Evening star., 1932-12-27
Ns.nh.- ~ The Associated Press.
"Technocracy."

Mark Sullivan wrote for The Star q
short time ago a Sunday article IN
which he discussed, somewhat philo-
sophically, the advent of "technocracy"
as the current theory Of what is wrong
with the world. He reminded his read
ers that year ago the idea was that
we have got into the mess We are IN
because of . failure to plan, and that
what we need is q system of long-range
planning. Several Of the outstanding
leaders Of industry produced more or
less specific plans for planning way
out OF the depression. That discussion
was stimulated by the five-year plan OF
Stain & Co., which was more favorably
REGARDED then as . cure-all than 1t Is
now, when some Of the plans have gone
awry.
Planning, however, has now been sup
planted by technocracy. One OF the
newest things about technocracy is the
name. Written descriptions OF the
theory go Just far enough to arouse
great popular interest, mainly because
the written discussions are successful
in stating premise that can be under
stood by the average individual. In
Los Angeles, for instance. democracy
is reported to be on every tongue.
Ironically enough, immediate advan-
tage has been taken there Of the price
system-which democracy in theory
would supplant-by clever individuals
who have started classes in technocracy
for which the students are charged In
gold dollars.
Technocracy, under another name,
has already crashed the gate at the
Atlantic City sessions Of the American
Association for the Advancement Of
Science and its forty-one afiliated So
cieties. There a speaker, DR.. John
Pease Norton, has proposed that the
United States go off the gold standard
and adopt electrical energy, in the
form of kilowatt hours, as currency.
The currency to be issued by the United
State Treasury would be backed by the
VI hl1OWdtb AAOaA W ~ ~
livered by electric light companies,
thereby achieving the desideratum OF
fixing a stable standard Of value Tor
every electrical dollar" printed.
What technocracy seems to strive for
Is the creation OF a new symbol OF value.
The reason it stimulates popular inagi-
nation now is because the evils OF
changing standards Of value have been
brought home to the man in the street
in the form Of falling prices. The
economists and engineers who have pro-
jected technocracy are able to state Ger
tain truths regarding the weaknesses
and failures Of the price system. based
on gold standards. and to emoeihsn
them with examples that are, in these
days, almost self-evident. It Is only
when the avid reader searches for the
method for practical application OF the
constructive theories OF democracy tnat
the technocrats seem to falter.
Those Of us now living will never see
the advent of technocracy. 1t may be
forgotten six months hence. Centuries
from now the historians may find that
some Of the elements Of the system
under which they live were proposed
under the name Of technocracy by q
group Of students as far back as 1882,
and remark that some Of their philo-
sophical conceptions could be traced, IN
turn, to the dawn Of civilization. Their
conclusion will undoubtedly be that the
processes Of evolution, in thought as
well as in form, are mysterious indeed.