Evening star., 1939-01-06
Hopkins Sympathetic
Toward Problems
Of Business
Commerce Secretary
Toking Time to Study
His New Job

marry l.. HOPKINS, cOnQuctlng his
first press conference since he be-
came Secretary of Commerce two
weeks ago, today indicated, without
making any positive statements, his
sympathy with the problems of
business. The attitude of the for
mer w. p A. administrator on this
question has been the subject OF
considerable informal debate since
the President appointed him to the
post vacated by Daniel c. Roper.
I've been spending my time here
the last several days talking to
people from all over the country
about this job and its implications" :"
Mr.. Hopkins said. And I'm going
to continue to do that. I know you
would not want me to develop in q
casual manner an approach to a job
as important as this is. / want to
take as much time as I need before
/ make any public statements on
matters of Importance"
Has Definite Ideas.
A newspaperwoman in the room
crowded with correspondents eager
to get ar inkling of the point of
view of the Secretary about his new
post asked:
Have you any definite ideas
about your job, or are you just seek
ing your way?"
"Of course, I've got some definite
ideas about it," Mr.. Hopkins said,
definite ideas as to the criteria by
which you determine whether some
body is good Secretary of Com
merce at the end of the year or
not
Another reporter asked:
DO you believe in the profit sys-
tenn of business in this country?'
Yes"
Confers With Hartman.
Except for Averill Hartman,
chairman of the Business Advisory
Council, Mr.. Hopkins declined to
make public the names of persons
with whom he has been comforting.
He said he talked with Mr.. Harri-
man for several hours, and added
that he expects to confer with other
members of the Business Advisory
Council during the coming week.
The council was set up by Mr.. Roper
in 1888.
The bi-monthly meeting of the
Council will be held here January 26
and 27. Whether by that time the
Senate will have acted on Mr.
Hopkins nomination and the Sec
retary will feel freer to talk for
publication is not known. 1t is con-
sidered likely that by then the
Hopkins policy will have taken on a
fairly definite form.
The Secretary said today he had
no comment on the rumor that part
of his Bureau of Foreign and
Domestic Commerce would be trans
ferred to the State Department. He
did remark that he liked his old
rough-and-ready Office in the
Walker-Johnson Building, w. p.
A. headquarters, better than the
paneled suite in the Commerce
Building.
Few Personnel Changes.
1clC uuuCIl UlOIc dU AlOiAIC OVCA
there" Mr.. Hopkins said.
The Secretary disclosed that he
has issued orders that no employe
of the department is to ride on the
yacht Eala. This is the boat aboard
which Acting Controller General
Elliott accused former Secretary
Roper of taking pleasure trips.
II don't want to ride on the boat"
Secretary Hopkins said. Il don't
want anybody else to ride on it."
He said he expected to make few
personnel changes. Victor Sholis
Of Chicago, a former newspaperman,
has been brought to the department
to act as personal assistant to Mr..
Hopkins and to take charge of the
Information Division. Commis-
sioner of Fisheries Frank T. Bell
has resigned to go into private busi-
ness, Mr.. Hopkins said. The COM
missionership is filled by presi-
Dental anpOintment.