Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-16
AGENCY TO COMBAT
.SLUMPS PROPOSED.
Engineers Urge General Staff
in Capital, Functioning
Continually.

To combat future depression and hui
man misery the assembly of the Amer
lean Engineering Council, in annual
session at the Mayflower Hotel today,
proposed the setting up of great conn
petent agency" which was described also
as general staff for war boards in
Washington.
The assembly adopted a comprehen-
sive report drawn by a committee
headed by r. E. Flanders of Springfield,
Vt, manufacturer, who is chairman
OF the engineering committee, cooper
ating with Col. Arthur Woods Commits
sion on Unemployment. This report,
which was presented personally to the
assembly by L. w. Wallace, executive
secretary Of the council, proposed the
balancing Of the forces of consumption.
production and distribution.
The council calls attention, in the
report, ito the need Of migrating the
facts and information bearing upon the
balancing Of the forces of consumption,
production and distribution, and ex-
presses the hope that some competent
agency will undertake this work for.
the purpose of indicating and promot-
ing methods and organizations designed
to bring about a controlled balance be-
tween these forces"
Referred to Board.
The proposal was referred to the
Administrative Board of the council,
which was authorized to take such
measures as may be deemed wise to
bring about the creation of such an
agency. c. E. Grunsky Of San Francisco.
president of the council, Is chairman
Of this board.
Gen. r. c. Marshall, jr., of Chicago,
suggested this general staff in Wash
1ngton should include among others the
representatives of the American Bank
ers' Association, the American Associa-
ton OF Investment Bankers, the Fed
eral Reserve Board, the National ASso-
citation Of Manufacturers, the American
Federation Of Labor, the National Asso-
citation OF Real Estate Boards, the Ma
ton Research Council, the National
Bureau Of Economic Research and rep
resentativeS Of utilities and railroads.
This new proposed board might be
called the general staff" or general
war board" said William Mcclellan of
New York City, an engineer who was
a member of President Coolidge's
Muscle Shoals Commission. I'VE need
this general staff here in Washington
continually functioning," he said, ito
war on depression and misery. When
you consider the many millions which
were lost IN this depression, why not
spend enough money on this general
stah? Several milliors a year should
be spent, If necessary"
Wild Cat Schemes Hit,
Admitting that the engineers were
throwing men out of work by Improve
ing machinery and increasing the
speed of manufacture, Mcclellan said
it was a professional responsibility of
the engineers to help do something to
prevent recurrence Of depression and
unemployment.
We engineers" he said, "can be
rightly characterized as magnificent
creators of unemployment. We are
struggling to throw men out Of work
so that factories can get along with q
smaller number Of men,
Warning against what he character
lied as wildcat schemes" for reliev-
ing unemployment was sounded by
Secretary Wallace. He opposed the
plans for issuing a billion dollars in
bonds for public works.
The engineers did not specify in
their recommendations for the new
general war board as to whether 1t
should be a Government agency or
should be supported by private con-
tributions.