Evening star., 1942-12-06
BY FRANK MacMILLEN,

MADE good beginning, thanks in
no small part to you. But wesmust
not forget that it is only a begin
ming"
Warns Of Overoptimism.
William P. Witherow, retiring
president OF the association, said in
his keynote speech this is mo time
to be- lulled into too much op-
timiSm."
Said James v. Forrestal, Under
secretary of the Navy and former
Wall Street investment banker:
Il have heard some manufac-
turers were actually concerned that
the war was about to end, leaving
them with the difficult problem of
readjustment. This I can say
to you: The end of the war is not in
sight"
He asserted the end will come
more quickly if we concentrate all
our thoughts upon the goal of in
creased production
But what is to come after the war
was major subject, with mixed ex-
pressions of confidence and down.
right alarm. AS in their past sew
eral annual conventions, Industrial
lists and others condemned regimen
tation OF business by Government,
but the question of what kind of
postwar regimentation the peace
would bring seemed paramount.
Opposes Revolution"
Said Witherow:
Il am not making guns or tanks
to win a peoples revolution I am
making armament to help our boys
save America. I don't want our in
stitutions changed so the boys fight
ing for them won't recognize them
when they get back"
He said further:
Efforts to misuse this war as a
means of socializing American in
dustry and our society do not
strengthen, but weaken, this Nation
for war"
Prof. Harley L. Lutz of Princeton
asserted plans are now under way
for sweeping reconstruction of the
economy in the name of war need"
and declared that free enterprise
would have to fight for its life.
Donald NJ Nelson, chairman of
the War Production Board. in an
evident effort to answer such fears,
said:
This talk of all-out mobilization
and centralized direction may sound
frightening. I do not think it
should. For by making the united
effort which is required of us in this
stage of the war we are in no sense
submitting to straitjacket. On the
contrary, we are in a very real and
immediate sense setting ourselves
free"
Kaiser Urges Action.
Henry j. Kaiser, West Coast ship
building wizard. took up the cudgels
for postwar planning in the final
address and said it was a job the
businessmen themselves could and
should do Immediately. He said
they must show the way to decent
standard of living or surrender to
the social politicians. who have little
to offer save ultimate bankruptcy"
But he bluntly warned that they
must expect changes. saying:
If any one Of us cherishes in his
heart the illusion that he can re-
capture any of the special privileges
or the unWarranted advantages of
the past or that he can once again
build power known as a vested
interest, let him consider the forma-
tion OF war debt which may ulti-
mately come to $500, ,OO0, 900 900 and
which represents in its underlying
and more tragic significance the, cost
of competition untempered by the
spirit of fair play"
How much Government regula-
ton? Where does needed regulation
end, and needless sitting of in
ltiative and enterprise begin? These
seemed to be the big questions. Sev-
eral business leaders said there was
already too much. Said Witherow
the keynoter:
The trouble is, there is so many
things in the knapsack the indus
triaiists have to carry-rationing
renegotiation, shortages, investiga-
ton, indictments, missionaries
antitrust suits, overlapping, red
tape and confusion, NLRB, WLH
and other alphabetical slowdowns
that took the time OF management
Some OF these were necessary, some
natural mistakes in the hurry to
speed the war, and some were errors
OF the inexperienced; but no ex-
PLANTATION lessons the handicap to
the knapsack carrier
Initiative Held Vital.
j. Howard Pew, president, Sun
Oil Co., said Americas industrial
supremacy was due to the freer play
Of initiative here than elsewhere
and what cripples initiative cripples
the war effort. He said many years
of war lie ahead" and "all our en-
ergies, resources and money must be
mobilized' in way which would let
initiative function.
H. w. Prentis, jr., president of
Armstrong Cork Co., Lancaster, Pa,
and chairman of the Manufacturers
Association Executive Committee,
asserted that economic planning
even as proposed by "middle-of- the
readers" could become a cancer in
the body polite, because compul-
sorry planning represents abolition OF
all limitation on Government power
Kaiser told the industrialists, III
we had the courage we could here
and now adopt plan to end all
plans; plan which would restore
the confidence Of the people in in
dustrial leadership; a plan which
would vindicate and complement the
astonishing record which industry
now Is establishing in war produc-
tion."
He told the businessmen they
should begin at once to develop bold
plans for housing. medical care