The midland journal., 1944-12-29
S!!lZ:l on Die:
Practical Planners Plot
Nations S Economic Future |
Map Expansion Of Foreign Trade as Help In
Meeting Goal Of 60,000,000 Jobs
In Postwar Period.
BY BAUKHAGE
Netus Analyst and Commentator

~ 0OHsbsCsssueOb
who had no responsibility for the
actual carrying out of the programs,
men who had no power whatever to
make the decisions necessary to
meet the actual conditions with
which they were faced.
AT about the same time, a SINH
lar group was meeting in England.
It had moved a little farther ahead,
perhaps because it's members had
come to the point where they felt
that efficient planning, such as sue
cessful business institutions carried
through, might be applied to public
affairs as well. They called them
selves the "P E p" (political and
economic planning). This group was
made up of British government Off
cials, people from the "City" Uon-
don's Wall street), members Of in
dustry, finance, the Bank of Eng
land (Which, you recall, is a pri-
vate institution and others.
By virtue of a fortunate inter-
national marriage the ideas of the
American and British groups
mingled. And so, the American
group came to the conclusion: first,
that planning must be done by for
ward-looking, rather than histori-
cally-minded groups, including per-
sons who actually had to make the
decisions to carry out the plans.
Second, that since Gas the previous
years had shown) even the we'll
planned industrial and governmental
efforts fall when the ''unplanned" ef-
forts 60 down as they did in the
depression, it might be wise to car
ry the planning into the national
field.
By 1884 the National Planning as
sociation had been organized, had
received the backing Of number of
foundations, individual contributions
and memberships and was able to
issue its first report in December Of
that year setting forth it's principles.
Other reports followed.
Birth of a
Big Idea ~
Just when the $50 million jobs''
idea was born, I do not know. Ger
tainly it was before anyone had hit
upon that particular figure which,
indeed, must be considered rather
as symbol than an exact estimate
Of tomorrow's needs. But there was
one statement made at a meeting
in 1910 which seems to me to have
been the inspiration for the present
report.
It was Donald Nelson who spoke
and the gist Of what he said was
this:
"In order to get full production
for the war effort we must conquer
certain future fears. Labor must
be cured Of the fear that this tre-
mendous production effort will bring
a reaction and that war workers will
be working themselves out Of a job
later. Capital must be cured Of the
fear that it will bring imitation and
depression which mean that they are
working themselves out of their in
vestments and profit"
Whether this caused the board Of
trustees Of the NPA to call upon
its committee on international policy
to set their heads to writing pre-
scription for full employment, I do
not know. But it might seem to have
caused constructive thinking in that
direction.
These are some of the men in
volved:
William Bait, one of Americas
leading industrialists and member
Of the War Production board, heads
the NPA's board of trustees. The
chairman of the committee Of the
NPA which prepared the report is
Stacy May, economic advisor to the
McGraw-Hill publishing company.
There are 81 others who compose
the committee which drew up the re-
port. They are representative men,
bers Of industry, labor, agriculture,
finance, public affairs, professional
life.
COPIES of the plan - Americas
New Opportunities in World Trade"
Pamphlets Nos. 37-38, can be OBJ
tained for so cents by writing the
National Planning association, 300
21st street, Washington, D. CO.
RATSl They say that rodents de-
sert a sinking ship.
If that is the case Washington is
assured a safe voyage for we have
in the capital more than our share.
And the White House has its quota,
too, although the situation there has
been ameliorated since the days
when Theodore Roosevelt hired a
special rat charmer to run out the
vermin with trained ferrets.