Evening star., 1945-08-24
Five-point Program
For Expansion Of Jobs
Presented by RumI
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PFeSenfed by kuml
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others will have a free and fair op-
portupity to establish their own
enterprises and thereby increase the
number of available Jobs" the At
torney General testified.
He said he Is In accord with the
ohjectives of the full employment
bill. BY leaving primary RESPONSE
bility with private enterprise, he
said, ''it also recognizes that the
real bulwark Of our society Is, and
must continue to be, free and
vital competitive economy, Further,
the provision of a proper place in
the program for State and local
governments is in the highest ira
ditions OF our system Of Federal
Government" K
Mr.. Rnml indorsed the purposes
OF the bill, but urged that contro-
versial definitions, such as "the
right.to work" and assurance" Of
employment, be modified. $50 that,
without weakening the bill or the op-
portunities for action within the
frame of the bill, the greatest pos
sible harmony may exist among all
who believe that it is both appro-
pirate and necessary that the Fed
eral Government direct its full pow
ers toward the goal of full employ
ment."
Likes Name rs Policy.
Mr.. Ruml, who is chairman of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
and treasurer of r. H. Macy & Co.,
said he likes the term full employ
ment" as the expression of a goal
for national policy. But, like other
goals, he said, it is clearly unat-
tainable. and it would lose its virtue
II it were"
There is some doubt in my mind,
therefore," he continued, whether
1t is necessary or even desirable to
define precisely what we mean by
full employment 1t is a concept
that will change from decade to
decade as our ideas with respect to
the relation between work and free
dom change. -" Why not leave
the term, full employment like
liberty and Justice to stand as a
goal of democratic government, and
10 derive its specific content from
he will of the people as expressed
rom period to period by their free
nstitutions?"
Mr.. Ruml said the second doubtful
phrase in the bill Is the assurance"
If full employment. and added:
obviously such assurance can
1ever be given by fiscal measure
llone. Take, for example, the in
unemployment that might
'e caused by labor disputes involv-
ng utilities, building service opera
,ors, teamsters or transport work
,rs, which might seriously affect
full employment for large
numbers OF workers dependent for
heir work on these services. Are
Ill strikes, boycotts and lockouts
hat affect continuing full employ
nent of workers not parties to the
dispute to be outlawed in order to
assure the right to work?'"
Urges Prompt Adoption.
The witness concluded with the
statement that the "objectives of
the full-employment bill are desir-
able, and that the procedure is
if the five basic steps he
recommended are promptly adopted.
Without these other steps to stim-
ulate private employment, Mr.
Ruml said, the bill attempts to do
TOO much" Mr.. Ruml divided the
Dill into two major parts: l. To fol-
low Government policies that will
high employment in in
dustry; 2, to provide Federal ex-
penditures to make up the de-
|iciency.
IF there were no reasonable ex-
oectation of legislation at an early
date directed toward automatic and
effective maintenance of normal,
nigh productive employment, it
would be my feeling that the pas
sage of the full-employment bill
should wait for such reasonable ex-
pectation. Otherwise, Part of the
program would be forced to carry
\ gigantic and unworkable load"
ne said.
A third witness, Harry w. Schac-
,er, Louisville CKyD department
store president, urged passage OF
the bill. He attacked what he de-
scribed as "a small segment" of
business which believes initiative
would be stified by full employment.
The committee was told yester-
lay afternoon by Ralph E. Flanders
If the Committee for Economic
Development that the Federal Gov
must do much more than
store up work for release when un-
employment is large. 1t must pre-
vent the growth of that unemploy-
nent by politics which encourage
business to expand and investors
70 undertake new ventures"
Warns Against Spot Action.
Mr.. Flanders, who is president of
he Federal Reserve Bank of Bos-
,on, called it an epoch-making bill,
which for the first time lays en-
,hasis on the maintenance of en-
oloyment as a major governmental
He warned, how
ever, that the bill must not be
misinterpreted by assuming that
responsibility can be
fulfilled by the timing and volume
If its expenditures" i
THAT is a dangerous assumption"
ne continued. IF the bill is prop
erly interpreted to cover the whole
'ange of governmental responsible
Ity, 1t will mark great forward
step in organizing our major social
and economic obiectives-a high
evel of productive employment in
the United States"