The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1942-03-26
WNu Service, 1343 H Street, NV
Washington, d. c.

WNU Service, l34S II street. >-"'
Washington, d. c.
1.-THE war is placing the uniteo
States on a basis Of Noncompliance
economy .,is ,
A cabinet member made 'hlS
statement in a private salher'lS -
Washington at which l was preseh
a few days ago He was urging me
need for a study Of postwar e"'"E
tons. .
If we arc rv!ng to MAINTAIN '"'
principle OF free cr'|Tp: Sc ~
went on, we nUSt beam |" H4'' \
NOW about how we are E":h~ 10
change back from a non-c"niP'''">t
system to the normal delN"c'"'''
system of individual enterprise
What the cabinet officer was gel
ting at is this: the major part Oh tht
energy of the nation is graduaAly oe-
ing turned into war production. war
nroduction is a national enterprise
The adjective is to obtain the great
est amount of armament n other
~sunnlies and necessities demandeo
for the creation of a huge mlii.arS
machine, as quickly as possio'e'
This is an entirely different econom-
ic process from that upon WHICH
free enterprise is based.
Free enterprise is the product1o''
of goods for civilian consumption oi
a competitive basis at a pronI SUM-
Gent to encourage the producer ~
keep on producing.
Under war conditions the only
connection is with the enemy. Prof.
its NAV be made by the producer
but every phase Of his business must
be government controlled. The gov
eminent already says that autono-
biles or ice boxes or radios or phono-
graphs cannot be made for ordinary
civilian consumption. The govern
ment tells the manufacturer wha'
he can have in the way OF raw ma
terials and tells him what he can &c
with them. The big corporations
for the most part are already on q
non-competitive basis working fo'
the government. Prices are cor
trolled. 80,
Big business which is convertible
to war production has already oeei
fitted into the new design. Big busl
ness which is not convertible an
which makes an essential clvilla
product is able to adjust itself.
Small Business Problems
But small business faces a diffe
ent problem. BY small business
meant, according to governmel
definition, a manufacturing plal
employing 100 employees or les
wholesale establishments with lie:
than $500, 900 annual net sales vo
ume; retail stores. service esta'
. lishments, hotels. places OF anus
ment and construction estaons
ments with annual net sales or I
ceipts of less than $4,000.
About IS per cent of the sms
businesses of the country, OF viii
there are 1853, Sl4 establishments, q
cording to the classification Of t
United States department OF col
merce are capable Of conversi
from civilian to war productie
This leaves 60 to IS per cent Of the
small businesses which empl
nearly IN million men. in an
ceedingly precarious position.
The vast majority of the people
the United States and the officials
Washington believe that small bu
ness must be preserved if free
terprise is to continue.
Whats to be done about it? W
I spent an hour in the office OF
man selected by the department
commerce to fight the fight for sm
business. 1t is a very plain ottic
the only wall decorations are a {
endar and a map Of the Uni
States. At the desk sits a man "
iron-gray hair and a fine SEQ
burr. Up until three months ago
business card read William Sh
erdson, Financial C%onsultant, t
phone Worth 2-6400. SIS Liberty Str
Twenty-seventh Floor. New Yor
Today his card reads will
Sheperdson, telephone District 2
Division Of Regional Economy.
reau of Foreign and Domestic c
merce. Department Of CONNIE
Washington. D. c."
The Alternative.
Mr.. Sheperdson takes his JOB
seriously. He believes that II 81
business is not preserved Two S
must follow-one-big business
get bigger and small business
yanish-two-the government
have to take owe
That Is what he wants to a
His first function is to get the
concerning the problems OF
business together; his second
--,--r D. D-.Lhr