Milford chronicle., 1953-08-14
To Discuss Govt. Aid
To Small Businesses

/ William ID. Mitchell, Administra-
tor of the new Small Business Ad-
ministration. announced Sunday
that he and other SBA officials will
confer Monday. with members of
the American Bankers Association
on plans for expanded Government
aid to small businesses.
Mr.. Mitchell said Mondays all
day meeting. to be held in Wash
ingtOn, will be the first of a series
he will have with representatives
of all segments Of industry and
finance. Mr.. Mitchell said:
1.-The Small Business Admins
tration, created by Act of Congress
which President Eisenhower ap-
proved on July 30, 1858, has much
greater opportunity for service
than did its predecessor, the Small
Defense Plants Administration.
"The SDPA was interested only
in the defense-oriented and social
| ed essential civilian manufacturing
industries which comprise a por-
ton of the 100000 manufacturing
enterprises. But SBA is concerned
with the overwhelming number of
small concerns among the 1000, 900
enterprises in all branches of in
dustry.
at is our continuing RESPONSE
bility to assist small business firms
in obtaining a fair share of ma
tiOnal defense orders in coOpera-
tiOn with the military establish
ment, but our sights on behalf of
small business have been lifted
much higher by the action of Con-
gress in creating the SBA.
Mine out of every ten business
firms in the United States are small
concerns. Their proprietors num-
Der into the millions They con-
stitute the well-springs of our free
enterprise system, for small busi-
ness is additionally the avenue of
opportunity for the man who has
ideas, who wants to be independ-
ent, who wants to develop his own
enterprise and make his own con-
tributiOn to our national progress.
"This avenue of opportunity
must be kept open, for without it
American initiative would suffer
and our rate of progress would de-
cline. 1t is fundamental to the Am
erican way of life, which means
economic freedom and economic
opportunity.
"The younger generations as
they come on-yOung people out of
our schools and colleges, veterans
returning from the Armed Services
are entitled to the same OppOr-
tunities that their foTebears had to
make their way in the business
world. Inevitably great numbers
of them will go into small enter
prises."
Mr.. Mitchell said that after Mon
days meeting, he will confer with
other bankers and financial lead
ers, representatives of small busi-
ness associations, trade groups,
officials of corporations holding
Government prime contracts and
experts on tax problems of small
business. Mr.. Mitchell continued:
"The purpose of these meetings
will be to enlist private enterprise
itself in the job of encouraging the
development and growth of small
business. The function of the SBA
is to help small businesses help
themselves, and / have complete
confidence in the initiative, skill
and enterprise of businessmen to
find their way And it will be the
effort of the SBA to serve as a
clearinghouse for constructive
ideas"
Mr.. Mitchell described the major
SBA programs as follows:
l. Processing of small business
loan applications; intensive effort
to arrange local, private financing
for small business before resort
ing to use of the funds Congress
made available to SBA for making
loans.
2. Continuation and improvement
of the "jOint determination" pro-
gram under which nearly $780,
100000 in military prime contracts
has been eaTmarked for or al
ready awarded to small plants un-
der the joint determination by the
military and SDPA.
3. Continuation of the program
started by SDPA under which the
agency takes prime contracts it.
self and subcOntracts the work to
small firms.
4. COOrdinated effort to obtain
tax relief for small business enter
prises, thus removing a major OBJ
stacle to improvement and expan-
sion of their plants and facilities.
/ D. Extension of assistance to
small retailers, distributors, min
ing companies and other nOn-man-
ufacturers, in line with the re-
quirements in the new law to as
sist all segments of small busi-
ness.
6. Continue high-level consuIta-
tiOn with other Federal agencies
to insure that in all Government
programs affecting small business
the interests and viewpoints of
small business will be fully pre-
sented.
z. Enlargement of the program
of Technical and Managerial Aids
to small business, pursuant to the
laws emphasis on this activity.
8. Strengthening of programs
concerned with certificates of com
potency, defense production pools
subcOntracting, equitable distribu-
tiOn of scarce materials, and an
inventory of national production
facilities.
Despite the wide range of our
activities" said Mr.. Mitchell. 81
want to emphasize that SRA will