The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-11-14
18th N. E. Conference
OpensIn Boston 7 oday
Theme of Meeting Is "a United New England in q
Nation United for National Defense"

Boston, Nov. IA (Special)-
and public officials were gath
this morning from all parts
18th New England Conferenc
Hotel Statler, under auspices
and the six New England G
meeting is "A United New FL
National Defense"
On the eve Of the meeting rep
resentatives of official and private
agencies met at the Statler with
Ralph E. Flanders, chairman of the
councils industrial committee, to
consider the full utilization of New
England's resources for national de-
Tense. Among those attending the
meeting were representatives Of the
Nationl Defense Advisory Commits
sion, United States Army Ordnance
Department in this area, the state
defense councils in the New England
states, the New England Regional
Planning Commission, state develop
ment commissions and state man
ufacturers associations.
While an executive session of the
New England Governors, scheduled
for II o'clock this morning was ex-
pected to sound the keynote of the
Conference, the delegates speculated
concerning the remarks with which
Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox
will open this afternoons first gen.
eral session.
Six Governors In Attendance
The participation of the Cover
nors in the proceedings with Sec
rotary Knox featured the first gen.
eral session Of the Conference. Red
field Proctor of Proctor, Vermont,
former president of the New Eng
land Council, presided at this ses-
sion.
simultaneously with the opening
of the first general session, a dis
play Of defense articles being pro-
duced in New England was exhibited
in the Statler In connection with
the Conference. Dozens of products
including machine guns and other
munitions used by the United States
Army and Navy, were on display.
The six state dinners at which
the New England Governors are the
guests Of honor and principal speak,
ers will take place tonight. Election
Of state directors for two-year
terms will be held at these meetings
The International aspects Of the
European war and their effect on
New England viii be stressed at
several Of the state dinners.
Tomorrow'S Session.
Tomorrow morning, there will
be four group meetings devoted to
industry, agriculture. recreation
and community development. The
economic consequences Of the de-
tense program of New England in
dustry, progress OF the defense pro-
gram and the development OF an
adequate labor supply for national
defense industries, will be outlined
at the Industrial Session. Speakers
will include: Sumner H. Slichter,
professor Of economics. at Harvard
Business School: Blackwell Smith,
director Of the Legal Division, In
dustrial Materials Department of the
National Defense Advisory Com
mission: and Charming r. Dooley,
director, Training Within-Indus-
try" division Of the National De-
tense Advisory Commission.
Building unity within New Eng
land and the nation will be the
theme Of the concluding general
session tomorrow afternoon. The
speakers at this session are: irving
S. Odds. chairman OF the Board,
United States Steel Corporation,
New York City; Clinton S. Golden,
director, Northeastern Region, Steel
Workers Organizing Committee,
Pittsburgh; and James Phinney
Baxter. president Of williams COL
lege, Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Many Noted Speakers
Other speakers, who will address
the Conference. today and tomor-
row. will include: Herbert Ross
Brown, professor OF English, Bow
dom College, Brunswick, Maine;
Brigadier General Charles F. Bow
en-, The Adjutant General. State of
New Hampshire; Laurence M. Mey-
er. industrial agent. New Hampshire
Planning end Development Com
mission, Concord; Bancroft Brown,
Professor of Mathematics, Dart
mouth College; Harold Fowler OF
Holderness, N. H., with new color
motion picture New Hampshire on
Parade~: Albert Gardiner, assistant
general passenger traffic manager,
Canadian National Railways, Mon
treal: DR.. J. Anton deHaas, Ziegler
Professor of International Relations,
Harvard Business School; Mallory
Browne European Editorial Man
ager, Christian Science Monitor,
London Bureau.
Commander Thomas D. Galbraith,
r. NJ, M. p, of the British Pur-
chasing Commission, New York
City; Lieut.-Col. James S. Craw-
ford. U. S. A., executive office Bos-
ton Ordnance District; Igor Sikor-
sky, Vought-Sikorsky Division, Uni
ted Aircraft Corporation, Stratford;
G. N. Nichols, president, Interna-
tional Association of Convention Bu-