The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-03-17
ELIMINATION OF GOVERNMENT
 COMPETITION.


 The Shannon Committee of the House or Repre- sentatives after some two years of intensive study has rendered a report urging Congress to restore millions of dollars worth of business to private hands by eliminating Government competition in some two score fields. It found that the Government had invaded private business to an alarming extent and that business suffering from that competi- tion without any compensating benefits to the public at large.
 It recommended, among other things, that the Government stop manufacturing supplies and buy them from private concerns under contracts safe- guarding union labor; cessation of Farm Board crop stabzaon activities; increases in parcel post rates to make that service pay for itself possible aboli tion of Federal barge lines; disabled veterans to be sent to private and municipal hospitals instead of building Federal hospitals. Government com petition has reached such magnitude that it threat to stifle private initiative, the committee very properly warned the Congress.
 Additional recommendations by the committee included: Restriction Of Federa-aided farmers CO., operatives to sale of products of members; discon tinuance of Army transport service and ship service of Panama Railroad; award to private companies of munitions manufacturing and battleship con- tracts; a department of supplies and munitions under civil control make purchases for executive departments centralization of Government archtec- tural supervision in office, with future policy for private engineers and architects; abolition of Army and Navy exchanges and commissaries ex- cept in isolated areas; contracting with private firms for flood control, dredging, etc; dscontinuance of tours by Marine Band; abolition of Army and Navy uniform and saddle manufacturing plants uniform Government system of accounting; elimination of Government Printing Office manufacture of paste mucilage and other stationery items; allotment of "a fair portion" of War and Navy department hell ium requirements to private concerns; cooperation with lumber industry so that the latter shall not suffer by sale of lumber from Indian lands Na- tional Parks and reservations inclusion of creative and administrative" costs of production in sale of Government maps and lthographic work; abolition of Government competition in sale of serum. virus and other biological and pharmaceutical prepara- tions henceforth department be allowed to erect and equip new plants or re-equp old ones for manufacturing without specific permission from Congress- discontinuance of paint and varnish man ufacture at navy yards; abltion of prison commis- sares and establishment of prison industries which will keep convicts busy at tasks not competing with private industry; abolition of Post Office practice of printing return address on stamped envelopes; no more salvaging by Coast Guard except in emer- gences abolition of private veterinary practice by Farm Board agents; discontnuance of Government warehousing except for Government -owned goods restriction of Army and Navy launderies to service requirements no restaurants in Government buld- ings at Government expense.
 If the Government wants to extend credit to distributors of farm products the majority con tended, it must be equal terms to middle men and co-operatiyes.
 The growth of Government competition has been