Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-01-30
Organization
Chief Need in
Defense Plans
DecentraIized Units Held
Best for Efficiency
BY HUGH s. JOHNSON

THERE has been so much COM
Il ment. criticism and discus
sion about the lack of proper
overhead organization and failure
10 fix single and individual
responsibility at the top Of prac-
tically all the major depart
mentS of defense. that an even
greater fault of the same kind
in local organization has been
largely overlooked.
This nation can't operate as a
unit, as IL must do, 10 undertake
the StupendouS task ahead. un-
less it is organized as A unit.
Whether it be the Office Of
Civilian Defense, or the Selective
service, or mobilizing all facili-
ties of production 10 act as one
machine, or TO ration automo-
bileS, tires and rubber, or 10
control the price structure
especially retail priceS-there
must be n decentralized orGanl-
Zation with some kind of unit
of control in every community
in the nation.
THE greatest shortening OF
SPAR was that II did not AT
once set up such industry com
mitteeS as were -tiSed in World
War l 10 bring every factory
in each producing group into
easy access and control by the
Observation-Disclosures cZarS.
Apparently Donald Nelson un-
derstandS this thoroughly and is
now moving rapidly 10 complete
this necessary spade work.
In addition he will have the
advantage in army production
Of the district offices set up in
the ordnance department.
There is one Of these for each
great territorial producing area.
Attached TO il are able men who
know the situation In their dis
trictS. They can guide both tho
placing and the follow-up Of
these great orders and cut reels
of red tape. They are doing this
already.
| have Just talked 10 a great
expert in this work who has Just
visited several OF them and he Is
pleased. not 10 say enthusiastic,
with what he saw.
The deCentrallzed pattern for
selective service followed the
successful model Of 1917 and
1918 and there IS little 10 worry
about there.
The industry committees. II
promptly and properly organ
lied. will greatly aid and speed
production for the maritime
commission and lcaSe-lend.
As well AS can be gagged AT
this early date IN Mr.. Nelson s
administration he is moving
along right and proved lines and,
if critics are not too impatient,
they Will find reason 10 applaud
the result as the great Amerl-
can machine for production ac-
tually settles down 10 do the
stupendous Job assigned 20 II.
OF ONE great clement per.
~ hapS tho most important
one very little Of what has
been said applies Mr. Leon Hen
derSon deserves our prayers. His
Job is To ration our Scant sup
plies and 10 keep the price struC-
ture from rising through the
skies particularly retail prices.
The Job is his The tools with
which 10 do II arc not. He has
no control over wages and. since
rising farm prices are tied TO
rising wage rates under the new
price control bill, that means
that he has no adequate control
OF the whole price structure
Furthermore, II his job If con-
trolling retail prices m every ono
of the tens Of millions Of our
daily transactions, means what
it says. II is wholly impossible
II would require a verltable
army in a decentralized organl-
zation 10 police II. Price control
can be applied only 10 the great
nationally organized segments OF
our commerce.
Mr.. Henderson ought 10 know
that. because il is the rock on
which NRA split As long AS the
codes were confined 10 them,
they worked When they were
extended 10 include barber
shops. cleaners and dycrs,
chicken butchers and the like
they exploded.
In IFS most important aspect
statutory authority and vast
organization 10 do the lobl our
economic mechanism for defense
is wholly lacking.
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