Evening star., 1942-10-18

llC UOdl ", WllASll Aldo AlAAlC AS6AoAAoA
Offices in the United States and one in
Alaska, is composed of three members
Frederic Delano, chairman; Charles E.
Merriam of Chicago, vice chairman, and
George F. Yantis of Olympia, Wash. In
carrying out it's work, the board has been
divided into three divisions, dealing with
such matters as stabilization of economic
conditions, current trends of business and
employment, consumer incomes and ex-
penditures, long-range work and relief
needs and the development of trans
portation and natural resources. 1t
also is charged with the responsibility
of developing and making annual revi-
sions of six-year programs of public
works.
is the Federal Reserve Board, where
Prof. Alvin Hansen of Harvard Univer-
sity and Guy Greer are engaged in a
study of wide range of problems. The
studies, Mr.. Greer said, include urban
redevelopment, river and regional de-
velopment, transportation, agriculture,
expansion of social security and tradi-
tional public works, such as sewers, hos
pitfalls and schools.
Two Years to Get Back.
Mr.. Greer said 1t was figured it would
take, roughly, two years after the war
''to get on an even keel" and that 1t
would be period during which most of
the wartime controls will have to be
kept, but in diminishing severity. They
will include the seven anti-inflation con-
predicted, but tapering off by the end
OF the two years.
"One thing to fight postwar imitation
will be for the Government and indus
try to get into production and to get
goods to sell fast" he added. He also
believed there would be a need for tax
reductions-where they would stimulate
production-and easing of credit restric-
tions.
Mr.. Greer said it was "heartening" to
him to find that the old hostility be-
tween Government and private enter
prise had almost disappeared. All are
starting with the same basic assump-
tions, he said including the view that
we must maintain full employment, that
gaps must be filled by Government, that
the Government will stay out of fields in
which private business can and will
function and that governmental ex-
penditures will be made only for those
things that add to the general welfare.
Postwar Problems Studied.
For the past year, Arthur R. Upgren. a
professor of economics at the University
Of Minnesota has been studying post
war business problems as chief of the
National Economics Unit of the Bureau
the Department of Commerce In sew
eral publications, Mr. Upgren has stated
the problem of the postwar period this
way-"How much activity can we sub
stitute. can we find to take the place of
that war activity which we wish to
taper off and end?'
The approach being taken is to as
sumo national income of a certain
level. say 100 or 120 billion, and then
try to figure out what the consumers
would buy with the income if consum-
ers goods were available and how much
activity such purchases would create
Studies have been available for some
time on the type of expenditures people
make at various income levels.
Writing in publication of the Pro-
| ducers Council, Inc, Mr.. Upgren de-
clared: 'It is my belief :. that in these
| immediate postwar years business can
offer an amount of activity fully suff1-
cient to keep our people busy, to offer
the promise of maintaining their in
comes to give promise of full employ
ment to those who shall then wish it, and
to give rich consumption in return for
| the income so earned"
Taking a prominent part in the
handling of rehabilitation of manpower
will be the Department of Labor and
the Selective Service System. The work
of the Labor Department, being under
taken at the direction of Congress. is
under Dal Hitchcock, who has an indus
trial engineering background
1--WE are not planners, but Statisticians
and analysts trying to develop informa-
ton needed by the planners when some
kind of program is needed" Mr. Hitch
cock said. I'm our shop, IS per cent of
our time and resources are directly on
war work, but I would say at the same
time" he added that 80 per cent of
what we are doing has direct postwar
significance.
cat present, for the most part" he con-
tinued, I'VE are keeping detailed pictures
of changes being produced by war: shifts
in industrial employment, industry by
industry; shifts in employment by areas,
all Of which is designed to make avail
(See POST WAR. Page B-3)