Evening star., 1951-12-06
Canham Tells NAM
Most Public Officials
Withhold Information
By Francis P. Douglas
Stor Stcff Correspondenf

NEW YORK, Dec. 6.-EfWln ID.
Canham, editor of the Christian
Science Monitor, asserted today
that from the White House to the
county courthouse public officials
fail to accept their duty to let the
public know the facts it has a
right to know.
Mr.. Canham, a former president
of the American Society of News
paper Editors, was one of the chief
speakers before the second days
sessions of the National Associa-
ton of Manufacturers. He said:
President Truman's recent
executive order setting up system
of classifying and withholding
information throughout all the
civilian departments of Govern
ment was the most graphic and
sweeping blueprint for suppression.
Capable of Gravest Abuse.
THE Presidents avowed pur-
pose-to prevent military secrets
from being made public-is un-
challengeable. But there is plenty
of machinery to protect such in
formation right now. The eXecu-
tive order. as in so many other
activities of big government, sets
up a system capable of gravest
abuse. 1t threw out the baby
with the bath water
ut is being vigorously resisted
and. in the face of the outcry, the
President has curbed such agen-
cies as sought to use the new sys-
tenn for suppression. But the Or
der is still on the books and it
could be used to draw a cloak over
governmental malfeasance at any
time"
Other highlights in convention
addresses included:
/. A statement by Manly
Fleischmann, defense production
administrator, that major controls
on the use of synthetic rubber will
be relaxed about January l or
before. This is because of the
increased synthetic rubber pro-
duction.
Mr.. FleiSchmann also disclosed
he expects to resign his jobs-heI
is head of the National Produc-I
ton Authority as well as head of
DPA-in the spring and return to.
private life.
2. A prediction that for some
time to come prices will continue
to advance, made by DR.. Harold
G. Moulton, president of the
Brookings Institution of Wash
ington.
3. A recommendation by De-
ehard A. Hulsey, president of the
United States Chamber of Com
nerce, that national business Or
ganizations operate in the nature.
of national better business bu-I
reaus to police the business COM
munity against dealers in shoddyI
merchandise and practitioners of
shabby enterprises.
Business Fakers" Scored.
Turning to a subject which has
attracted much attention here,
Mr.. Hulcy continued:
"The impact of mink coats,
deep freezers and expensive vaca-
tion trips involved in the Govern
ment cases has been sharp
and broad. This is the sort of
thing that alerts the public in
terest and evokes the public con-
sciousness of evil-doing. The re-
verse side of the coin is to expose
the business faker, the dishonest
advertiser and all the come-on
boys who operate within the law
but outside the law of decency."
DR.. Moulton's prediction of
higher prices was made at a panel
discussion of initiation which de-
veloped general agreement that.
the budget should be balanced.
DR.. Emerson P. Schmidt, di-
rector of economic research of
the United States Chamber of
Commerce, said, however, it is
reasonably safe to say that inf1a-
ton has been conquered for the
time being, at least.
"If we can keep a balanced
budget so that the Government
will spend no more than it takes
out of the economy" he con-
tinued, "the most important
sources of inflationary pressures
will have disappeared"
But Prof. Harley L. Lutz, /
Princeton finance expert and
NAM consultant, feared it would