The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-09-27
ADVERTISING AND BUREAUCRATIC
CONTROL ... e.. fr.

Albert ID. LaSKer, cnalFIHdl III Iie AA
reetors of Lord & Thomas, one of the
country's leading advertising agencies,
said to a Boston conference of retail busl-
ness men yesterday that Government in
business is the poison ivy in the"garden OF
industry" Mr.. Lasker first made the state
ment several years ago in speech to the
Boston Chamber of Commerce. He is now
more firmly convinced than ever that the
statement is absolutely true. ssr., We ~2;'
Mr.. Lasker was chairman of the U. s..
Shipping Board during the World war and
is familiar with this problem from the gov
eminent point of view; and, as an expe-I
rienced man in private business, he knows
the problem from that angle.
Mr.. Lasker's subject yesterday was "Ad-
vertising's New Place in Distribution" He
directed attention to the views of the So
eialist group in federal offices, of which
the leader probably is DR.. Tugwell. These
men are determined upon the regimenta-
ton and Standardization of the people and
the business of the country. They want
dictatorial power over manufacturing and
selling lodged in Washington bureaucratS
As a substitute for free competition in
manufacturing and selling and the stimu-
ilation of business by advertising they
would set up the opinions and edicts of
federal department bureaucrats, who
would not only tell manufacturers how
and what to make, but would instruct the
b ,loA yho,, fn
/; buy. Their plan would eliminate adver-
Using. If bunch of guys sitting at desks
in Washington control production and
marketing throughout the country, the
people will necessarily have to buy what
they permit manufactured and sold, and
the need for advertising is promptly ehmi-
mated 1 60.
The foregoing is not an exaggerated
picture of the position of administration
Socialists and bureaucratic bosses. 1t is a
fair representation of their aims and pur-
poses, as far as they have been developed
by federal legislation, proposed legisla-
ton, and their known attitude.
The Hickory Record makes this COM
gnent on the Lasker address:
but greatest of all the arguments which Mr..
Easker makes for advertising as an untrammeled
developer of business, is his conclusion that we
could not possibly have a free press without adj
Svertising revenues flowing as they do from many
advertisers to support the newspapers in fearless
ness of expression. Aside from the obvious fact
sxthat nation equals America in it's standard of
living largely because advertising has not been
developed anywhere else as in this country, we
have the eoroary truth that the free press in the
United States enjoys a position ahead of news
papers throughout the world because of financial
Independence due to revenues that cannot be con-
tfolied at the whinn of some influence desiring to
mold the policy of a particular publication -.
Mr. Lasker is on solid ground and speaks with
authority as the head of agency which might
be expected to WELD great power with the press
For instance, the Lord and Thomas agency which
he heads, has contributed many thousands of dol
lars towards the advertising revenues of The Rec
ord for space bought for various accounts served
And yet Mr.. Lasker has never made request for
editorial consideration. He, and all other men en-
trusted with the business of investing vast sums
for advertising space, realize that a controlled
publication would not be worth anything me-
dunn of expression
Mr.. Lasker concluded his argument with
these statements, with which we believe
fair-minded citizens are in agreement:
81, for one, feel that if we keep adding respon-
s'oifties and authority to bureaucracy, from the