficult.
If either the individual States or the
Federal Government act, the power of
taxation has no economic restraints"
The third course is the adoption
Of the Swope plan, which, as outlined
by the, author, calls for the "stabiliza-
ton" Of industry under the supervision
Of the Federal Government and the
protection of industrial workers by the
compulsory adoption Of life and dis
ability insurance. a pension system for
retirement at seventy on half pay, and
Unemployment insurance, the cost OF
each Of these to be shared equally be-
tween employer and ,employe.
The sterilization Of industry would
mean organization Of industry into trade
associations, these including all COM
panies engaged In interstate commerce
and employing as many as fifty en-
ployes, and their own control of produc-
ton under the supervision Of Federal
agencies.
The nature of the criticism suggest
ed by such plan is obvious. Applied
to industry as whole-and 1t would
have TO be so applied to make 1t worth
anything the plan would mean step
so similar, In its fundamental objec-
tives, to the Russian plan that the diff
ferences would be matters for mere
academic discussion. It would mean
the final entrance of the Government
into the business Of completely regu-
lating industry, whether or not there
was voluntary acquiesence to such regu-
lation on the part of industry. II
would be the immediate creation of a
vast and honeycombed bureaucracy In
Washington and the surrender, as Mr.
Swope and Mr.. Young candidly point
out, Of individual freedom of action.
But the presentation Of this plan by
| those who have proposed it is none
the less valuable. 1t is valuable In that
1t answers much Of the loose talk-a
favorite form Of recreation these days
| concerning the need for economic plan
ming. Mr.. Swope presents plan, and
along with it an estimate of the price
that must be paid for it. 1t is beside
the point whether Mr.. Swope and Mr.
Young believe the price is worth while
Both of them represent one of the most
highly centralized Of American indus
tries, and one that would least feel gov
ernmental supervision. But neither OF
them makes the error Of putting for
ward a plan without equal emphasis
J upon the price.
( In the current discussion of plans
! in general the price Is apt to be mini
miZed in the enthusiastic Endorsement
of new idea. AS long as the Nation
can dispassionately weigh the advan-
tages as against the cost, there is every
thing TO gain and little to lose. ..
/ --------S-S0S-S-----
| Eventually the disarmament idea is
y I'll A. =