The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-05
Stone SCORES
FORECAST OF
TECHNOCRATS
Leading Engineer Believes
Even Brighter Future
In Store For u. S.
By OTIS PEABODY SWIFT
United Press Staff Correspondent


United Press Staff Correspondent
NEW YORK. Jan. 5.-CUP)-
Charles A. Stone, who joined in
founding the engineering firm
of Stone and Webster just be-
fore the panic of 1898, and
whose organization has created
many of the greatest engineer
ing works of America, has no
fears of national disaster such
as pictured by Technocracy. He
foresees instead, an even brigh-
ter future for America.
eve can confidently look for
ward to u future for this coun-
try in which working conditions
will steadily be improved, hours
OF work will be shortened and
the Unsuitable demand for setter
living conditions will continue, "
he told the United Press in an
exclusive interview yesterday.
I'VE are going to recover
from this period of adjustment
which we have been going
through. 1t is true that it is
partly due to technical progress.
But it is primarily due to ecOnO-
mic and financial causes OF
the World War"
II cannot share the views
which have been expressed by
the extremists regarding the
basic doctrines of Technocracy,"
the engineering chief said.
"Since the development Of the
water wheel and wind mill en-
ergy resources have been discov-
cred. and the energy applied in
innumerable ways to increase
the productivity of the world.
This progress from time to time
has been so rapid that the world
has experienced difficulty in adj
juSting it's economic structure
and social life to the new order.
During the last 80 years
technical development, largely
due to the growing knowledge of
electricity and chemistry, has set
q fast pace. On top of this in
the ten years prior to 1929 we
were living in one of those per-
iOdS which follows the conclusion
of any great war and which is
to a large extent due to the
great amount of rehabilitation
which must be accomplished.
''AS this unnatural period pro-
vided markets for our goods, it
postponed the adjustments which
mechanical progress had made
necessary. During the last three
years we have been digesting
this progress and also been at
tempting 20 bring the economic
balance of the world into equiii-
brium. This later problem is
really Of much greater import
ance than the problem of techni-
cal advance in today's situation.
A solution OF it will be reached
largely by a REIMBURSEMENT of
debts, both personal and nation
al, and through a revision Of
governmental laws regulating
the movement of commerce"
Discussing figures used alike
by "Technocrats and those not
agreeing with tnem," Mr.. Stone
said he believed these statistics
have little bearing on final con-
illusions, as in general they are
all too readily subject to distor-
ton"
common sense and calm
judgement" he said, "force most
of us to the conclusion that the
machine, while it may reduce the
number of persons in any one
branch of industry, does not
throw those displaced perman-
emily out of work, but makes
them available to produce some
other commodity or article which
contributes to comfort and con-
venienee of all mankind.
"Were this not So" he declar-
ed, 'the economic world as we
know it, would have disintegrat-
ed many years ago. Further
more. many archaeological de-
velOpments and inventions re-
suit in an icreaSe in the size of
the market available for present
products. Increased prosperity
for a very large part of this
country was a direct result of
the invention of the cotton gin.
A large reduction in the cost of