Evening star., 1933-05-20
BARUCH ASKS AID
IN DEPRESSION WAR
Pleads for Public Support
of Government in Fight
for Recovery.

Mobilization Of public opinion in sup
port of the national industrial war
against 1.-The common enemy" depres-
sion, was called for by Bernard M.
Baruch last night at meeting at the
Brookings Institution. The occasion
was memorial to Robert S. Brook
ings. founder of the research center
which bears his name.
Mr.. Baruch declared the time has
arrived when "the insignia OF govern
mental approval on doorways, letter.
heads and invoices will become a
necessity in business" With direct ref
erence to the national industry recov-
cry plan, he said, the United States
lis about to set up an organization
that will reach out into field OF thou
sands Of trade associations and hun
dreds of thousands of institutions, and
will assume responsibility for direction
of our entire agricultural and indus
trial enterprise"
He gave it as his opinion that "in
certainly a majority of trades the
same rule for hours and wages is ap-
plicable. The quickest method is to
bring the uniform cases to swift action
by a blanket rule and then to deal
with the exceptions"
Prime Purpose Outlined.
The prime purpose of the recovery
bill he outlined, as unemployment Of
labor, maintenance or increase in
wages. Standardization of hours of Ia
bor control of production and the es-
tablishment Of fair price scale, all
designed to bring about and to pre-
serve stability
But Mr.. Baruch mentioned certain
danger signals" 1T seems like public
lunacy." he said, ito decree unlimited
operation of a system which periodically
disgorges indigestible masses OF uncon-
sumable products" He spoke of the
Government as having fostered "our
overcapacitated industrial combinations
! to increase production" while illogi-
cally "forbidding or making 1t impos-
| sible for industry to cooperate in cop
| ing with the consequences of this sys-
tenn" He called this inconsistency AN
! astonishing example of complete eco
nomic impotence"
If the problem of control Of pro-
duction in the general interest Is to be
solved, the speaker insisted, sincere CO.
operation must come from industry.
| coupled with the power of discipline
vested in the Government and to be
used at points where it may be re-
| quired"
while we agree fully that industry
must voluntarily accept and ask for CO.
ordination, and that any appearance Of
! dictation must be avoided, the power
of discipline must exist. At least We
found it so in the war experiment.
Public Opinion BEST Method"
1.-THE best method of enforcement lies
| in the power of public opinion"
This lesson, Mr.. Baruch suggested,
! had been ignored in the agricultural
act" and. he hoped, Congress will not
forget 1t in the industrial act" In the
latter, he stressed the point that there
| is involved the imposition by the Gov
| eminent of price limitation as essen
| tial to elimination of cut t-throat compe-
! tition and the sterilization Of prices.
Finally, Mr.. Baruch said, this proc
ess is certain to raise American costs
even further above world costs, and to
require additional protection again i'm
portations. Coupled with the further
effect of the farm bill to raise prices,
all this struggle suggests inconsistency
in domestic policy with any plan to
| lower tariffs in world economic confer
| ence. But that can be ironed out"
! Other speakers at the meeting were
| DR.. Harold G. Moulton. president OF
the institution, and Frederick A. Delano
member Of the board of trustees. They
| discussed the history of the founda-
! tons work in the past and present.