Evening star., 1934-11-18
OLSON EMISSIONS
.OPERAT|NCPLANTS
FOR STATE PROFIT
Launching of Plan in Min
nesota Hinges on Capital
Farley.
GOVERNOR TO CONFER
WITH U. S. OFFICIALS
Comes to Washington This Wee:
Would Sell Products to Get
Funds to Aid Needy.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

special DlSpdLCn 10 j ne Star.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, November
l7.-Gov. Floyd B. Olson, Farmer
Laborite elected recently on his plat
form embracing cooperative com
monwealth," believes the Government
should go farther than operating fac
tories for production.
He believes Government should take
over the factories and operate them
as employment measures-selling their
products in the open market and turn
ing the money over for relief as well
as the products.
Just what the Minnesota Governors
program for use of relief money to
reopen factories and sell commodities
will be is still a question. He init
mated he doesn't know Just what the
Federal set-up will be but expects to
find out when he goes to Washington
next week.
II don't even know yet how much
I will ask the next Minnesota Legis-
lature to appropriate to meet relief
needs for the coming two years." Gov.
Olson explained when asked about
his proposed program to reopen fac
tories and sell commodities. Il will
not know until have conferred with
relief officials in Washington.
U. S. Aid Undetermined.
Just what amount the Federal
Government will expect the State to
supply will not be determined until
after the Washington conference
After that conference, I will know
what figure the State must meet as its
share"
Last year the special legislative
session voted s5,000.000 for relief at
the Governors request, the money
coming from liquor tax revenues.
Substantiating his belief the Gov
ernment should go further than oper-
ating factories for production for use,
Gov. Olson said: "In expressing these
views, am speaking only as a Farm
er-Laborite. The Farmer-Labor party
is in strategic position, in that it
is neither allied with nor indebted
to capitalism for either legislative o.
campaign funds. 1t is committed to
the support of President Roosevelt by
its last State convention, and that
commitment stands unchanged.
First Step Incidental.
"Its industrial program calls for
Government operation of idle fac
tories. Such operations thus far are
only incidental to relief. I believe
the Government should take over the
factories and sell their products in
the open market. Then it should
turn the money over for relief as well
as the products.
"I do not say I am in favor of
doing this now; I only say it could
be done. But we must start with
production for use, purely as a relief
measure, incidental to public welfare,
which requires employment. We must
produce efficiency first before we can
60 into the open market with the
Government production The future
depends upon what kind of supervis-
ion We have, what kind of manage
ment the Emergency Relief Admins
tration can put in charge.
Need is Basis.
Il would nope to build these indus
tries into cooperative enterprises,
turning them over to the people, but
the trouble is that there is not much
of selective process in picking super
vision, as we are forced to proceed on
the basis of need rather than ability"
Minnesota" said Gov. Olson, has
developed the highest degree Of CO.
operative enterprises under the capi-
talistic system in the Nation.
"The percentage of failures Of CO.
operatives here is much lower than
the percentage of failures Of capital
istic ventures. The Federal Govern
ment should build consumers CO.
operatives"
The Governor also suggested the
possibility of instituting his plan Of
cooperative factories and consumers
co-operatives in Minnesota through
use of the police powers of the State
which, he said, would not mako it
necessary to obtain a constitutional
amendment permitting the State to get
into business.
When asked what would be the next
step in Minnesota to attain his pro-
gram, Gov. Olson said he could an
Swer that in week, when he would
know definitely the F. E. r. A. pro-
gram and could plan legislation to
meet the Droorauo