The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-12-03
Women Act
to Abolish
Insecurity
Co-DirectOrs of World
Organization Propose
Economic Change.
BY EVELYN SEELEY
Times Special Writer

were the economic planners Of
yesterday. Their home was the eco
nomic unit. self-suficient and self
supporting. where they planned the
food supply, spun the wool. piled the
wood for winter. considered their
need for adequate shelter, for years
ahead.
Today It N different. One woman's
household economy is hooked up
with the whole scheme of things.
And today you have not one woman
planning the economy of her home
out two women undertaking the eco
nomic planning of the world.
Mary .. Fledderus of Holland, and
Mary van Kleeck. New York, are old
friends and associates in an ideal
ism that has become a science. Miss
Fieaderus Is founder of the Interna-
tiGnal Industrial Relations Institute
Hiss Van Kleeck Is the associate di-
rector. Together they head the Re-
giOnal Study Conference on Social
Economic Planning, now going on at
Russell Sage Foundation and one OF
the most significant happenings
anywhere.
Their aim is economic planning
TO end unemployment. establish Sc
Curity and raise standards of liv-
ing" no less.
Common Sense Rules
These two women. articulate in
their speech and clear-cut in their
thinking. haven't a sentimental
word in their vocabularies.
All we're attempting" said Miss
van Kleeck. is to link thinking to
working. to get people to think To-
gether and plan together.
We want women to grow
'economiCS-c conscious. We want
houseworkerS-I don't like the term
housewives, because they're more
than that; they're household ecOno-
mistS-tO see their homes and
families in relation to the whole
social pattern"
Miss van Kleeck and Miss Fled
derus sat at a desk in Miss van
Kleeck's office at the Russell Sage
Foundation and talked of their
mutual hopes for the world in
scientific terms. Miss van Kleeck
parts her hair demurely in >
middle, has ink cheeks and the
soft, gracious manner of one in her
own home.
Miss FledderuS has a rakish bob,
challenging eyes. wears tailored
clothes and looks every inch the
business woman. Both are as calm
and good-natured as if they hadn't
the problems of the Id on their
shoulders.
From right and left and I've
middle road they have gathered to-
gether economic experts, from Re-
publicans to Communists. eStab-
liShed to unemployed, professors to
steel workers, in this attempt ito
relate science to practice"
Sharing" Is Doctrine
1T is very simple" said Miss van
Kleeck. smiling. There is no single
place where we know what we need,
no single place where any one has
the slightest idea how much produc-
ton there should be to care for all
the people. We must find such a
meeting place"
1T is very simple" said Miss
Fledderus. The world is so rich.
1t is not that in sharing we must all
go down but that in sharing the
standard of living may rise.
They are not moved by the type
of economic planning" that the
NRA agreements to raise
prices by keeping production down.
What they want is social economic
planning-the indignation of all in
dustries so as to get the best pos
sible use cut of them for all"
Miss FledderuS founded the insti-
tute in 1925 on the premise that the
problems of industry and society
have nothing to do with nations, but
are everywhere fundamentally a
human problem. They began to
tackle special problems TO build up
the human side of industry. In 1928,
at a conference in Cambridge, they
came to the broad realization that
mass production is bound to lead to
great insecurity"
Now that their prediction of 1928
has been fulfilled and the great
insecurity" is upon us. Miss Fled
deruS and Miss van Kleeck are
pioneering a plan to prevent it hap
pening again.