Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
BY WILLIAM HARD.

The most vital thing that emerged
from the Progressive Conference here
last week is thought by many to be
found in a certain sentence in the re-
port made to the conference by its Com
mittee on Unemployment and Industrial
Sterilization, headed by Senator La
Toilette of Wisconsin. This sentence has
to be considered in connection with
certain projects already undertaken
here by the American Engineering
Council and the United States Chamber
of Commerce. The sentence is:
IN weighing the contributing factors
that are responsible for the present de-
preston and that under present con-
tinuing conditions will repeat this de-
preston in the future, it is the COM
mittee's conclusion that the only sound
approach to the problem Of unemploy-
ment and industrial instability is the
creation of the necessary public ma
chinery Of planning and control"
To carry forward the intention OF this
sentence Senator La Folletteis committee
will appoint a subcommittee TO study
"the problems involved in planning Tor
stabilized industry" The subcommittee
presumably will suggest legislation for
consideration in the next Congress. This
legislation might be development OF a
bill introduced by Senator La Toilette
in the last Congress for the establish
ment Of National Economic Council"
Senator La Toilette Is thus on tran
which in very different ways the Ameri-
can Engineering Council and the United
States Chamber Of Commerce are al
ready also following.
Last week in New York julius H.
Barnes, chairman Of the Board OF DE-
rectors Of the United States Chamber
Of Commerce, inaugurated Business
Balance Committee" under the cham
ber's auspices. The chairman Of the
committee will be Henry I. Hartman
chairman of the board Of the New Eng
land Power Association of Boston
Other members of the committee will
be Willis H. Booth, vice president OF
the Guaranty Trust Co. Of New York
City, P. w. Litchfield, president Of the
Goodyear Tire 81 Rubber Co. Of Akron,
Ohio; Paul Shoup, president OF the
Southern Pacific Railway Co. of San
Francisco, and Walter j. Kohler, prest-
dent of the Kohler Co. Of Kohler, Wis,
and Ex-Governor of Wisconsin.
The function Of this committee will
be precisely to stimulate private in
| dustry to accomplish for itself by its
own efforts the things which Senator
La Toilette might otherwise press upon
industry through a publicly govern
| mentally appointed National Economic
Council"
Under Senator La Follette's bill his
| National Economic Council" of is mem
bers, appointed by the President upon
recommendation by industrial and
| financial and agricultural and trans
| portational and labor elements, would
have the following duties:
! To keep advised regarding general
| economic conditions and problems.
To formulate proposals looking to the
| solution of such problems.
To submit those proposals to the
| President and to the Congress.
| This is in line substantially in some
ways with another bill which was in
| troduced by Senator La Follettes COL
! league, Senator Blaine of Wisconsin,
| for the establishment of Federal in
| dustrial commission" This latter bill
Fraternal order of Eagles, which has
a long record of legislation successfully
| populartzed into enactment. Under
/ both bills a governmentally appointed
body would intervene by its recon-
mendations into the general conduct of
| business and would presumably en-
deavor to make that conduct less dis
orderly ana chaotic and more collective
and controlled
Against this prospect Mr.. Barnes of
the United States Chamber of Com
merce lifts warning hand but he lifts
It only to urge private business to hurry
forward toward the same goal Of or
ganized collective responsibility and to
get there first. On the very day when
the Progressive Conference assembled
here in Washington Mr. Barnes in New
York was saying to his new Business
Balance Committee:
'Manifestly the quickest method to
restore the orderly living of innumer-
able wage earners would be to make
them assured of their continued future
and employment and possessed of some
regular current income. Manifestly, as
well, if the great forces in industry are
hesitant because of a distrust of Gov
eminent, the immediate remedy would
be to show that there are other ways
to make remedies effective than by ap-
pealing to law and public authority"
Mr.. Barnes went on specifically to
suggest:
I'VE find that, fortunately, America
has developed, as nowhere else in the
world, great national trade associations
for mutual counsel and common action.
Such associations, spreading their risks
throughout an entire web of Nation
wide units, could contemplate making
assurances of employment too large TO
be faced by the individual units of an
industry alone. Certainly, if great trade
associations could make effective such
| assurances of continuity of earning
power as would lift the fear of unem-
ployment from at least the armies of
men in the key industries of America,
they would rightfully establish them
selves in public confidence"
In other words, Mr.. Barnes is shoot
ing with two barrels at a double OBJ
jectiye, as follows:
/. In order to escape from the
prospect Of governmentalized "unem-
ployment insurance" he would install
a privately operated employment as
surance"
2. In order to escape from the pros