Evening star., 1948-12-01
NAM Asks Teamwork,
Fears Manufactured
Crisis in Government
By Froneis P. Douglas
Stcr Stoff coyrespondent

6tO1i6l ASSUCldIIUll VI MduQldC
tarers today opened its SD an
nUal convention with a call TO,
teamwork and a warning agains
a4manufactured crisis" in Gov
srhment and an effort to propa
gandize the public to saccep
wartime controls again. III
THE organization which was as
Eailed by President Truman during
the recent campaign as representa-
tue Of big business which wanted
x0s return to Republican normally
Failed for teamwork between in
AsBtry and Government, manage
iaent and labor, industry and th'
public and between nations.
this was the gist OF the keynote
address which opened the conven
ton, referred to by the NAM a!
the Congress of American Industry
The speaker was Earl Bunting, for
mer president and now managing
director of the organization. He il
also the former president and nov
a director of the O'Sullivan Rubbel
Co. Of Winchester, Va.
Government Accused.
Ira Mosher, one of the speaker
who followed him, asserted the Gov.
ernment again is attempting tt
monopolize the whole game" as i
did in wartime. Mr.. Mosher L
head of a New York industrial ane
public relations firm and is chair
man of the NAM Finance Com.
mittee.
Paul G.. Hoffman, Economic Co
operation Administrator, addressed
the organizations luncheon meeting
His address was chiefly an exposi.
ton OF the work of the ECA.
: The goal is a much freer move.
ment of goods and people through
out Europe he said. eve expect
that further efforts to break dowr
the National barriers to increased
trade in Europe will multiply il
scope and effectiveness, and we in
tend to encourage them with all o.
The force and all OF the pressure w
can muster.
THE important thing to note now
however, is that the centuries-olc
trend toward experimentation ir
Europe has been reversed, that new
and hopeful concepts are stirring
Europe's imagination and that new
institutions are in the making" he
said.
The convention will extend ovel
three days at the Waldorf-AStoria
Hotel, ending with the annual ban
uuet Friday night. One of the CHIEF
speakers then will be Secretary OF
Commerce Sawyer. who is expected
10 disclose the administrations policy
toward business.
Mr.. Bunting in his speech spoke
Of conflicting ideologies in the world
and confusion wrought by mass
migrations from economic realities.
REGARDLESS of the kind OF Gov
ernment, work must be performed
ability must be exercised, capital
must be saved and centured," he
said. Capital and labor
would be lost without each other
Mr.. Mosher, discussing Govern
ment's place on the team advocated
by Mr.. Bunting, said that imitation
Is the greatest danger today and is
being caused largely by the Govern
ments monetary and flscal policies
He quoted DR.. Edwin G. Nourse
chairman of the Presidents Council
of ECONOMIC. Advisers, as warning
that increased military expenditures
would, in his judgment, force us
out Of the free market of a peace
time economy and drive us into the
acceptance of number Of direct
controls"
While DR.. Nourse is raising the
spectre of imitation. Mr.. Mosher
said, the President waves the flag
Of defiation by refusing to relinquish
Government control of wheat ex-
ports to private shippers for fear
prices will go down.
with its more frequent exploita-
ton, the manufactured crisis in
Government becomes more trans
parent. DR.. Nourse has laid the
groundwork for an inflationary crisis
resulting from a higher military
budget. Our experience Immediately
leads us to suspect that the next
step will be to revise the budget
upwards. Then we check back and
we find that the third step is to OBJ
tain standby controlS-"that won't
be used unless necessary. Where
have we heard that before?"
Mr.. Mosher said the Government
k in business and 'if you can believe
the election results" the public
wants it there.
Whether you believe the election
was a Ieftist mandate from the
people or not, it certainly was not
erepudiation," he went on. "The ad-
r1inistration has some very definite
ideas about Governments place on
the team. Confidence in those ideas
has been bolstered by vote of the
people"
Other speakers who developed Mr.
Bunting's theme of teamwork were
Matthew Woll, vice president OF
LIlS AIIlSIlCdIl T COCl dIlOLl vi LdHOt
Spruille Braden, former Assistant
Secretary of State for American
Republics, and s. c. Allyn, president
of the National Cash Register Co
and a NAM director
Threat to Business Seen.
Mr.. Woll said that in the Taft
Hartley Act the gates were opened
to an avalanche of Federal restric-
tions which might threaten business
as we'll as labor.
Now that we are approaching the
hour of congressional revision" he
said, the AF'L will not want to fasten
on business e. "shackles" similar to
those which labor has faced.
Mr.. Braden said the danger OF
impoverishing ourselves is real ano
immediate"
Our leaders recently have made
proposals to spend more billions
many for laudable and, If we coulc
afford it, perhaps necessary pur'