Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-25
DISAGREE
ON BUSINESS PLAN
One Warns Against Russian
Type Program-Another
Holds Idea Impossible.
BY J. n. BRACKET

ASSOCIATED Press Business writer.
NEW YORK, April 25.-America
should have o national plan TO direct
and control its energies and resources.
DR.. Ernest Minor Patterson. president
Of the American Academy Of Political
and Social Sciences, believes, but what
we should not undertake Is the type Of
control now being employed in Russia"
DR.. Patterson is one Of dozen noted
experts who have given the Associated
Press their ideas on a national plan.
DR.. A. G. Whitaker of Leland STAN
ford University's department of eco
Monies argues that q comprehensive
plan lis so far from being necessary
and inevitable, that it Is not even pos
sible. do not see what 1t could be-"
Progress II Cited.
Gan evidence Of the importance OF
planned economy Is the progress toward
it everywhere" DR.. Patterson says. I'm
the Fall Of 1929 President Hoover at
tempted to secure certain amount OF
concerted action. In England there
is an Economic Advisory Committee to
assist the government and Parliament;
IN Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia and
elsewhere similar attempts are being
made to secure guidance. Russia Is, OF
course, an outstanding Illustration OF
what can be developed.
mo one can state with any detail
what such q plan would undertake. 1t
Is quite clear, however, that several lines
of development are In crying need OF
attention. The most obvious today Ii
that of connecting workers to jobs. The
haphazard approach We now have Is
tragic.
1T will be inadequate and, In fact,
impossible If attention Is not given also
to the direction Of our production. At
the present time the equipment OF some
of our leading industries is far in ex-
cess of any probable demand for its
use. Such q condition should not have
arisen, and If 1t persists, irregulartty OF
employment Is certain. This, in turn,
suggests that investment needs guild
ance. Not only Is there q great loss
through investment in useless or harm
full enterprises, but too much going in
some directions and too little in others.
Must Fit America.
ANY plan that we adopt should be
suited to American conditions. Our ap-
proach must be an elaboration OF what
We now have. The personnel OF
planning body should include repre-
sentatives Of the Government or pri-
vate enterprise and professional econ
omists.
"Our planning must extend beyond
national boundaries and at once. De-
lay Is not possible. Any plans we form
and efforts We make will be futile I'M
less conditions and activities in other
parts of the world are considered and
efforts made for cooperation"
DR.. Whitaker defines the American
system as characterized by private
ownership of natural resources and OF
means Of production generally, and by
an almost unlimited freedom Of con-
tract and dealing between and among
private persons and corporations, ana
by a reliance upon the motive OF
private profit and self-help for getting
the work Of the world done.
Seems Impossible.
'Whfle this system keeps lot Of
people alive (most of them on an ad-
vancinR standard Of living and has
many merits, it inevitably operates to
bring about too great q disparity In
wealth and income between rich ana
the poor, and 1t has, because OF some
deep-seated weakness, a susceptibility
TO Q bad disease-the disease OF busi-
ness crisis and depression. But no
comprehensive revision OF this system
seems to be in the realm OF the pos
sible. The only feasible thing Is Q
program of piecemeal improvements and
corractinnS"