UC-NRLF llll INIllilfll C 2 ?M1 b5b NATIONAL DEFEKS3 CONFERENCE HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENCE, WASHINGTON, D, C. MAY 3 AND 3, 1917, Vi STATE AlcliOiii-icl Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District or* Columbia Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana I owa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana lie eras ka Nevada represemtative c atteitdiitq hatiomal de?e:?-' cohfekesjce washihgtoit, d. c. MAY 8-3 1S17 17AME Richard 11. Hpbbie Dwight B. Heard Lloyd England Benjamin Ide Wheeler Gerold Hughes Marcus H. Holconb Thomas 17. Miller William H. Baldwin J. S. Maxwell IT* E. Harris Janes H. Hawley Samuel Insull Ai Ri Reynolds W. L. Harding H. J. Waters Embry L. Sv;earingen R. G. Pleasant Carl E. Milliken Carl R. Gray James J. St or row Roy C. Vandercook C, W. March Theo. G- Bilbo F. 3. Mum* or d C. J. Kelly R. M. Joyce Emmet D. Eoyle ADDRESS -lev Hampshire John 3. Jameson Mont go^ isry Phoenix Little Rock Berkeley Denver Southington Wilmington Washington Jacksonville Atlanta Boise Chicago Crawf ordsville Des Moines Manhattan Louisville Baton Rouge Augusta Baltimore Boston Lans ing Litchfield Jackson Columbia Butte Lincoln Carson City Concord 38fc379 * * Tennessee Texas Veriuont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wi aeons in Wyouing NAME C. W. Barber \'«\ A. Hawkins Louis W, S totes br_ry Joseph Hyde Pratt Lynn J. Frazier George H. Food J. II. Aydelotte Robert IT. StanfielcL George W. Pepper George H. Webb Christie Benet Ellwood C. Perisho Rv.t i e d ge Suit h Joseph Ilirsch A. IT. He Kay Ira L. Reeves R. Walton Moore Ernest Lister John J. Cornwell Magnus Sv/enson Henry G. Knight ADDRESS Trenton Three Rivers Albany Chapel Hill Bismarck Columbus Oklahoma Standi eld Philadelphia Providence Columbia Brookings Cookeville Corpus Christi Salt Lake City Horthiield Fairfax Olympia Charleston Madison Laramie ASSOCIATE REPRESENTATIVES ATTEND I1TG NATIONAL DEFENSE CONFERENCE WASHINGTON D C KAY 3-3 1917 STATE Connecticut Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Mains Maryland, 3saoh*j.sotts llichigan Minnesota Mississippi Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New York Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin IT A! IE J. W. Alsop L. F. Burpee John H, Brooks Richard M. Bissell F. R. Jones F. H, Newell Ernest U. Smith J. L. Kennedy 0. A. Boyle Emerson Carey Henry Lassen H» IX. Sewall Emerson C. Harrington Wallace B. Donhom Alex. J. Groesbock C. E. Webb Charles W. Ames J. P. He Gee Frederick Sullens Geo. fit, Harries S. G. Dinsuore Lev/is H. Carris Lewis T. Bryant Henry Rogers Winthrop Richard Evelyn Byrd John Lee Coulter Charles McCarthy Martin J. Gillen Alfred L. P, Dennis ADDRESS Avon Hartford Torrington Hartford Atlanta Urbana Indianapolis Sioux City Wichita Hutchison Wichita Bath Annapolis Boston Detroit Grand Rapids St. Paul Minneapolis Jackson Omaha Reno Trenton Trenton New York City Winchester Morgantown Madison Racine Madison The conference was opened at ten five o'clock A.M., with Hon. Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War, presiding, ADDRESS BY HON. NEWTON D. BAKER SECRETARY OF WAR This meeting is the first evidence of organized coopera- tion between the States and the Federal Government in the pre- sent war. I am directed by the Council of National Defense to extend its welcome to you, and to say that in this organiza- tion of the Nation the Federal Government realizes the indis- pensable relations which exist between the States and the Federal Government. The task upon which we have started is so large that no language is adequate to describe the extent of the work ahead of all of us* Obviously, the direction alone, and probably, though not in all instances, the direction of the work can be centered at Washington, but over this continental expanse of ours, from ocean to ocean and from the Gulf to Canada, we are divided by State lines into separate sovereignties, and those States are again 3ub-divided into political sub-divisions &nd communities, and the whole task covers the entire country and reaches to the remotest parts of it . No;v, necessarily and because this is a national matter,, the general direction will be in Washington, but the strength of our organization will depend upon the efficiency with which the organization of the several States and smaller political sub-divisions is carried out. The magnitude of this war is, of course, known in a gen- eral way to all of us, and in a special way to many of us, and yet each minute, I am learning new estimates or new methods of appraising the size of the task. For instance, I just came this minute from the room in one of our Ordnance buildings where I 'was examining some of the implements devised in the British army for one small phase of their military activities, trench warfare, as distinguished from artillery warfare and infantry warfare and cavalry warfare, dealing for the most part with hand grenades and explosive bombs which are projected short distances from trench to trench, and with fire-works which play a very important part in modern war for signalling purposes and battlefield illumination. The young English officer who was explaining those devices told me that the central bureau of the ordnance department alone of the British service now had over ten thousand employees at its central office, end that in this division of trench warfare that seemingly was so small a sub-division of the total ques- tion of armament that over six hundred employees in the cen- tral business office alone were employed. I have no estimate, but I should imagine from that that there must be several hundre thousand persons in England who are associated in just the central offices for devising and providing the munitions, the military munitions, of the British army alone. Now, we can make no forecast of the length of this war, but every consideration of intelligence and prudence directs us to enter it as though it were going to be long, and to equip ourselves to do our task from the very beginning in the largest, the most effective way, That means the mobilization of the energy and strength of our country in a military way and in an industrial way, and of course it means the preser- vation, as far as it is possible, of the country from unneces- sary dislocations of its industrial, commercial, agricultural and community life. It's a task in which the maximum of co- operation is essential to efficiency. While you are here, undoubtedly very specific suggestions will be made to you from various sources as to things which it is hoped can be carried forward in the States «, Some of those will have to do with material things, and some of them will have to do with mental things. The preservation of our national spirit, the preservation of a wholesome and sound attitude towards this great enterprise, is just as important and just as necessary as the dedication of our material means to its accomplish- ment, and of course the Governors of States and State Coun- cils and committees of defense will ride at the very head of public sentiment in their several States and bring them in hearty cooperation with the general purposes of the Government in carrying on this war. Of course,, my personal mission is to speak with you briefly about the ways in which you can cooperate in the mili- tary end of our undertaking, and there are two or three sub- jects there that I want to discuss just for a moment. We have, as you know, pending in Congress and as yet unacted upon finally, a bill to provide for the temporary enlargement of the forces, The bill is still in conference in Congress, and it would be improper for me to try to forecast the exact form in which the measure will come from the legislative body, and yet, omitting those things as to which the two Houses are to any degree unreconciled, it is still possible to say these things of the legislation. It will provide for the raising of a regular army and national* guard to war strength by the calling of volunteers between the ages of eighteen and forty years. The present law, that upon which we are now operating, authorizes volun- teering in the regular army only to thirty years of age. In the national guard volunteering is authorized to forty-live years of age. It was deemed by the Department of great im- portance that there should be a complete identity in the na- tional army between the several forces which go fcc make it up, so that when our army of a million or a million and a half men is organized there will not be different kinds of troops] there will not be the possibility of a feeling on any- body^ part in the troops that one kind of service is being pre- f erred, either as to privileges cr as to paroles, in the operation of the forces; hence the Department recommended that in the making up of these forces to war strength by the volunteer system the uniformity of age should be adopted, and so taking neither the thirty year maximum of the regular army nor the forty -five year maximum of the national guard, but taking forty as the maximum enlistment in those forces, volunteering is to be authorised up to forty years of age. That will provide pieces in the regular army and national guard for substantially six hundred thousand volunteers fr era the various States in addition to those al randy in tl?ose respective forces,, It was deemed important that there should be equivalents of obligation in those forces. That is to say, that men who are enlisting in either the regular army or national guard at the present time should not be under a disparity of obli- gation. Some of them enlisted for a period of actual service and for a certain period after that in the reserve, buc that all of them should be for the same time, and that all of them should be entitled to the same privileges, that the same re- lation to the Federal Gcverment should exist as between the individual and the Government whether he was a member of the regular army or national guard, and that complete flexibility in those forces should be obtained,, so that Government could transfer men freely from one service to another if that turned out to be essentia] to their military efficiency; and yet it was,, of course, regarded as desirable, since our people think in terms of States very often, and because of the value of neighborhood intimacies and friendships, it was deemed desirable to allow men who come from a particular section of the country to be associated together as far as that could consistently be done, so that these forces that are raised by volunteering in the regular army and national guard will, as far as it can be done, be sent in neighborhood groups to join. the force to which they are attached, and a man who enlists in California will not be sent with a man from Maine and another from Florida, and another from Wisconsin, but as far as. it can be done, those who volunteer from a particular sec- tion of the State of California will be kept together, and in a similar way from the other States. The Department proposes to make as great an endeavor as it can to preserve the identity, the pride, and esprit de corp s of the existing national guard units, so that while a national guard regiment will in all respects, without discrim- ination or difference, without favor or prejudice, be a regi- ment of the national army of the country, and will be treated just as every other regiment is, we hGpe to be able to attach to their regimental designation the state from which they come, so that local pride and state feeling, state friendships and state affiliations can be preserved by the regiments as a mark of their contribution to the public service. In addition to this, the Department proposes, and Con- gress has apparently decided, to accept the raising of ad- ditional forces by a method of selection, which is not that of individual volunteering, but is an attempt en the part of the Government to assign the citizens of the country to the tasks which they will best be able to perform, and I may per- haps detain you just for a moment to give a reason or two for that. The discussion of it ■• throughout the country has been so generous and general that most of the reasons are fairly well understood, but modern war is no longer what war was aforetime, in the sense of relatively few people being se- lected out of a nation and sent off to compose its military force. Under modern conditions, the whole nation is at war and it is at war as much in the home and in the factory and on the farm as it is on the fighting front. No army at the front can be maintained, supplied or sustained unless factor- ies continue their industrial output, unless the scientists and inventors keep pace with the progress of the art, which change a over night, unless the former continues to plant and gather the harvest upon which the food supply of the army- ad the people alike rc;rt; so that simply to call out indis- ritbout at all considering what the machinists left as their te and witnout at an considering criminately machinists /without at all considering the disrup- tion and disorganization of industry which follows their leav- ing their labors,- would be to expose the nation to a very serious weakness t The method, therefore,, which the Department recommended to Congress, and which is to be adopted in seme form, involves the registration of the man power of military age of the na- tion, and the selection out of that registry list of the first increment of the so-called additional fcrces, numbering five hundred thousand men, according to a systematic plan which, when once put into operation, will allow us, according to our need, additional increments of the sane size, automatically and by the same process to call them out for training. I have no idea how many increments of five hundred thousand men we may need. That depends upon considerations which are be- yond anybody's control, and which are beyond anybody's vision, but the plan arranged is so conceived as after it has been once inaugurated to produce almost automatically from time to time additional increments of five hundred thousand men to be called into training camps, and subjected to that disciplinary training which is essential to the preparation of a soldier for war under modern conditions. Now the first step of that is the registration of the men. That's a very laxge undertaking. It is one which may b^ attended by confusion, or it may be converted into a •magnifi- cent demonstration of the unity of our country. There is a certain prejudice in this country against what we call "conscrip- tion," To grows out of the fact that the only time we have ever resorted to conscription, so-called, in this country was at a time after volunteering had ceased, after the country had been- supposed to produce sufficient volunteers and fill up the army, and had failed, and then conscription was put into force as a penal process, and it was resented and distrusted. If the op- eration of this bill is allowed to be under the prejudice of the kind that obtained at that time, it will fe most unfortunate, The fact is that it is an entirely different thing. It is not a penal process; but it is an attempt by the forces of the government to assort the citizens of the country according to their capacities for the service for which they are best fitted, and if instead of accepting the operation of this law as a pen- alty, our people accept it as an opportunity, and make of this registration and drafting, so-called, a great national demonstra- tion of the patriotic and firm purpose of the nation, then all of those prejudices will have disappeared, and the conceded wisdom of the plan suggested will have been vindicated. Now, how can that be done? It can be done by your assist- ance, It will depend very largely upon your assistance. The Judge Advocate General of the Army has been designated in this Department to prepare for the registration. When the President signs the bill, he will doubtless proclaim a day to be known as the registration day, and on that day, using the State authori- ties, cooperating through the governors of the various States, and with all of the local aids which the governors can summon, , using the familiar machinery in the several states, the men with- in the designated age limit will go to their normal voting places :■•-. r . ;.; 1 -T:-.r- ■ ■ . - ; -. * ,j . a t. and there register. I hope each one of you will present to yoj State Committee, and those of you who are Governors will accept from me as a part of the opportunity for State cooperation, the thought of making of that day a great festival occasion in this nation. I have been sitting here for weeks receiving literally bush- els of mail from all over the United States from men saying, "What can I do?" "The country is in an emergency; what can I do?" And they do not want to know some general statement about the needs of the country, but they want somebody to designate a particular service that they as individuals can perform. ITow here is a service/ When this registration takes place, every individual in the United States who really wants to serve, who wants to bring about tnat tremendous power of an exhibition of a morally and patriotically united nation both for the stimulatr. on of our side of the cause and the corresponding depression of the morals of our adversary.. -- every man who has that patriotic pur pose can contribute to make this registration a great and memor- able occasion in our country's history, {.Applause). All the prejudice will be gene, if, when this day comes, flags are floating from public and private buildings and bands- are parading on the streets, and the people of the cities and of the countryside are accompanying their sons and brothers and hus- bands of suitable age to the registration place in the feeling that there in America is the altar of free institutions, and that every man who is putting his name down is asking an acceptable sacrifice. Now, we think you can do. a very great deal to give a proper atmosphere to this general undertaking. The Judge Advocate General is present and will tell you in detail some of the plans he has conceived for this great matter, and it seems to me that they promise an exhibition of efficiency which we, as nitiaens of a democrat ic country, shaJl dwiight to Be**. You know that tffee difference between a democratac country and a country like our adversary is this: the people ©r«*w 3©* ter surrender their freedom all the time in the interest of an exact and highly specialized regimentation of their people, so that in effect every man goes about with a label sewed on the in- side of his pocket which tells him what he is to do under prac- tically every conceivable set of circumstances, and so, no matter what the emergency is, they respond to a push button. tn our country we live a free life. We have a' larger admixture of per- sonal liberty and personal oho ice* We are unrestrained by sec- ret instructions pinned inside of our coats, and -so when a great emergency domes which requires us incident ally to readjust our- selves, without previous direction, without previous regimentat ion. there is inevitably mors seeming confusion and at the outset mor*, lost motion in diverting the energies cf a democracy than there can be in the case of an autocracy; but when the new organisation has taken place in a democracy, it : : s the fruit of the sacrifice of every man, rather than the respond of men who are acting under a prearranged system in which they have no choice, and the result with us is always a vindication of the response of freedom or of the fact that freedom is to be preferred as a standing condition for civilized communities. I earnestly ask your help in this great matter. I ask your army help, too, in the matter of recruiting the regular -, and the national guard. There has been a great deal of controversy in Washington about the volunteer system, and about the so-called conscription system. The bill as Congress will pass it, provides for the raising at the outset at least more new men by volunteer- ing than it does by conscription. I have no prejudice on that subject. I hope that every state organization and the regular army will be filled by volunteers, and I want you in your several states and communities tourge volunteering. 1 hope there will be a large and adequate response to this volunteering opportunity and I have not the least disturbance of mind as to any inferences that may be drawn from that upon a permanent military policy here after to be adopted. Let us get the regular army and the na- tional guard filled by volunteers, and let us get this addition- al force raised by selection, and start them off in tieir training and make a great army of them. The world mu«t have peace, and there is n<} way in which peace can be had except by our going cu and getting it, andwe cannot get it by wishing for it; we must under existing conditions to get it by fighting for it, and the harder we fight, the sooner we and the rest of the world will ob- tain it! (ApplauseJ So that our task is, while large, per- fectly plain. I want to say just this word of caution to all of you who are here assembled about the training of the new army. Armies in modern times cannot be made in a minute. The task of pro- v iding for an army is of the very greatest magnitude. I am far from desiring to say anything which might be construed" into a criticism of any previous congressional action or any previous executive acttn. We have been a peaceful nation, because we knew our purposes were just, and therefore we have not made much of the preparation which would undoubtedly have been made if we had foreseen this demand; but the fact is this, that Congress ha- from time to time appropriated for what now seems, and in the light of developments is, exceedingly meager, reserves of arms, of munitions, and of supplies. v/hen last summer it became nece sary to mobilise the national guard on the Texas border, our re- serve stocks were very largely consumed and expended, and then -)\'ic. 'JW.c*v, .: >\ t >. I.:: * 3U •■n- 5 s.yi :x :.. ;.- :■ ::l v.' - : - *V} ."'OtifO' n ■;- - . • -it".: i-.l «... .... t-.:- i .3" ■-■ - •••{« . ' '. ..'" " .tr, ., - j • ■■•••.•. '^V;>- ?.«! •.'•'' ' •■"*' "« '• * tt »3i3»,tlVi : ' •••'.. is- v. because of circumstances which you gentlemen understand as well I, the Congress at its last session adjourned without having enacted any legislation for the army, so that there was at least some hindrance upon the Department in expending even the normal sums usually appropriated for the accumulation of equip- ment and arms and for replacing our absorbed supplies. The Department went ahead nevertheless. It got every body in the country who was in the habit of manufacturing for the supply of the army to put his factory into full commission on the assur- ance that as soon as Congress made appropriations and they were forthcoming, contracts would be let and deliveries could be be- gun, and as a result of that very large, much larger than the normal, orders of equipment of all kinds are in process of man- ufacturing, and are about to be supplied to the army. That, however, is a long drawn out process. Until now the War De- partment has been able to go out into a market which contained all the things it needed. The problem of the War Department is to go into a market which does not contain the things it needs.. and get people to make those things for us. There are not, for instance, enough factories in the United States which have ever made cloth of the army kind to make the amount of clo+.h the larger army now needs. As a result of that the task ofthe De- partment is not simply to go to cloth meruhants and buy the nec- essary quantity of cloth, but it is to go to woolen factories which have nev^r made army cloth, and divert them from the man- ufactures which they have hitherto made into the manufacture of army cloth. The task is to go clear back almost to the back of the sheep ard get the raw materials necessary to flow into this line of manufacture, and to organise clear back to the mine and the earth the things that are necessary to be brought togech- er and manufactured, in order that the army -- the new army, the larger army many fold greater than any force we have hitherto had - may be equipped and furnished. All of that is being done. It is being done with as great rapidity as the best business judgment in the country can do it. The War Department •.. is not relying on its own facilities for that, but through the Council of National Defense there have been called to the assist • ance of the Government men of affairs, business men, manufactur- ers, merchants, men who are familiar with all the various lines of raw material production and of manufacture and of industry, They have been called in great numbers to Washington, and with their aid the country is being organized to produce these sup- plies, and to produce them as rapidly as can be done without prejudice to other considerations which have to be remembered All those considerations are obvious. We are at war on the same side as two or three other great powers which have for some years in this war depended upon us for much of their sup- plies. They are in the trenches, actually fighting, Tb--;.-- are fighting the same battle that we are fighting; and ws c&nr.c/ simply preempt the industry of America to equip our own irjiljt.:< ,. forces without regard to the effect which that course might- have upon the supplies which must continue to flow' rapidly to those who are fighting on the other side of the water in the same battles which we later are to join. It requires, there- fore, an intricate system of coordination of needs. Somebody has to determine priority of need. Consider the Secretary cf the Navy, for instance. He needs guns for his ships, he needs ships. The army needs guns. Some of the allied powers. the entente powers, need guns and nted material. High grade thinking must be done to determine with regard to, say, the mobv. ized steel making facilities of this country, whether a particul- ar need of the Secretary of the Navy shall be attended to first, or whether a need ofthe army shall be attended to first, or whether eertain .'».'• ■ I ■ iv. ;V .i '■■ '• ' -' ' .:, )s>* K ... rjr ■ ; < " .:-<- ; ^ --v. iP« . i. * ■ ■ /< *.»'.. V '.i J« ■':'- »■««.« '■■ - '*■"' '" " i . '. ~J JOT. , !•>«???? ••■<-;' ; -. * v,a •-. ;•,£ . . t S-i Ji/o'/t " : ' ■»:t contracts may be made for transportation across the water and shall be attended to first. And there are organized here bodies of men who hear all sides of that kind of question and undertake, as far as human forces can do it, to determine priorit ies» The rssult of all that is this, that it won't do to look at America and say that it can equip an army or a navy in a certain length of time. It won't do to become impatient if it. should turn out that certain forms of equipment are slow in being accumulated. You can do a great service in your States by explaining the eitvatiqn to the People of those States who look at this great giant of a country of ours and think it equal to any task and feel disposed to complain or to suspect it's slowness* You can do a groat service to the government and to your own people by telling then that what may seem slowness to them is not clcwness in fact, but is in all likelihood the preference of some superior neea to the particular thing as to which they think the industrial output of the country appears slow. This is a war, as I said a moment ago,, that changes every minute. The form of our cooperation o\er sea is dif- ficult to determine, and when determined is subject to re- determination, with the kaleidoscopic changes that are taking place. The -whole art of war is changing. The needs of the people on our side and on the other side of the water are both :. being shifted and changing every minute. As a consequence, o program can be made up that will last beyond tomorrow, if the need on the other side requires a change. But we do know that the world needs food, and we know that America is at present the greatest undisturbed food producer in the world; and therefore re are alive to the fact that one of our national tasks, one of the ways in whirh we can help to win this war, is by an unlimited food production. You will doubt- less hear more of that from other gentlemen associated in the J T -;,■•; .iu*». •■ ' -i i • ,:...■ .-. a. J ,.-T Council of National Defense, or representing Government De- partments down here, and it would be unwise for me further to discuss it, for I know nothing about it beyond the central facts which I have stated. I, perhaps, have taken all of your time that I should take. What I have tried to do is to show ycu the way.? in which, as representatives of the people of your States, you can help in this war, especially with reference to the acti- vities of the War Department, and the first of those I want to re- impress is by giving to the democratic method of selec- tion of soldiers the patriotic character which it really de- serves, and dispelling from the outset the prjudice which lias attached to it because of its nane. The second thing which I have asked you to an is to aid jn recruiting; and the third service which you can render is whei? we como i'o exerciue this method of selection a-nc 1 . a ssriee of exemptions in proposed io be put into forcj, largely iihrougb local agencies.. and not to be an exhibition of the superioi military power: ci ths nation, but a consultation of the people of the communitj aj to which of their citizens can be best sparse".. Wht>c that system of exemptions course co bs put into efieotj the Sts^e? can be of enormous aid to as, We ought r.Ot to aumnor away from his home the father and the husband who have dependents until he is needed to break -urea^ tieo, In the interest of the child life of the nation, in the interest of oar own. humanity toward ourselves, until our demand for military forces requires us to take the support away from a family., we ought net to do i1 , In the oame way we ouah: not to take away a man who is engaged :.n a vital industry, A man who works before an openhfearth st.v-;? furnace, for instance., and is indispensible to the continuation of chat furnace, making its forges., and its prcductc, Dught not to be taken from that work* In 30me sections of the country there will be found men without whom great agricultural assets will be lost to- the na- tion. In applying that system of exemptions, there will he necessaril/ a consolidation of neighborhood and local opinion, We ask the cooperation on the part , of the community to help us assort the citizens to the tasks which they are best fitted to do-, to enable us to take for active military training and ser- vice those who are best fitted for it physically and mentally, and those who can be beet spared from the indispensable tasks of industry and commerce and agriculture in the community. All of that is immensely practical, and if it has your active cooper- ation and assistance, there will te a very splendid result- I have tried to illustrate the intensity and universality with whioh our whole life as a Nation and all the cooperation of our people are integrated into this war. We are not going to make war with our right hand, nor with our left hand, but wit'fl toth hands; and eve^ry man in the Nation in going to be in the service of the Nation though he may hot wear a uniform, though he may continue his normal occupation. He will be contribut- ing vitally to the national defense, and if that lesson can be impressed upon your people at home, it will have a most salutary effect in inspiring the spirit of service and loyalty and in ul- timately enabling us so to organize our strength as to win this war. ■■ • ; • , . - i TBW • ••.-.•? .•• .ri; U fur % \>fi^r^' L'^^'rfi yU • / >*»'£/£? t$Pl ■ . ■ .Ml THE PRESIDING OEFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Mr. Secretary Lane '• you stand up, please? (Laughter) I have just told ►Secretary Daniels that he need not rise just at this time, as he will speak to us a little later. The Secretary -jf Commerce, Mr. Secretary Redfield, -- rise please Mr. Redfield. (Applause). I think you will be interested in making the personal ac- quanitance with General Hugh L. Scott, the Chief of the General Staff. (General Scott rises amid applause) I will next in- troduce to you the Adjutant General of the Army, General McCain, (Applause) And last,.! will . introduce, but not ask to have stand up_, . General Crowder, the Judge Advocate General. He is going to make some remarks to you in a moment. (Applause). And now, gentleman, I am going to ask the Secretary of the Navy to speak to you about the navy's part in this enterprise, and the vays in which he would suggest cooperation with tht states and with you in hi s undertaking. The Secretary of the Navy. (Applause ADDRESS -BY HONORABLE JOSEPHUS DANIELS, - SECRETARY OF THE NAVY. ■ Mr. Chairman and gentlemen: A few days ago, addressing the English Parliament, Lloyd George said that the first need was ships, and the second need was ships, and the last need was ships and -more ships. He expressed the view of every nation at war with the entente powers and the crowning need of our own country There was a time when the flag of the United States, flying above its merchant marine, was a common sighc in every island and upon every country in the civilized and uncivilized world, but for fifty years the reglect of our people in building ships caused the decay of shipbuilding until we reached a time V - •-' ' .-:■■.: ' "■v -. ■ • '- - ■ * : ' XC ■■■■'•■ .:• •;. ;Y '"■ ;* .......... ..'V* .; J - -.■■ f ■■ ...■ •■ - . V ■ hen nearly all our corrrr.arce was carried in foreign bottoms, and hen our navy hud failed to keei) pace witn the great navies of jthe world* Admiral Maha.n, perhaps *h€ aunt nstcd authority in the world An nave I life, declared that the navy must kc hand in hand with a strong merchant marine, and wh ••*:.* the people yf Am- erica quit building ships and sanding their cotKnerce Abroad in its own "bottoms, the merchant marine would languish, also the navy would languish, and he prophesied that the American people would never come to a realization of the need of a strong navy until they had built a large merchant marine which would be pro- tected by a powerful navy. The great n^ed to :.y is ships. The last Congress, in re- sponse to the recommendation of the Prc-sidcrit, gave generously to provide for the navy, end the probl-ec :f the la st few months has not been a problem of asking appropriations oy: Congress, but it has been a problem of securing the eopfltTtfetibn of the ships aid the supply of the munitions necessary* The Secretary of War has told you that ycu cannot make a soldier in a short time nor can you in the navy. we do not ordinarily send the men who enlist av?.r m shipboard until they have had five or six months' training in tt tva:'.r.i..g station, wher he is taught everything that bd mi gut le.u'v b afore gcing on ship- board. "••'• «4t? '■•is no . longer a matter of climbing the m^.tft; \fy is a mechanical and electrical trade; and for men who come into the navy th«3 day is near at hand when no enlistment will be accepted from men except those who have vhe prr.mar,/ knowledge of electric- ity or mechanics, fcsc&uss -he modern droa-ln&ugftt is the most powerful machine in the world, I am glad to tell you that ih.3 n&ry, ir the! iMrat lifcfl of defense in all our battles, is today complete; the full com- pl u. x. authorized by law has been raised. (Applause) Nineteen years ago this morning we were thrilled by the news that Dewey had won the Battle of Manila, (Applause), and yet the navy at that time had twenty-two thousand men, and in thirty- two days we have enlisted in the navy mere men than were in the entire navy when Dewey won his victory; so that we are enabled today to have all the ships in the navy that are fully prepared for war, fully manned, but manned, you must understand, in large part by young men fresh from the farm and the city, and our problem of the last few weeks has been to keep the boys from enlisting. We have appeals af- ter appeals from boys of sixteen years of age, asking to be allowed to join the navy, and we hove declined because upon the beginning of this threshold we must not bind up the in- dustries, and the boys at home can serve as well, if not better, in the com clubs than in the navy. But you must not understand roe that because we have filled up the comple- ment that the law authorized, that there are not larger needs and must not be new calls, for there is pending in Congress a bill which will become a law this week, authorising an in- crease of the navy to one hundred and fif by thousand, so that we may have men for the new ships coming on, and so that we may man these older ships and stronger ships with men who have had the training of these few months. This war is one which we have learned w-c -must call a domestic war. Our former cor.cer-t ion of »a:? was that it ?/as a matter of soldiers and sailors, and that only men fought whe donned the uniform; buc we a"t; to win ttiiB la? not only .- . .. .. , . ■ - ; :• f . ■-•• =* : - •A &% i$$%i . .. ..-,...., j. , :v : y~-i - - . T V I: : -:r- '1' ,:• : I ■■ ..' • .' ; .... .... . . I ! ;?!r^v f^ : ■ . .- - - • - f* - ' "v .• _> :;■: .. .::>■ rfv*. : v ...... : r.-- r ,.- Vi i" -■ ■ ■ -. -■ : « ■. • ?JPJ '.- ■ ' .'»;■.' - i - • ...r b,> a who go to the front in thetrenches or on the ships, but by the jnen at home, and we must call Into contribution every work shdp, every factory, every ftel'd, every roan, aye, and every woaan, so that all America, will be mobilized in the work in which we are engaged. The problem of the navy, as the first line of defense, cannot be overestimated, but of course in the matter of man power in numbers, it is so much smaller than will be called for by the army that the chief service you may render out- sside of providing the one hundred and fifty thousand men we need and the s applies , you will be called upon to rend- er chiefly for the army, because where we call for a hund- red and fifty thousand they will call for millions, and the Secretary of War, with that large spirit that characterizes him } in matters of priority has given the first place to the navy, so that we may have our ships all ready as soon as possible to blaze the way and meet the first shock, a shock which has already been met, for when vs challenged the right of another nation to prescribe zcnes an the sea, it was the navy that armed, the ships, and a Washington boy, whose widowed mother now mourns the loss of the first vic- tim in this war in which we are engaged; and I am glad to tell you that this morning we have the news that nearly all the men who were thought to have been lost yesterday are saved (Applause). • In all the legislation that has been enacted by this Congress looking to a successful prosecution of this war, I have observed that there is a provieion that it shall con- tinue during the emergency or during the war- We do not know what is ahead of us. We do know the menace of the •,- 1 •1*> "!' ' .'»•. submarine is graver and more serious than even the most as- tute naval experts dreamed it could be a year ago. And now many men shall be killed, and how many ships must be built is in the future; but we know that with the cooperation of local communities and States, which are essential and which may be called upon temporarily to surrender privileges for the common good, that when this war ends the righjts of local communities and States and the Federal Government will not » be changed one whit. I thank you gentlemen, and wish you to convey the thanks of the navy to your representatives at home for the splendid way in which they have responded in filling up the ranks of the navy, and the confidence we have that they will follow the suggestion of the Secretary cf War and make Registration Day a day of holy patriotism. (Applause) THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BASER: I think you gentlemen will be interested in a word from General McCain with regard to the training camps, for instance. I do not want to make his speech for him. I couldn't. But I do want to point out that in officering the new forces our first great task arises. General McCain can give you perhaps a better estimate; but approximately twenty-five thousand men will be needed in addition to those who are already officers of the regular army, national guard* or reserve, intended to i-^ovide officers for the first increment of the new force. Now, in anticipation of legislation. Congress not yet hav- ing acted on that subject, the Adjutant General, who was pri- marily charged with the responsibility there, acting of course in concert with the Chief of Staff and the General Staff de- ,. , . . ... . - . ._ ..." •• • . i. . .- • •■ • •: f ■ •-.. \ • ■ • HS ■■ - •, ,v. , I- ■• ■ ■ •■ • - - • r ■ • • --. : " - ' ' C . • ... ■ ',,,;.■ ■ U -. ^ » . 1 -'...■ " '•'.'-■ '. "' ; '■ •" ' " .. . ► - - ........... ; ... • •-.'■ ^ -s.. '...;.' • .-; ' ■■- ■ ■■■■'■ • .--■-- - -• .. - : ■., ; :'.':. . - f . -"-•- - -- '.- ........... .•;-: .... . ..... . . .> _ . j~ ■■ - ; .. . ; '. ■ • ; . • :• • pki ....... > . ■ ; • : •■'■ :...'■■- .'.--".' .- ';..;■ ' ■-.'.'.'. •'■■-■' ' •: ' '•'•- >S> fcl - : '■ : : - : ""- - " r '- • . ■ v - •* . - \ -.-,:<. : ..... . * i :'t ■ '■ -~ •.■'-" •- - - r." r ■.-■'.:.■ . • • t . ;•- . j . ' ■ * '■ ■ ' - . . .• .■•..... ■ • - - • . . . .: tei)3 - j retanlings have occurred with regard to the conditions un. • o^-> ;*** ; 3'XiV.i &&J , :TC ' - - - ~ ' ■ : ... .• '•::-. XM-iftas ,; -«.. - ' * ■ t~>- •' A .. '•'•- ' , {. - : s ' " * -v. • . ... . H. ••-..'• '• - enlisted men in the army, counting the staff and all. n sending the reserve officers to the camp as soon as they are celled out they get the pay cf their grade, They stand the expense of uniforms and their accommodations. Those who are not in the Officers' Reserve Corps will have their expenses to the camp paid, their expense at the camp and a uniform furnished them. The Secretary has asked Congress to provide a salary for those who are not in the Officers' Reserve Corps. In- formal inquiry of the members of the Conference committee on the Army Appropriation Bill elicits the information that it will undoubtedly go through. If that is dene we can reach every class of people in the United States. The War Department has endeavored to reach not only these in the city and universities but throughout the factories and the country, and if we are able to pay salaries there is no re- ason why the poorest man should not attend tnis camp. T. have no doubt myself that eubh a salary will be authorized. After conclusion of the camp, they will be raised ac- cording to the various grades. Tho?e that are to be accepted will get commissions, and it is expected th«£ may be called into active service with troops at the end of three months. In addition to these camps, we have camps for non-commissioned officers, where they will be instructed. We have among the non-commissioned officers cf the regular army, probably as good material for officers as you will find anywhere in the country. They are highly trained ©an of fine physique, fulj of intelligence^ and will mike sj.!! end let officers. ?.:oa thewe two sources we expect to be able ::v. a fchort time -- three months -- to start a supply of officers that will be ample .*>«-«>. ~ 4-1-,-, J. •<: '>?.■■ . •* After this camp, undoubtedly there will be others. In that way we hope to keep jp a supply that may not be exhausted. I do not know that there is anything else that I may add at this time. (Applause) THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER; Now, gentle- men, I am going to ask that the Judge Advocate General, Gen- eral Crowder, speak to you about the registration which he is especially interested in at this time. General Crowder (Applause) STATEMENT BY GENERAL E. H. CHOWDER, JUDGE ALVOCATE GENERAL OF THE ARMY. Mr. Secretary and Gentlemen.: The task which is assign- ed me need not detain us long. Of course, the enrollment of a nation of one hundred millions of people, - — that is, the enrollment of its army bearing population, — - is a very large task. But I cannot believe that it is difficult in any other sense. No one would balk at the task of enrolling the military propulation of a voting precinct. The task for the county is the task for the voiting precinct multiplied by the num- ber of precincts; the task for the State is the task for thecounty, multiplied by the number of counties, and the task for the Nation is the task for a single State, multi- plies by the number of States, The plan proposed is thoroughly described by the phhase, "supervised decentralization." We are enabled to follow that plan because the pending legislation provides that -? f :S :v---. C~' . . • . V ■* iti ; '3: ■3 'JK-'X-S.T -*« .>;»■■ fi.**.-'*iO-iii '• i. .-J ' i ■" isff V$«U?03 .' ; tt T J., ~ E ,'" »"> V ■ c iv i A"-' JT-.-i-i 15 ;-:., , '■'. (f't.Zt '' r ; I "■■ - I J» . i ? j'Ktt ■. {■ .— « .- a . ; f 7 :;.r « ■ M?o~ . a i ::j^:> "The President is hereby authorized to utili- ze the service of any and ell Departments end any and all officers or agents of the United States and of the several States, territories, and the District of Columbia, in the execution of this Act, and all officers and agents oft he officers and of agents of the officers and of the several states, territories and the District of Columbia are hereby required to perform such duty in the execution of the Act that the President shall order or direct*" The corresponding lanugage of the Senate draft includes municipal officials and alien?, but under either draft wer have a broad ^rant of authority which would enable the Pres- ident to Set up an exclusive Federal machinery for taking this census an»t for executing the draft. It would also enable him to s-H up an exclusively State, county and muni- cipal machinery for the purpose of ta&ng the census. What has been done in the tentative plan has been to utilize both classes of instrumentalities, and in this way. Oiir people have long been accustomed to assemble in their domiciliary voting precinct": for the purpose of being registered upon various issues by State, county and munici- pal officials. This fact has suggested the voting precinct as the primary registration unti in this military census, with registrars in each precinct. Then next - subdivision of our country into wnich all these Voting precincts inte- grate withou overlapping is the county. This fact suggests a county board of enrollment to supervise the wcrk of regis- trars. A central coordinating agency in each State is nec- essary and there was little difficulty in reaching the con»- clusion that that central coordinating agency Bhauld be the Governor, assisted by some central office which would releive him of detail. A supervising Federal agency was necessary to be created in the city of Washington. The tentative reg- ulations have provided a mchinery of this character, and it - : • v ... . . . - - — r - | . • 1 ; 4 . - * * . is true that we have decentralized to the extent of rely- ing mainly upon State, County and municipal officials and agents, and that the activities of the Federal Government are limited to coordination and supervision. In drafting the regulations and providing the neces- sary blank forms we have had the aid of the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce and Labor. They have helped us to devise cards of registntion and other necessary blank forms, including summarization sheets which roust be filled out by registrars for their precincts, by county boards tar their counties, and by State executive for the States. Tbe printing has all been set up and we wait only for the final approval of the bill to have the blank stricten off and assembled for distribution. With the aid of the Post Office Department complete mailing lists have been prepared. Upon 24 hours* notice we shall be able to commence the dis- tribution of the blank forms which are necessary in the ex- ecution of the law, with full instructions outling the duties of tne various State , county andmunicipal agents upon whom the Government relies for the making of the enrollment. The boards of control in the counties are to be maiftly ex-officio boards, and would be constituted by the Governors. On the theory that the board would need an executive officer, it has been suggested that the sheriff of the county be in- cluded. In the view that the board would need an office of recotd, it was further suggested that the county clerk might properly be included. As at a later stage in the execution of the law, namely, the imposition of the draft, a physician ;toi;~:' sS *s i 'aft* .1 »o n& ; , ."■' • • r •■ '. ..•J.. .1 '^ ■-,. ft .4.-1 -i •.,;*« fcto jtats: ******* • : *> * '■* t j. ,. :;• 'ic -t-ii; ;••':■-'; : ff.«i ? .: i' - ■ ■ -,* - * - ' ' ■ ;t i •: 'i i .> i - • - , '*. : :cv- '£-"•• >u *. »• v c * _ - rv . - ... . . - . .•*- »' - * ■■ . » 5 - I •»»•« ' vis. > -- - J ' - ..';<■ .; fcl-jev? frxao*; •-- - i rt-;r. ^ . *r — "*■ ' \ * > A • ■ " ' « *■ • • " would be needed, it was suggested that the county physician be included, and where there was no county physician that a duly licensed physician be appointed. However, the in- structions thus far prepared and communicated lay down no inflexible rule respecting the composition of these boards. Where governors are conviced that, because of lo- cal conditions the personnel of these exofficio boards should be varied, they have been given all necessary au- thority. -The machinery will work like this: On the day that the President signs the bill, it is contemplated that he will sign also his proclammation fixing a day for the reg- istration, which will be uniform for the United States. Immediately there will be commenced a distribution of the proclamation, blank forms, and all necessary instructions in detail. We shall be concerned, first, in supplying the more remote States. Our conference with the Post Office Department leads us to believe that the distribution to county seats can be completed in the most remote counties on the fifth day after the bill is signed. There isno reason why the county boards of enrollment cannot be con- stituted by the Governors immediately upon telegraphic notice to them that the bill has been approved. It is reasonable to assume that upon the third day after the bill has been signed these boards will have been organized and ready to function. They can move promptly and swiftly in the matter of appointing registrars for each voting precinct, and these registrars, it would seem might be ap- pointed and fully instructed in their duties on the eighth day after the bill is signed. If the Secretary of War puts the lash to the administrative machinery that has "been devised, there is no reason why the enrollment of the arms-bearing population cannot be completed upon the tenth day after the bill is sighed. Summarization sheets will be filled out by registrars on the regis- tration day and sent immediately to the county boards. The county summarization sheets will be made out promptly and sent to the Governor, and also a telegraphic summary of the result for that county. A telegraphic summary will 'fee forwarded by the Governor to the central office in Washington, and there is no reason why we cannot be, under this rush procedure, advised here on the twelfth day as to the nunbe js enbraced in the various classes* The more detailed information cannot be received in Wash- ington until the mails can erring it in. I have outlined a very urgent program, the execution of which will put everybody concerned to the test. I thin, however, that we should have a liberal allowance of time if the proclamation of the President should that the registration should take place upon the fifteenth day after the approval of the bill instead of the tenth day. The fifteen day period would be much shorter than is within the contemplation of any one who has discussed the matter publicly, either in the press or in Congress, The opinion generallyyprevails that the Registration cannot be completed and the nation put in a position to raise armies by the method outlined in this bill, much before September* A cen- tral office has already been established in this city and a personnel is there prepared to explain in detail the - J v-u- -... s * ft; ,' " '- " - ■ ' • '. '■■■•*■■ . fflHtC I > ,,. ,-C 4 ; .,;.' . . p*,. ■ •• f, " *'"< - X ..... . - ■-• ., :l si ..;■'• ■ - *•• •-• • -* - «• — - ;«,-T.^i. ?r\- r- ■■■.■■■•■ ■ A , - - • :- >I.r : i . . . ...... ...... - -' . v'-. ri it* * '» ' to .•;•:? JTiTv . . - • - • ! :- .... - : • ?£J, .....,,. .■•'■- ?-??- • . J . • .. ; / < ^f^iC #at r.': fit '■'■ -' ■ s . - ; ' system to any member of the State councils here presented who is desiorous of detailed information. We are prepared with page proof of regulations which are as yet in tentative form and cannot be put in final form until the law has been enacted. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: I should be very happy gentlemen to have you know and note parti- cularly the last suggestion of the Judge Advocate General. The office to which he refers is in what used to be the Post Office Building, between Seventh and Eigth and "E" and "G" streets, or Sixth and Seventh rather. It is one of the usual type of monumental buildings of Washington, resembling a government building, so that you will have no difficulty in finding it. If you will go into General Crwoder' s office, tfcs re -you will find the officers who are working on this matter with him. They will be very glad to go over ^any details with you and put you in pos- session of the plan. Ask for the office of the Provost Marshal General or for General Crowder's office. The guards will know where to take you. As I sat here a note was handed me, suggesting that the Adjutant General might perhaps with interest to you answer this question; "Many enlisted men in the National Guard are applicants for enrollments in an officers' train- ing camp. Many of these are promising material,. There enlistment can not be accpted unless until they have been granted furloughs from the National Guard. "That raises the further question of the policy of the government. I determined that question yesterday, and am very glad to*"- . > . • t r uoi . , . . . ' I '-:,,.■■■:■' ' - be able to tell you the answer. It seemed wise not to allow officers of She National Guard to go to these training camps because they are already officers. What we are trying to do is to increase the number of officers, and the officers of the National Guard will go in as officers anyhow, and in addition to that, a very large number of regiments in the National Guard are already in the Federal service, and it would be disorganizing to spare the officers in those regiments and it would be unfair to spare some and not all the officers who care to go; so that the decision of the Department is against furloughing officers of the National Guard to these train- ing camps. Of course, we cannot have an indiscriminate breaking up of National Guard regiments in favor of these camps, so that it was determined yesterday that twenty-five men per regiment from the National Guard — enlisted men -- could be designated by theColonel in each regiment to at- tend these camps and furloughed. They will be the men selected by the Colonel as most premising for development into officer material. Now, gentlemen, I am quite sure you would all be glad to have a few words from Secretary Lane, and he has kindly permitted me to introduce him to you in this fashion. I call on the Secretary of the Inter ior* (Applause). &DDRES8 BY HON. FRAftZLIJI K. LANE Secretary ef the Interior. At Meeting of State Councils of Defense . May 2, 1917. Mr .Secretary Baker and Gentlemen: I do not see why the Secretary should have s_.id that I have "permitted him to intro- dace me", because this is not a time when the Secretary of War should feel called upon to ask anybody's permission to do anything. I have a department that deals With a great many phases of our national life, and has a great deal of human interest in it, as most of you know. Those, however , who come from the West are i far more familiar with it than those from East of the Missouri Biver, though there are few families in the United States that in some way or another we do not touch. The Pension Department is an interesting one to the gentle-- • men who are interested in politics and all who are looking out for the future welfare of those who will be or who are the dependents, of those who go to the front. There has been a great deal of frac-1 in our pension system, and that fraud has to a very considerable jpctent been due to the government itself, to the lax methods pur- sued by the government in gaining the facts that were necessary upon which to adjudicate the claims that were presented. I We have in our department also the patent Office, and we are ying to summon to the support of the United States at this time ne inventive genius of the United States. You know perhaps the situation on the other side of the water with regard to the subma- rine. No one here knows the exact figure of loss the past ten days It xrobably ran up to four hundred thousand tons. That's a start- ling figure to us; it is a terrorizing figure to England and to ace. If that figure should be kept up for any length of time, it /ouid lay those countries prostrate., unless we could go to their •ort or through the inventive mind of man some means could be discovered by rhich the submarine as a terrorizer and a destroyer co aid be put oat of business. Our Civil " r ar saw invention after invention created by the magic mind of man to offset some invention produced on the opposite side, or to bring some new method of destruction into play. It is ray great hope that out of this war and perhaps before long the rare genius that we have for producing now mechanical devices and laying hold upon new resources may discover a method by which the effectiveness of the submarine can be at any rate greatly diminishes I had a talk, for instance, the other day, with a group of inven- tors. This thought was thrown out, that possibly a force could be generated in the ship itself, an electrical wave of some kind that could surround the moving ship :md render the torpedo valueless cither by diverting or by exploding it before it reaches the ship. Such things look like impossibilities , but we who are famil- iar with the wireless know that there is nothing now that can be called a miracle. The submarine itself is a miracle; the airship is a miracle; the war is being conducted by two things that never were used before. It is not the land force now that is the great terrorizing force; it's the airships, which are new scouts, and it's the submarine which is the new horroar; so that the mind of thy American, directed upon this concrete proposition of ho;? to over- re the evil influence of the submarine, nay find a way to rescue I say deliberately rescue us -- you Men come from all states the Union. I have a large correspondence with those sections of this country which lie out toward my home, and I ^ind that they do not yet realize and are not conscious of the fact that this is our war, just as really our war as it is England's war, or France's war, or Russia's war. The fact is that England and Prance are fighting for principles which we might almost say we invented. If it hadn't been for our ""ar of the Revolution, the world would not have taken the lead toward democracy that it has in the last centur And when we say that England is the "Hot her Country", we are saying something that is understandable to the mass . But in this situatic t I . " the United States is the "Mother Country." In going in to this war we are really standing by our ov/n children who are fighting for the principles that we first completely announced in the De- Ilaration of Independence, And it's a humiliating thought, and one perhaps that should not be expressed, to think of the possibility of our failing in this enterprise. There were a great many people in the United States who thought that all we had to do was to issue a certain number of bonds, and announce that fact in the papers, and that Germany would bow her head in humiliation and ask for terms. Germany understands perfectly well the condition in which we are. We are three thousand miles removed from the battle front. And that battle front should never be brought to the Atlantic Coast! tis war should be fought on the waters on the opposite side of e sea, and on the lands on the opposite side of the sea; but it 11 be fought on this side unless we beat them there, and to beat em there we ■ have got to .iove quicklyl So that every word that Secretary Baker said to you is tho ■ bsolute truth. Yes, we are three thousand milos from the fighting line, and have got to get there somehow. So wo need, as Mr. Daniels said, we need ships. We are building wooden ships; we are going to build steel ships. The genius of the United States is not go- ing to let us bo satisfied with' building a type of ship that is fifty years old, valuable as it will prove in this hour. You can- not tell me that those men who are running the shipyards of the United States cannot speed up and find new methods and produce steel ships to meet this demand. They've simply got to do it, ecause we have got to have those ships to make this fight. And there is one thing too that I may say to you as repre- senting various communities. At the beginning of every war there is dissatisfaction and discontent with those who are running the War. I suppose -- I hope you have all read Gideon -nsll 1 s "Diary-' Mr. "ells was the Secretary of the Navy under Lincoln, lived through his administration, and on into Johnson's administration, • and if you read that you will discover ho-; much of dissatisfaction there was with the way in which Mr. Lincoln was conducting the war. At ono time Lincoln said that he had but one man in the lower House of Congress who really v/as his champion. Every one of us is trying with all his might to do his best. He is subject to criticism if he is negligent. But make the test always upon the basis of ascertained facts, and not upon the basis of idle (mor. You know there are a great many people in the United States o have been raised under the individualistic system, which we are fighting to preserve , --the right of a man to have his own thoughts and not to conform to the thoughts of those above him. T "e , in the United States, being raised under that philosophy, ' have a notion in our heads that we can do things somewhat better than the other fellow; that it's a part of almost every political creed and almost every political platform, that the fellow who is in and doing the job is wrong, but the fellow who is out and does not have the chance to do it, could do it much better. VT e are raised upon that kind of doctrine I There was a great literary man in England named Matthew Arnold, who spent a long and very brilliant life in criticism of the philosophies and the institutions and the conduct of those who were around him. He had the gift of expression, and therefore wa£ listened to by large audiences, ^'hen ho died, the word was carrie- to Mr. Andrew Lang. Lang paused and said "Poor Arnold! You know I am sorry for him. He won't like Godl" So if you can carry that suggestion back home when you hear these people decry what the ad- ministration is doing, you will be rendering a great service to your government. I am putting in on my reclamation system a program that per- haps it is hard to make work at first, but for which I havu high hopes, not merely as to the reclamation projects, but as to our general farming communities . I have sent to them an appeal that N / ■ r- * J :. t ■ . :■' •,;.'•■■.; '. .••: ■•;•.• > -■: t & ■ •/> '>vt:'J .!- ... * :• ;.: ;■ '■ '■ .-.-■ ;■■ . ' : •■■ • ■ ,• < ■' ■ (:■) they should organize themselves, and that they should organ- ize themselves in the same nay that men in the. factory are organized. Each man should he organized around a machine, pust as the men in the army are organized around a gun. find that some iren are rich enough to have tractors: some 1 are rich enough to have gang plows; and so I am trying to get the men on these projects to Organize themselves iround these machines, and treat these machines as common :operty, and have the farmers farm in companies, who will jlow not only their own lands, but the lands of all their :ighbors, and seed them, and then harvest the crops; and ley will move like a great flying squadron across a farm- ing community, and do the work collectively that is now sing individualist ically done. That idea may not be limited to'a reclamation pro- ject; it can be put into effect in every county and every farming district in the United Ste/tee. The farmer has been more backward in organizing than anyone else in the country. He has been taught to believe that he was economically inde- pendent, and therefore he has felt that he might just as well have, and should have , all of his own implements and be en- tirely self-sufficing as an economic factor. The wise farmers are learning that that can't be done, that they must play the game together, that there is such a thing as a spirit of the gang which makes for effectiveness, that there is such a thing as farming in a wholesale way which makes for larger crops and ultimately for less work. And that brings me to this thought, that we must not look at this season alone. You and I do not know when this war is voing to end. This may not be a one year's job. Whatever the size of the job, we have got to provide for it and be equal to it. '."or. myself, I do not believe • it ' ,-.. to be ended in this year. Germany, according to Mr. Hoover ! o statement to me, has a food supply, with a fair crop this year, that will last two year3. She has eighteen million cattle left. She still has an abundance of iron and plenty of coal, What her other internal conditions may be, I do not know: but she has put up the greatest fight that the world has ever seen, She has the easiest end of the fight now, because le is on the defensive, "here she can hold her trenches .th a comparatively small number of men against a larger 'orce. She has the inner line cf the circle, She ha„s been >reparing a long time, she had her railroad lines complete to care for her needs. So when you go home, I beg of you not to inspire your people with the belief that by immediate action even they are going to bring this thing to an immed- iate end, but prepare your plans so that if yo-i cannot sow this year and reap this yea.r, you can sow next year more successfully and extensively, and reap a more abundant har- vest next year, We cannot, we must not fail in this venture. The pride that we have in our own ability won't let us even to think of such a thing. But war is now a matxer of fore- sight, and not merely an expression, a gesture, and we must- think, therefore, to the crops of next year, of xhe mine out- put of next year, cf the aeroplane output of next year. And there is no man all down the line from California, to Maine who isn't involved in this work, — not a single man who isn't a part of our social and industrial fabric; so tied up with the pushing of this great enterprise that he is not a soldier under the flag. And there is one line of work which you men can do far better than we can, and that is the inspiring of your people. The hope that the French have is that the morale of the Ger- mans will break down. The hope that we have is that the mo- rale of the people of the United States will rise. / THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Gentlemen, we are substantially through with what is planned for this morning. I have had a second question submitted to met Will volunteering and the process of selective conscription proceed simultaneously? Volunteering is going on now. We are receiving large numbers of recruits at this time. The use of selective conscription to fill up the regular army and National Guard will only be resorted to after a sufficient opportunity to do that by volunteering has been extended, so that there will be no operation of the draft for the regular army and national guard until full opportunity to recruit them to war strength by the volun- teer process has been extended. The volunteer process, however, does not apply at any stage to the so-called addi- tional forces of five hundred thousand men. The likeli- hood, therefore, is that the two propositions will not be in operation at the same time. That is, that the draft will not be actively in operation unless it should be for the additional force while the volunteering is going on for the other two forces. SECRETARY LANE: Mr, Chairman, I am asked this ques- tion as to what method of selection will be adopted. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: It will be usually by lot — - the jury wheel process. All of the men of military age will be registered, and by the jury wheel process the requisite number will be selected out of that total. They will be subjected to physical examina- tion and the number physically or otherwise disqualified* rejected, and further lots drawn from the total available in each community, so as to keep the contingent of the community full while a process of examination in selecting ■ ■ - . •-. . ■ . ■: • ■■ - - ■■* . . ..■■•■'-• « * ' v .'•'•'- - ■■...-.. - • ■ ■ ■ ■ ' - - . v t. * •-•■•....-. .; _ , j ■-"-,.■ * . . . , * . ' ' • ' .••'•'■ - . ..•-. ■.':•...■■; L, . .- . . .■ • . - - • : i ■ . - \ ; r . . . . .. out those who can not be spared from their industrial work and exempting them, the persons thus exempted being honorably discharged and given some sort of indication that their failure to be in the force is not due to un- willingness on their party to 3erve. MR, CARNEY, OF WISCONSIN: Mr. Secretary, you said that those who will be useful in certain kinds of trades might be exempted. Will there be a list made of essential trades which will be a guidance to the county council7 THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: No, I do not think there will be a list made of essential trades*. The regulation for exemptions is the most difficult to draw. The Department will draw a set of regulations which will be applied by the local bodies. Those regulations will not exempt people by classes because there are a great many people even in indispensible classes who are not them- selves indispensible (laughter), and it would make a very unfortunate situation, I think, for the War Department to say that any particular class of persons are going to be exempted, and the burden of actual military operations thrown on the remaining classes. We are going to make regulations under which the indispensibleness of a man's relation to industry or agriculture can be determined by local boards, but not to exempt by classes, A MEMBER: Mr, Chairman, will copies of these ad- dresses be available to take home with us? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER* I do not know. They are being taken stenogfaphically, and I hope they can be made available* A MEMBER: I think they will be very beneficial to us, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: We shall be _ - .. - 1 - . . ... . .- • - ( r . * ■-■•*■-■■ -'■ ' ■ -. .. — * ■■'• - - « • , : -. . . ■ . s : ■ '*• .-■- t ."•*•':::*■•. * very glad, to furnish them, A MEMBER; P&rhaps, if the manuscript notes can be supplied to us, we can correct them, MR, GIFFORD: May I say it was ihe intention of the Committee on Arrangements to have every word taken down, and to that add the activities of the Departments in de- tail, and send them as quickly as possible to all repre- sentatives here present, (Applause) « A MEMBER: May I suggest a question in the minds of many from the various States? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Certainly, A MEMBER: We are trying to determine in Maine Just what the proper action of the State should be in reference to the road building program in view of this situation*. Should it be confined to such a period of time as will not interfere with planting or harvesting, or be abandoned; or what should be done? If anyone has any suggestion on that, we should be glad to hear about it, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY EAKERft I do not know whether a definite answer can be given to .that, but I will undertake to answer it off hand. In general terms, road building ought to be discontinued to the extent necessary to keep the laborer employed from being taken off the farm at indispersible times to the extend that roadbuilding in the State is going forward, and when any question arises as to the paramount importance of any particular road for military reasons, that question ought to be submitted to the War Department, and the question of the importance of the road determined by the War College or the Chief of Engineers* There are roads, undoubtedly, that lead to coast defenses and places of that kind that are very important. And of course there are very important * . - --•-■■ ■ - . . • market roads and roads which trill save the apples which usually rot in the orchards, which are too far from the cities to get their oropa into the market. Such roads are valuable military roads as well as valuable market roads, and I think it would be a great pity to abandon on any large scale the road building program of the coun- try; but the States can very well, I «hink, undertake to prevent a conflict by simply consulting the civil government with regard to such questions when they arise, A MEMBER? Mr, Chairman, may I inquire when you appoint a Colonel to select the twenty-five men for the training camp* will that include non-commissioned officers? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: That was not determined, but my judgment would be to include non- commissioned officers* A MEMBER t Twenty- five? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Twenty- five; the number was fixed at twenty-five in order to pre- vent breaking up the formation of the corps. MR 6 BENNETT : Will that apply to those National Guard regimencs now in the Federal service? THE PR3S1SXK3 OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: It will, to all of them alike, A M2MBEH8 Mr, Secretary* when the questions are finished, ] would like to make an announcement, A iGSHEEBj An officer may resign from a State posi- tion, a-j 7. under staid it? THE PRESIDING OFFICER SECRETARY BAKER: But none of them will be in the present emergency. (Laughter and applause) . A MEMBER: That will shut him out from resigning, and he can go into the officers 1 reserve corps. I j i v ; r THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Every man who gets a commission in the officers 1 reserve corps is to have, and has to have, certain recommendations, and it would not be much recommendation if he resigned from the militia at this time. A MEMBER: Is the work of enrolling the men to be voluntary? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKERt The govern- ment is prepared to pay for it,. I have had thirty- two States indicate that they intended to make the entire busi- ness of conducting this registration a patriotic, free- will offering to the government. (Applause) I have no doubt that will be largely followed throughout the coun- try, although I think there may be instances in which it may be necessary to depart from it* A MEMBER: Mr. Secretary, the registration is voluntary, do I understand? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: No, the bill before Congress requires registration of everybody within the age limits, so that if a man fails to present himself, he will bs subject to the panalties of the statute* A MEMBER: Mr*. Secretary, may I inquire what will be the attitude of the Department towards the organization of home guards, so-called? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: I am glad you brought that up. The Department, of course, realizes the necessity of forces at home for home guard purposes. This is an entirely proper time and place for me to say that the behavior of our people sinoe this war started on our part has been splendid, has been magnificent, and many people who imagined that there would be difficulties of one kind or another, I am quite certain must be happy to ' ■ ' • - find how far their forebodings were disappointed. Un- doubtedly, home guard organizations will be formed, and will be necessary. It is the judgment of the military authorities, and one in which I heartily concur, that those forces ought to be organized, and for the most part they ought not to be armed, unless in exceptional cases, with the high pmr&x army rifle,-- even the Craig, and certainly no the Springf ieli. Those rifles carry a tremendous distance. They are weapons of war, and not weapons cf peaceful policing. Recently, a man who was ■ on as sentry, undertook to shoot at somebody who would not give him the paewoifa, and killed an innocent citizen a half mile away at the time the shot was fired. Those weapons are "lethal", -- a new word we have learned, weapons of war, and it require* traxning and discipline and judgment to manage them wisely; so that while the De- partment is exceedingly anxious to encourage in every way the formation ox home guard organizations to that the National Guard may not be required to do home guard duty, it suggests for the consideration of the state councils and governors that, as far as possible, such home guards be armed with riot guns or other unsual po- lice appliances. A MEMBER- Mr. Secretary, one question that is dis- turbxng me $»at new is this. *2 our National Guard have been called to the Federal service. We may have neces- sity where in case of labor strikes, we have one on in our State now, where we would need a company or two of that National Guard, What steps would be required for us to obtain the National Guard, or one company of it? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER 5 That ques- tion has really never been met, so far as I know, by thenar Department. I have h?d it presented to me as a hypothetical question a number of times. The double function of the National Guard as a state constabulary and a military force produces the complication. In a case v;here the Federal Government has called out the entire militia of the States and the Governor of the State discovers a domestic need for the militia, un- doubtedly the War Department would honor his request for a military force, if necessary to preserve order. A MEMBER; You would not require the time neces- iw , +11TT , them back as National sary to demobolize them and turn tnen. Guards* She presiding officer? secretary baker: »° ^ OT - Wbi&Wt; the "" »****•«* has ** tMee tWeS ° f guns: forty-six thousand old fashioned Springf ieldfl, a heavier munition than the -darn Springfield; the Sprrng- field rifle; and the Craig; and the entity en hand i. net in excess of that needed to train the forces. So the Department will net he ahle to furnish a .unto the States. «.«■-. -n our State I have en- m A MEMBER; I may 3 ay this: *n our *• «f home guard companies even couraged the organization Ox home gu i„ their training along the line without the use of arms in their -r-p prt of the organi- suggested by you, feeling that tn- *„ h8 ve much to do with zation of those companies would have rru trit of patriotism m the greater development of the spi -.-*■> in ir lessen the the MMUiUl, ar,. in that nsnner re.ll/ «. -.floe *M the home guard company, need for the wo e o. seriio* - It may be that later on we Bhall n • ^ wpver ■ •«- of the country, however a more effective way, me spixx „* that we have been is such, up to the present momenc, that little nesd for their active use, MR. 'McGEE, OF MINNESOTA: Mr. Secretary, I would like to inquire as to the policy of the Department in cases where it was necessary to arm the guard where the Federal instrumentalities are involved, or where for instance in Minnesota range furnishes about seven- ty per -cent of the iron ore of the country, absolutely essential to the carrying on of war operations. That range last year was under a reign of terror, a strike there the whole year, and violations predominated. Now, it's going to be necessary to control that entire range. At Minneapolis there is accumulated food products worth today nearly a hundred million dollars, much sold for export to England and France. New we would like to know we have ordered the formation of seven battalions of guard -'«-- where the weapons are going to come from that will arm them, and upon the range no toy guns will do, if the flow cf ore is to be kept going. Now. we are here to find out, That's one of the purpose of our visit here, to know just what we can get. Now, the weapons are not available there. We w«nt to know just what the policy of the War Department is to be, what we can depend upon, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Without pass- ing upon either of the instances you have cited, about both of -which I have some information, but without passing upon any particular instance, there are undoubtedly sit- uations in the country of both State and national impor- tance i think it is easy to concede that both the milling and wheat elevators are of national as well as State importance there are plenty of arms to arm the necessary guards to take care of national and State situ- at i ens of that kind , A MEMBER: And they will be furnished by the Fed- eral Government to the home guard? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: That de- pends, so far es the law of the case is concerned, upon a measure now before Congress, which, if passed, will authorize the Secretary of War to distribute certain numbers of the Craig rifles which hitherto have been limited for the purpose for which they might be dis- tributed, and it is the intention of the War Department, if that measure doss pass, to respect the requisitions of the Governors of Stat -s, and ask the Governors to determine the extent to which the use of that kind of arms is needed , rather than the little local communi- ties which may organize home defense guards. A MEMBER. Is it necessary in order tc conform to the policy of the Department as to Federal Law that there should be regulation as to the age limit of. the men who may enter guards? Must they be over the limit available for military service? THE PRESIDING OFFICiR , SECRETARY EAKER: No, it is entirely a local institution, and has no recognition by Federal statute* It would seem wise, however, to have the guard organized with men above the age limit of the draft, so their organization will not be broken up when it becomes necessary for these men to respond to the selective drafts A MEMBER: Is it understood that men entering the guard are exmpt from service? A MEMBER: The same men: THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: That has never been considered. MR, MCGEE: In Minnesota we fix a limit. THE PRESIDING OFFICER* SECRETARY BAKER: I think it would probably be wise to change it again and fix it at the maximum limit of the conscription act, A MEMBER: That can be done v»-ry easily. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, SECRETARY BAKER: Now, gen- tlemen, if I may take just a momemt, I am assuming that you are glad to mee€ those that are most useful to the government here in Washington, and particularly those who lor years have been performing services of the very highest value on a voluntary basis', and so I am going to take the pleasure of introducing to you, just so that you will look at him, later you may hear from him — - Mr. Howard E. Coffin, of the Advisory Council of Rational Defense. (Whereupon Mr. Coffin arose, amid applause) Mr. Coffin was not here when I was talking before. He stayed out until I got through discussing the industrial situation, so as not to embarrass me \ (Laughter) Another gfentlemin who is present, and who has been cooperating with Mr. Coffin, and is now cooperating with the Council of National Defense, is its Director, Mr, Gifford, who is here in the corner, (Whereupon Mr. Gifford arose, amid applause.) Now, as a general proposition, I want to ask you gentlemen to give your questions to Mr. Gifford, He is the center of activity of the Council of National Defense, and if there is any uncertainty of your part as to just where to go to look for the particular piece of informa- tion you desire, if you will ask it of Mr. Gifford 1 * office, he will give you adequate directions. Of course, ._ , ' ■ : ■■ . ■ ■ XI • - ->-r -• ■ ■' »*'-»■ - • I ■ 3 .0 •• all of the members of the governefflt here are anxious to place themselves at your disposal, to answer any questions or give you any information they can. At two o'clock this afternoon, the President has in- vited you to go to the White House, so that he may have the pleasure of meeting ycu there, I want to have the opportunity of presenting you to the President. The Secretary cf Commerce suggests that he does not know whether the meeting will be at the White House proper or at the Executive Offices, but they are in the same grounds, I hope to find out in the meantime. I think it wise for you to come here at a quarter of two* If you will meet in this room at that time, we can go over together, and I will give myself the pleasure of present- ing you-, (Applause } (Whereupon the morning session of the conference was adjourned} « The members of the Conference wore invited to meet the esident at the '"hite House at two o'clock on the afternoon of May 2nd, 1917. The president spoke as follows: Mr. Secretary, the Secretary of !V ar and Gentlemen: It goes without eayiHg that I am very glad to see you and very glad to see you on such an errand. I have no homily to de- liver to you, because J know you are as intensely interested as I am in drawing all of our efforts and energies together in a common action. My function has not of recent days been to jive advice but to get thinjs coordinated so that there will not be any, or at at any rate too much, lost motion,, and in order that thinjs should not be done twice by dif- frent bodies or done in conflict. It is for that reason that I particularly welcome a conference such as this y^u are holding today and tomorrow, the conference which will acquaint you with exactly the task as it is conceived here in "Washington and with the ways in ich cooperation can be best organized. ?or, after all, c task is comparatively simple. The means of accomplish- g the task are very complicated, because we must draw many oces of machinery tojather and we must see that they act t only to a common object but at the same time and in a mmon spirit. My function, therefore, today is the very easant function of saying how much obliged to you I am r having como here and associated yourself with us in the gro it task of making good what the nation has promised to do, --go to the defense and vindication of the rights of people everywhere to live as they have a right to live under the very principles of our nation. It is a thing one does not dare to talk about because a certain passion comes into one's thought and one's feeling as one thinks cf the nature of the task, the ideal nature of it, of the opportunity that .America has now to show to all the world what it means to have been a democracy for one hundred and forty-five years and to mean every bit of the creed which we have so long professed. And in this thing it ought to be easy to act and delightful to cooperate. I thank you very much indeed for your courtesy in co rain j here. WEDNESDAY AFT ? P;OON SESSION y 3, 1317. (The Wednesday afternoon session war: convened at thres o'clock p.m. in the offices cf the Council of National Defense^ L'unce.y Building, Washington, D. C. , with Hon. W, S. Clifford, Director cf the Council, presid- ing. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, !"R. GIFFOEE: Gentlemen, the pioture men are after us again. Tl 'omise us it wil not take a moment. Cent lemon, I would like to have Mr. Porter, who is in charge of this work for the Council of national Defense take a moment for the statement he wishes to make about the wort we are planning to do here. kl\ SEORGE F. PORTER, OF THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE: Gentlsmen, I want to make simply the briefest statement to reiter s said this morning; that is, the committee has prepared, and there is now be ing distributed, information about the activities of the various departments in connection with the war. Of course, we could gc into more detail in the pamphlet than could be gone into in the speeches. In addition to that we are having every word of these conferences taken down by a court stenographer, and that will be published and sent to all the representatives just as quickly as possible after these meetings. I think one of the matters of greatest value for these meetings is the getting in personal touch with one another. I knew that's true with myself, and I am extremely anxious to meet and have the personal touch with the representa- tives of all the States, and I think it is extremely valuable for the -afferent state representatives, end ^- // th< t h 1 ch man, when he rises to speak, give h -' and the stats, and furthermore that each en :end to his lapel his cerd or hie name v;ritten out in 301 ".. \.y, so that we oan have some direct communication or seme direct way of knowing who each man is, and the State frcrr. Which he coir.es* THS . SIDING OFFICER, "P. GIFFORD: Gentlemen, this is a business ing, end we was-te no time. I want to introduce to you the Secrstary of Labor, who will talk to us on the Labor Department and what the state can do to aorist the Labor Department. Gentle- men, the S3e.retr.r3/ of Labor. (Applause) ■ ADDRESS BY RON. T. B. WILSON zhetary of labor. Mr. Chairman; Your Excellencies, Gentlemen: Ours is a peculiar fori:, cf : ent in which there is a distinctive dual authority. ' the government was formed each of the thirteen colonies felt that they were separate, independent, end sovereign states, end that they were form in- \ ■:: 1 government for the one great reason that a concert of action was necessary for the common defense. Only such thine;- '''or-, conceded to the general goverr as were deemed to be necessary for the promotion c r the genera] welfare, and for the main- tenance of 0. general defense. Nearly all of the police powers were specifically reserved to the States. In the exercise cf those police powers, the various states have established certain standards relative to labor. They have established a maximum number cf "-ours of labor for x;cri\en. They have established a legal number of cf hours as constituting the day's work for men. An; t] 3 • thed the minimum age at which children .-.ay be employed in gainful occupation. They have est da of .sanitation, and safety, end have created police authorities in the fcrir. of factory ii n and mine inspection, and eo on, to enforce the standards they have established. When our country faced the great emergency that is now confronting it. a large amount of history ira- mediately developed concerning the- necessity of the re- moval of all of those standards established by the re- spective states; in erne instances by mutual agreements between 3mpioyer end employe?;; in other in- stances by cu. bom, in order that we might reach a high- er standard of efficiency in production. The matter was brought to the attention of the Council of National Defense, and its judgment was that it would be can un- wise thing to undertake to change any of the standards that have been established until the time had arrived when the national safety. and the national defense re- quired that the standards should be changed. It felt further that it would not be advisable for any one of the states to undertake to deterr.in:-- when that period had arrived. There are many reasons. One cr two I think will be sufficient, First, the only reason that can be assigned for th changing of the standards is that the cor.rr.cn defense requires a change. If that be true, then the responsi- bility and th3 authority of determining when that chang should take place should rest with those who are entrust ed with the handling of the national defense. In the second place, if any one of the states under takes to change those standards, particularly undertakes to lower the standards that have been established, while e e .-/ the other Btatea 1 " - no action in that iireotion, tamediately there will be an iudxistri?] upheaval in the ststes that undertake tc lower v;c at~nd3 while the other states ara' inactive. ■ For those two reasons we have felt that the question of determining when any change should t : - ir. existing- standrrds should be placed in the hands of the Council cv National De- fense which is dealing with t." tter from the standpoint cf the entire country. Ih ■ ier standards, -- in par- ticular — that ~ '.. 'er to Tor a moment, ?.ni that is the 'standard of living. Th le s, time when it will 'be absolutely neoessary to advise a re- duction and lowering in the standard of living in the interest of the common ] are, Thar, time has not yet arrived. Thr; standard of living is an 3 thing. It is difficult to di t —. :n i joist what it is, out never- theless it car-net remain uniform; it cannot continue to exist as it isj unless the purchasing never of the wages received > workers c: : a t the same. li ths ccst cf living inore. ses without a corresponding increase in the wage rate, it ; \ lo™ jring in th? 1 standard, of living. If ths cost cf livj creases with- out a corresponding decrease in rh< wage i J : meane an increase in tb.2 standard of liiring, and yet it is diffi- cult to determine ;'ust what the wage will be from tims to time that is necessary to maintain "'~he stand- ard of living. There will naturally be disputes as between employers :nd employees on that particular question. Our viewpoint is that en these clear-cut, Il-recognised standards, there should be no dispute between employer end employee, that there should be no attempt oe the part of sitter employer or employee to take advi i of t v . :■ count* , y , B necessities and force any change in those standards; and we feel the same way with regard to the standard of living: "but as I said it is more difficult tc determine; it is net as clean- cut. - r r: feel, however, thai- sv?n in that respect that neither laborer ucj employee should permit a stoppage of work to as a result of h dispute about wages or any other thing for that pari; of the matter un- til the established agencies of the gc%rnment, state and national , h ' an opportunity to use their good officer, to bi I out an adjustment of the difficulty* (Applause) There is one ether phase of that subject matter that I would like tc touch on .just for a moment, and that is a phase that is a burning question with the trade unionist. Dhd3i normal conditions the trade unionist believes in collective bargaining. He believes that his trade union should te recognized for the pur- pose of conducting sell eoti-a, bargaining and in many instances they have been recognized, but this ic no time to take advantage of emergencies to force recognition cf the union. (Applause) I do not believe tfc i has any right tc interfsre with capital in organizing into corpora- tions. I do not 3ve that aa list has any right to interfere with working men in organizing intc unions. If workmen are free, as capital is free to organize, and their standards cf living are maintained, then it would seem to be the heights of disloyalty to stop the wheels of industry in this critical period, sclely fcr the purpose cf forcing a recognition of the union. And that is one of the thinss that must be im- pressed upon employer and employee alike. That is "the heights of disloyalty to force or bring about a stopp- age cf our indue tries in order tc force the establish- ment of standards that they have not been able tc force during normal conditions . One cf our great problems trill be the problem of the mobility of labor. The securing of the necessary help to perform the different kinds of work that will be required at the time when it is required. For the moment the moat intense thing is an assurance that when the harvest time comes, there will be a sufficient amount of labor available to garner every particle of food that has been raised. (Applause) There is some immediate need for farm labor, but our farmers can prepare very much more land, and can take care of it during the growing period than is now under cultivation. The great time in agriculture is our great harvest period, particularly our grain period. Many of the other crops can be harvested more leisure- ly, but our grain crops must be harvested only when the grain is ripe and ready for the sickle, else it cannot be harvested successfully at all. There has been considerable history in that direction; also we have had a great many suggestions about organizing indus- trial armies, enlisting men who are net available for military service and making them subject to direction and organizing them into camps tc be parcelled out here and there or the ether place, wherever for the time being they may happen to be needed. Let me say tc you at this time, as one who is fa- miliar with the psychology cf the working man's mind, that you might just as Well get it out of your heads .- - now as later that ycu c&nnot enlist working men to be employed under anybodv ? s direction in private service for private profit. The American working man is not built that way. You can enlist him, nay, ycu can con- script him if you will in the national defense. He will sacrifice his life for the maintenance, of democratic institutions, but when he la,bora for any man who is engaged in any kind ox an enterprise for profit, he wants to feel at liberty to work, or not to work, for that indiyidual lust as his impulse and his interests determine. Then, the question arises: How are you going to meet the emergency, if ycu cannot enlist men and direct them to go here and there and elsewhere? How will you meet the emergency that is confronting you? And that is a great question for us to consider. There are two ways, if you conscript the farms, and if you conscript the industries and operate them by the Government, then you would be perfectly justified for the national de- fense in conscripting the labor to operate those fact- ories and the farms. Eut we have nox reached the stage where we are willing to undertake the conscription of land and factories to be operated by the Government, and we must deal with the problem from an entirely different standpoint, and that standpoint must be the standpoint of getting the necessary voluntary labor to do the work that is so much needed on the farm, and possibly later on so much needed elsewhere on the farm. It is mere pressing because the farm is season- al. Unless you prepare your land at a given period, you cannot scatter your seed so that it will grow suc- cessfully. Unless you reap at a given period, you can- not reap at all. . Sp agriculture is seasonal , Ycu must have your people qrt the particul :icd or they are valueless. With Lus tries it is different; you nay work at the-a at different pe-icds of the year. The thoughts that core to r.e ill chat direction are net numerous, but I think at least hexpful. As in all of our industries there is more or le-i: broken time. Men are idle one cr twe days, one or two .'week's, for that part of the matter, evon where trey arc supposed to have permanent places. I believe that the Dtates and the Federal Government can co-operate in getting the work- ers in the industries in the attitude of mind of utilis- ing their broken time in going out to assist the farmers in the preparation of their crops, and with that class of individuals the question of wages is not an import- ant gaotor. To the man who is following agricultural labor as a means of livelihood, J d.e question of wages is an important factor. To the men who is going out only for a day or two, cr for a week or two, to help out in the preparation of thewland or in the reaping of the crops, the question of wages is secondary. That view then may be utilized to some int. There is ys ir the most prosperous times in our towns and cities a number of men whe ore idle, who are without jebs of any kind whatsoever. It is possible that through cooperation of the States and the Federal Government many of those may b3 utilised for the prepara- tion of the lands for seeding purposes. We have large numbers of boys between the military age and the mini- mum age limit at which they can he placed at gainful occupations who have not as yet been placed in any kind of industry. It is possible for us to organize those boys, to utilize them in groups,. so that they will work to the best advantage, because the bey nature loves the group assisting in our farm work by that process. Then, when it comes to the great peak of the road where these harvests are to be taken not in a short period of time, if we begin our preparations now, I have not a particle of doubt but that we can work out a policy by which there rill be ample labor to take care of all of the crops that may have to be reaped. Let me tell you of a little experience I had a great many years ago. , In 1S6'5, I think it was, I was working in the iron ore mines at Clinton, in the Mohawk Valley, in the State of New York. At that time the Mohawk Valley was the center of the hop growing industry of the United States. When the hop picking season came, to my surprise, all of the little local industries in the neighborhood shut aown. The mines were closed, the furnaces were shut down, the little factories and shops were closed, and the men, the women, and the children went out into the hop fields and made a holiday out of picking the hops. They cared nothing about the wages. It was an out ing for them. It was a change; it was a rest. It was their great annual holiday, and they gathered the hops. The employers in the industries throughout the valley male their prepara- tions in advance, so that their repairs and replace- ments could be made at that particular time. They re- tained only the necessary workers for that purpose, and the others assisted in the harvest. Since we have been facing this problem, that old experience has come back to me, and I feel that we can work it out on a nation-wide basis, and by cooperation with the States we can get the employers into the frame of mind of making their preparations for their annual: repairs and repli i te at harvest tine, and get the workers into the frar.e of Kind of maKing a holiday out of gam the srops. (Applause) These are acme of the ways in. which } in my judg- ment, the States and the Federal Government can co- operate, and in that cooperation I want bo reiterate that it should be borne in. mind that the only reason we have any emergence ia that "he Federal Government has exercised the •ear power that has been placed in its hands, and consequently, it is a question net cf what meets the immediate reeds of the locality or of the State, but what meetc. the neecls of ovr entire country. I thank you. (Applause) MR. CHARLES MCCARTHY, of MADISON, WISCONSIN: Mr. Chairman, may 1 ash questions at this period in order to straighten thi3 thing out? Has the National Council of Defense passed or. the question of enlistment cf men for an industrial army? SECRETARY WILSON: Mr. Chairman and Mr. McCarthy, the Council of haticnal Defanse has net pa.ssad. on the question cf an enlistment of an industrial army. It he.s passed upon the question of the maintenance of standards, but has not passed On the question cf an enlistment of an industrial army or an army for in- dustrial purposes. MR. MCCARTHY: Would there be any conflict with the national plans, if one State were to establish an industrial rela-tion. That is, say to volunteers who may come in "you are hereby enlisted, and we may send you into tha potato fields or into the corn fields." SECRETARY WILSON: I am afraid that unless you get an amendment to the Constitution, the Federal Con- stitution I have reference to, that you couldn't do that. There is only ore part of the Constitution under which it can be ion©, and that is under the mili- tary power of the Government and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, is prohibited by the Constitution itself. And no man hap the power to sign away his own liberty. Now, I am not a constitutional lawyer.. I may be wrong in my conception of it, I am hot a lawyer at all for that part of the matter. But my judgment is that no State, except by virtue of the war authority ef the Federal Government, could create a militia for industrial purposes. MR. SAMUEL IUSULL, OF ILLINOIS: But supposing, Mr. Secretary, that a man should volunteer for that class of the service, and should place himself, he e.nd his friends, should place themselves at toe disposal of the State for just such purposes. SECRETARY WILSON: I would have no obj set ions to that being dor s . ME. INSULL: V.no would say him nay? Who would step* in and claim that he had no authority to sign away his service voluntarily for the benefit of the State under such a crisis as v;e have at this time? SECRETARY WILSON; I have no objections, and I can see no objections, Mr. Chairman, to the enroll- ment of anyone for any class of industrial service that he wants to enroll for; and I can see no objections for his continuing to perform' the work for which he is enrolled; nor can I see any Objections whatever, either legal or moral, against the enrollment, of workers for that purpose. What I am objecting to is an enlistment, not an enrollment. Under an enrollment a men performs labor as a result of that enrollment; but he is at liberty to cease the performrr.ee of that labor whenever in his judgment the conditions are not satisfactory to him. Under an enlistment it is entirely different, and I want to male that distinction very clear, if I can. MR. EQWOOD C. PEPISKO, OF SOUTH DAKOTA: Mr. Chair- man, just one question: Let that be done as the Secre- tary has stated, but would the Government give this man who enrolls for farm work any recognition, so that the people in his community might net consider him a "slack- er," but that he is really serving the nation as a labor- er in that field. SECRETARY WILSON: I am not prepared to discuss that phase of it, because I think it properly telongs with the War Department, and cannot be fully determined until the measure now pending in Congress has been dis- posed of. m [judgment is this, that of all those who are taken into service who are rejected f^om mili- tary service for any reascn, either because of physical defects, cr because they have made a place for them- selves in industry that can not be filled by scirebody else, some distinctive badge ought to be given to that man to shew that he was at least willing to follow the conscription. MR. RUTLEDC-E SMITH, OF TENNESSEE; Mr, Secretary, it is o-ur observation in Tennessee that all that is necessary at the present time is for anyone to signify that he wishes work, and it is furnished at remunerative prices. There could net be any volunteer system de- vised that would reach the matter quicker than the labor- er himself simply to signify that he wished labor. There is plenty of labor in this country for everyone j as quickly rr. he signifies hie intentions of doing it, SECRETARY WILSOlv": Mr. Chairman, that undoubtedly is true, although this also is true, that as between the ending of one piece of work and the securing of another there is invariably, or almost invariably broken time. The fact that we haye net established machinery that provides a clearing house mades a condi- tion where, even in ycur villages, let alone your cities, the man around the corner may need a carpenter, and the carpenter around the other corner may need work, and neither of their, knows of the needs of the other until by accident the needs of both are brought together, What you need to overcome that is seme kind of a system of clearing houses that will give you the information, give to the worker the information of where he can ob- (work and to the employer; the information where he can obtain tain/the necessary kind of workers that he wants, that there is mere than that needed. As I have said, there is considerable broken time between the finding of places, the ending of one job and the securing of another, and in the course of the same job. The city has never for a moment stopped to think of the grea.t amount eff farm work that could be _done if every one of those wifch'the broken time, utilized that broken time in the performance of farm labor > The thought has not been pressed home to them of the need of it, and one of the things that had to be done in order to secure the use of this broken time is to press it home to the minds of the workers that that broken time is essential for the food supply of the nation. MR. MCCARTHY: What is being done by your Depart- ment, Mr. Secretary, to take care of that situation now? We have in our State hundreds of applications from farmer^ for a farm laborer. We cannot fill them. What's being dene? What is s;cina: to be done? SECRETARY WILSOI T : I wish I could tell you what is going to be done in that natter. I would be the most enlightened man in this group if I could tell you what is going to be done. But I cannot tell you what is going to be done. i air. simply thinking out loud, as I hope you gentlemen will think out loud, in the hope that we may develop something that can be done, and done successfully. Just one word more in answer to Mr, McCarthy, if you will pardon me: The Department of Labor has been doing some placement work, not a great deal. The psychology of its placement work is wrong. We have a little division in the Bureau of Immigration known as the Division of Information. It is authorized to gather information relative to opportunities for aliens, and they make that information available to aliens and others. The natural inference throughout the country has been in developing the employment service under that Bureau that it is dealing only with aliens, and yet, as I have said, we have been doing sore oftthat kind of work in cooperation with the States, as far as we possibly could, and as far as we had the appropria- tion to cooperate with their., and in conjunction with the States we have been placing during the part five or six months in the neighborhood of twenty thousand laborers, some of them on the farms, some of them in the industries, twenty thousand laborers a month during the great wheat harvest during the past three years in cooperation with the State officials in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the States further north. We have succeeded in gathering up the floating labor which was greater in those years than it will be this year, froi the surrounding states arid taking there into the harvest fields, so as to gamer the wheat harvest. How, those are some of the things that we have been doing, but we recognize further that the machinery in the respective States is not perfect, and that be- cause of the imperfect machinery on the part of the Federal Government, and on the part of the State govern- ments, there cannot be that complete cooperation which is essential to success. MR. C. W, EAR3ER, of TRENTON, NEW JERSEY: In New Jersey thare is a Commissioner of Labor, who, I under- stand, has worked closely with Mr. Secretary Wilson, and I was informed just as I was leaving, that, acting as a go-between between men and work, the Commissioner of Labor in New Jersey has within the last three weeks found over forty-five hundred men who have been willing and even keen to work in agricultural work, being will- ingly loaned by employers in manufacturing industries, and that between now and the harvest time, including that time, there has been secured obligations for ser- vices freely given of approximately twenty-five thous- and, such persons. That was accomplished through broad- cast placarding of trees and signboards of a plain state- ment of facts, in order that the people might know the situation end the results secured. This seems to be the answer. GOVERNOR HARRIS, OF GEORGIA: Mr. Chairman, I want- ed to ask the Secretary a question, and I am impelled to do so by the answer which the Commissioner of Agri- culture made to the Senate on the 26th. He stated that • some arrangement would possibly, or you seek to do that, to furnish labor at certain times of the year, and es- pecially those times when it is most needed in farming communities. Now, we had a gree.t gathering in Georgia, — some fifteen hundred people from all counties in Georgia, and leading people, and I told them at that time, I read the Secretary's statement, and told them that I thought seme arrangement might be made by which we could get some labor at the harvest time. We are the cotton country, you knew, down there, a cotton State al- most entirely. That is our basis of credit, but our people are now plowing up their cotton and planting grain. If we could get the assurance that we would have some labor accessible, our labor is almost all colored, and it is gc ing to the north nearly every day, it is leaving us, we would feel more secured. We do all that we can, of course, to keep cur colored labor, but of course I suppose that is known to you. We cannot keep it frcm moving about. So, if we could get some assurance frcm the Department , or putting our own work in cooperation with yours, if we could bring about a situation that would enable our farmers to reach the conclusion that v. would have help, we could plan a crop almost double for the next yee.r, and we can make Georgia the granary of the South, if we could get that assurance. The ether point I was going to mention concerns the market, but that belongs properly to the Commission- er of Agriculture. Mr, Secretary, in that connection, of course, we have had our attention called to the flow of colored labor from the South to the North. For nearly a year we have been watching the movement. We have endeavor- ed to get in touch with these people of the South that we believe understood the negro problem and the negro character, with the view of solving that problem if we possibly could, and the only assurance that I can give you now is that we hope to carry out on a nation-wide scale the thought I mentioned some time ago. We hope to select representatives of the Department of Labor,, who will go into the different sections, and in coopera- tion with the State authorities endeavor to arrange in the industrial communities for the necessary relations that will enable the people from the industrial centers to go out and help in the hafvest. The question then will be a question of local transportation, which I think we can also solve when the time comes. I think there will be a sufficient number of patriotic people through- out the country who Will put their conveyances of one kind or another at the disposal of the State and the Federal Government, so that we can handle the local mobilizing or transportation question. That's the only way in which I feel that we can give any definite as- surance at this time. May I not though, in connection with the suggestion concerning the Department of Agriculture, just state what the understanding and arrangement is between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor, so far as agricultural labor is concerned - what kind of labor ie engaged at the present time in agricultur- al pursuits? It is not the intent or purpose of the Department of Labor in any manner to interfere with its placement or interfere with its movement from one place to another. That will be undertaken by the Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the State agricul- tural authorities. 'iVhat we hope to do is to deal with the problem of the labor in the towns and cities that may be utilized for the purpose of supplementing the regular agricultural labor, and to deal with that labor in cooperation with the States, to move it to those points where the Department of Agriculture finds that it is most needed. Now, that's the arrangement that we have with the Department of Agriculture, MR. MARTIN J. OILLEN, OF WISCONSIN: Mr. Secretary, do.es not the suggestion come as a practical considera- tion along these lines, we have now about thirty days more for planting. We only have the State and Federal machinery working along the lines that are now established for the next thirty days, and the publicity campaign that has been ma.de across this country, and nothing we can do here today can solve in any way, shape or manner, except by more publicity, the plant- ing of the crops. In other words, we must recognize here today that cur machinery is inadequate to get im- mediate action on planting. Therefore, the next ques- tion, the real question for us, as it seems to me, is the question of getting our crops in next fall, and then preparing for the planting in the following spring and beyond, as suggested by the Secretary of War. Nov;, if that be true, then the big practical problem for us to consider is the gathering of the crops in the Fall, Nov/, the men who are in the big manufacturing busi- ness of the Mississippi Valley, and I think it happens in a large way in all the manufacturing centers in the United States, knew that a great many of their uses, which are for the domestic needs of this country contain- ing some hundreds of millions of people, are started late in the Faiij COKe 5. wn through the Sprir. id into the summer, when you have a let down.- ■ ■ ■ .' Fowj it seems to me that you cannot get at this through the present Federal organisation. Ycu have got to go to the State organisation. (Applause) And that means this: that the very purpose for which these men were called here. They must be us3d; in ether words, they must go home^ and tiiey must organise their States by State councils cf defense or by committees off safety, as Massachusetts haa it today, or as New York has it, using all its machinery. That machinery must be ex- tended as it is extended in the State of Wisconsin, into every city where we have a local council of de- fense of strong men, and the State councils of defense, using the machinery through county and municipality, must do the first sane, sensible thing, and that is, they must take end keep up a continuous census of their States, and if they will do that, and if they will get the privilege to do that from this government, or the suggestion to get it, then we will have in every com- munity an organization which reaches out into its State, and which is supported by groups within its economic section. We will have the very foundation for the system by which we can get that labor. Now, I am speaking for my own city, Racine, Wis- consin, and I am speaking for th3 cities in the Miss- issippi Valley, and the manufacturers are just as patri- otic as the laboring men, and there is no question now of labor or capital in this proposition; and I know there would not be one particle of difficulty if we were tak- ing the census of the United States by States, and tak- ing it on uniform blanks across the United States, that while we were taking tha.t census, I do not believe there would be one question raised by any manufacturer to the point that a period in each community at least could be fixed so that the cities could turr out for a certain period and tale oare of that grain., take care of the pick- ing of fruits, and take care of all questions of crops. But it seems to me the first thing we 'have got to de- termine is a practical system by which all of the States go at it in - practical way, and in t'lat respect I be- lieve that all of the Federal Departments should act down through the organisation as created here through the States, and get the States in scire kind of uniform plan. V/here the citizens are scattered all ever the United States they cannct work* You cannot ask the State of Wisconsin to try and act with the Labor De- partment of Washington. If ycu do, you do net get a practical organisation, (Applause) SECRETARY WILSCKj Mr. Chairman, I do net know whether I am responding to these statements without be- ing expected, to respond tc their or net, end I do not want tc take up the time of the conference when a matter cf general debate is on, and yet I feel, as it started out in the form of questions, possibly with this notification, that I shall cencider hereafter that it is a general debr/te, rnd not a neries cf questions that are being asked, I would like tc make a statement in reply to the gentleman who has .lust spoken, cr rath- er 'in explanation of my own position and the position of the Departmnnt. A MEMBER:. Mr, Chairman, would it ndt be better to follow the rule that is ordinarily followed on all such occasions? Let the discussion take plaoe, and this is with every courtesy to the Secretary; simply in the interests of economy of time, let the discussion take place, end then the Secretary take up the vprieus matters at the end. THE PRESIDING- OFFICER, MR, GIFFORD: I think it would. SECRETARY T "ILSON: I have nc desire to obtrude ?.nd answer each question as it is propounded, and raised the question, as I did, for that reason. DR. JOSEPH HYDE PRATT, OF NORTH CAROLINA: Mr. Chairman, the Secretary made a suggestion that we think aloud, and there are one or two thoughts that dome to ray mind in regard to the labor problem that have not been touched upon, that I think can be used to work out to some extent in seme States, as Will be done in North Carolina, to help solve tha labor problem, particularly in connection with harvesting the crops. not We may be able to utilize these suggestions for any planting season at the present. New, there are tffo classes of labor which I am going to refer to that f re of almost opposite kinds. One relates tc the student bodies in our universities i and high-schools, and the other is the confined labor in cur prisons end jails. At the University of Itfortb Caroline, when we found the age limit for those who had the opportunity of try- ing for the officers* reserve corps "or commissions was raised tc twenty years and nine months, thsere were seventy-five tc or 2 hundred and fifty that signified they wanted to go, who were below that ago limit, "v^l it was suggested that trey offer their services when the college closed to the agricultural interests of North Carolina. If they did not need them they could get together and later go out to a State that North Carolina is very rauch interested in, because we have sent so many people there recently, to Oklahoma, and •' ".'; assist in harvesting the wheat crop and other grain crops of Oklahoma. Itow, I believe you will find, if you put it up to our student body that they are perform- ing just as much cf a patriotic service to the country in assisting in hatvesting the grain crcps and the fruit crops and any other agricultural crops, as if they had been able to apply for a commission in or join the army, you will find they will go by hundreds and assist in the harvesting of various crcps, I believe we will attain very good results from the use of our student labor, and the high-schocl labor, getting those boys interested, so that they will feel they are doing something that is worth while in harvesting the crops. Now, the other kind of labor that I mentioned is the prison labor. There was a statement m.E.de this morning in the meeting in regard to the construction of roads. Should we go ahead and ce,rry cut a general scheme for road construction when the labor that we would use in the construction of roads was needed on the farms? In North Carolina we are using at the present time some- thing like twc thousand of our prisoners in building our roads. In Georgia they are using more than that number. We use seme of them now on our State farms. We passed a law at the General Assembly of 1917 that will make part cf that labor more efficient, either for working en the reads or en the farms-, -than it ever was before, because from new on ail cur prisoners are di- vided into three classes: One, the first class, a.re worked v;ithcut guards, and the men are not in stripes; they are worked almost as though they were a division cf an army; and they are under the same rules and regu- lations as any company, as any arm of the army; we put 7f them out on the roafle and campe. There are no armed guards. There is not a single forenan or anyone in that camp allowed bo carry a gun, not even a pistol in his pocket. Few, that first class of cur prisoners we can use, If recescary, in harvesting crops. Now, you will fir.d in North Carolina. I will spy, that easi- ly twenty-five percent or terhaps. fifty percent cf the men that are eor.fined today as prisoners in that State, if we put it up to them that in this crisis they can serve, every one of them nearly will be glad to take upon himself the feeling that he was* serving hie country, although he was a prisoner instead, of being a free man. And I believe that with these two classes cf labor we will be able to help solve some of the questions of the South with regard to planting. THE PRESIDING- OFFICER, in. CIEFORD: I think it better at this time to confine ourselves to questions. The Secretary of Labor must leave in a few moments to keep an engagement. COMMISSIONER BOYLE, OF NEVADA: May I make a sug- gestion? This body is toe cumbersome, it seer.s to me, to take up a discussion of this character en an import- ant question of this sort in the way we are taking it up. It appears to me we should adopt t'ae usual practice in cases of this sort, and appoint committees to pre- sent to the body some proposition or alternative propo- sitions which could then become the subject of debate. We are hearing a number of admirable suggestions, but undoubtedly these suggestions could be made to Com- mittees, and these committees could then present to the conference something upon which they could predicate further discussion; and I believe that we will proceed 7/ much faster and that we ffilj be able to return with something much more concrete, touching on all of the lines ana all o^ the activities that we are expect- ed to handle, if the Chair would entertain now a motion that questions of this character should be sub- mitted to committees to be sei^cted by the Chair, and that these committees should report to the con- ference. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, IER, GIFFORD; If the Chair may, I would lil.e to explain our intentions at these meetings, It was our intention to hear today, this afternoon ?nd tomorrow morning from the representatives of the government as to what the government was doing, as to what the States could obviously do in connection with those plans, and to assist the Federal Government, It was thought wise, it seemed to us well, to allow questions from the floor to the speakers, I should like to continue the idea of direct questions which the speaker only can answer. If it is the de- sire that the states themselves exchange experiences in handling these problems, wo have got a different question on our hands. I believe it would be imposs- ible to finish cur program by tomorrow night if that is the plan that we wish to follow, I am personally open-minded on what we should do. I feel very strong- ly that these can be much better done, the dis- cussion and the swapping of experiences of how things worked in different places, -■ — by written memoranda handed in and mimeographed, and put in shape and dis- tributed promptly to every member of the delegation. You will then have time to study it over, find out whether it appeals at all to you as adaptable to your 77 ' local situation, and we can save the time very ma- terially cf the gent?.emen here. Unless there is a strong feeling that we should do the contrary, I would prefer not to appoint committees* I would prefer to have these things sent in tc us by the men whe have prograrrs in their srarious States which they think are useful and valua.ble. Let us promptly get them to- gether and send them out to all cf you, and let us confine our program as we originally had it tc hearing the Federal Government express its activities and how it wishes the States to assist, and in asking questions to that point. MR, GRAY, OF MARYLAND: Gentlemen, there is one question that a number of us would like tc have the Secretary enlighten us on, and that is the question of idle labor* A good deal of the colored people who have left the Southern States have come into the manufacturing States, and they are malting very large wages for a couple of days cr a week,, and they are idle the balance of the time. Hew, we feel that the military conscription is correct in theory and in practice, and it dees seen to me, and I will not make a statement, but in the form cf a question, that it has seemed to us that a federal statute direct- ed at a. man who has no regular and useful employment will come nearer solving the agricultural labor situa- tion than any other plan. If it is not a practicable federal question, does the Council of National De- fense feel willing to suggest to the States some uni- form statute which will take up this question? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Gentlemen, the Secretary of Labor, unfortunately, ha3 to leave us. I am sorry we will have to vary our program. '■7* . If you have any further questions, I will attempt to have them answered. The Secretary would like to say a few words before he leaves. FURTHER REMARKS BY HONORABLE WILLIAM B. WILSON, SECRETARY OF LABOR. Mr. Chairman and Gent 1 en- en: I have to be at my office at four thirty for another engagement, and by my tir.e it is now four fifteen, and I want simply to reiterate that I do not believe the way to reach the problem of the man who loafs is by conscription fcr industrial purposes, unless that conscription of industrial work is being performed by the Government itself. Then, there may be a justification for it. I think the economic conditions are the conditions, plus the patriotic sentiment — are the conditions that would ultimately force him into service. It is true that many of the negroes who have ccme from the south have gone into our northern cities and have been hangers-on at our big industrial plants. We have reports net final reports but reports from what we consider tc be very authentic sources, which indicate that many cf the negroes are employed at the packing establishments in Chicago, fcr instance, one and two days a week, and living in crowded quar- ters in the poorest part of the city, eking cut an existence upon that, but our information is that those people ara not working but the one and two days a week, net simply because that is all that they want to work, but because in the particular industry to which their attention has been directed the oppor- tunity does not exist for them to work there. Now, may I say in reply to the gentleman from Wis- cousin that there is no disposition on the part of the Department cf Labor to supersede any of the activi- ties and functions that properly "belong to the States. What we want to do is to supplement that. That is what we want to do, and the problem of the mobility of labor, particularly in this emergency, is very much greater than State boundaries, and, cf course, State activities are limited by their geographical limitations, just as municipal activities are limited by their geographical limitations. It requires a greater agency properly to co-ordinate the mobiliza- tion of labor as a national proposition than simply the State agency, and all that we feel that we ought to do is to supplement titat-Vyrk; . but we feel this also, that in order to supplement it properly we must be in a position to dap into both streams, to dip into the stream of labor in one State and to dip in- to the stream of employment in another. If we are not in that position, then we are not in position to perform the function that the Federal Government ought to perform. Replying to the gentlemen who suggest the employ- ment of prison labor on farms, let me advise you gentlemen against it. Use your prison labor on your roads, if you will; use them in places where they are segregated from other labor. One of the great diffi- culties of the labor problem of today is that you cannot get the man who believes himself to be superior to work alongside the man whom he believea to be in- ferior. We have had experience after experience in that line. You all recall the early days of our rail- road building in the United States. The maintenance of to ' ■ ' '■-. way, the cor. struct ion, was performed by Amerioan labor. Then came the influx of Irish labor. It was put to work en the maintenance of way and construction* The American believed himself to be superior to the Irish- ' man, and he moved off and he left the work to the Irish- man. Later on you found that the American finally came to understand that he and the irishman were equal, and the Amerioan began to go back on to your road, again, and then came the Italian. The Irishman and the Ameri- can believed themselves to be superior to the Italian, and they would not work on your construction work and on your maintenance cf way along with the Italian, and they moved off. The American will not work along with your Mexican down in your Southwestern country. That work goes all to the Mexicans. Why? Becuase of that pride that there is in the human breast, foolish pride, if you will, but it is there never- theless. But he will not stoop to work in cooperation with those whom he beliovesto be inferior to himself. And when you place 3 f our prison labor alongside of your free "labor is going to vacate that place and leave it entirely to your convict labor, And my advice to you is, do not attempt to put your convict labor on the farms. Utilize them on the rca.ds, because you can utilize them to advantage there, separate and apart from the employment cf other kinds of labor. I thank ycu gentlemen for the attention ycu have given me, (Applause) THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. OIFFORE: Now, gentle- men,' we have spent half of our time, if we are going to stay until six o'clock, and we have another question this afternoon. The Secretary of Labor and the Labor 6/ Department are net going to run away from Washington. If you have questions to be answered they can be answer- ed at the Department, if you have time to call there, or by Writing a letter to us or the Labor Department. A MEMBER! I think we are getting some real good information and enlightenment on this subject, sir, and I think it better to let us proceed and discuss it. Some of us have not hours enough or days enough to read mimeographed statements, and we compare notes . here and get immediate replies, and learn something of the practicability of different oeb'soae. We have only discussed one side of this labor subject here. I am very sorry that the head of the Department of Labor has gone, because I want to make some remarks a little critical of his position on some of these things^ There is a vast variety of subjects in con- nection with labor, the harvest and planting, and so forth, that we must take up. I think that we should be allowed to proceed with "the discussion. A MEMBER: I move, Mr. Chairman, that we follow the program, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: If we carry out our discussion we will not hear from the Agricul- tural Department today, and must stay one or two days more. Would it not be better to follow the program. Tomorrow afternoon, if it is still advisable to con- tinue the discussion, I see no reason why we should not take the entire day of Friday for discussion. Gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you Pro- fessor Pearson of the Department of Agriculture, who will talk to us on "Cooperation Between the Depart- ments of the Federal Government and the States." (Applause' 8Z STATSlffiHT m MR. R. \. PEARSOH, ASSIST AITT TO THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Mr. Chairman, Your ExoelDencies, Representatives to this Conference: I am sorry to have to bring to you the regret of the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Houston, who is unable to attend the conference this afternoon. lie keenly appreciates the importance of this gathering. As is the case wiiih all Cabinet officers, he is almost overwhelmed by the additional burden that has fallen upon him during these past few weeks, and it so happened that he had arranged a program for today that it was impossible for him to change sufficiently so that he could a,ttend this session. I hare talked the matter over with him especially be- fore coming here, and I shall endeavor to represent him in telling you briefly of what the Department of Agriculture is doing in this emergency, and what the Department of Agri- culture ha3 to suggest in reference to cooperation on the part of the States with the Federal Government. I think I should not take much of your time to review facte which must be familiar to you all in reference to the great food shortage throughout the world. We like to think of the crops of 1915., but we must re- member that the crops of 1916 were much smaller, especially in reference to our great staples, and it is a fact that we have consumed during the last year more of some of these pies than we produced, - that larger consumption being ossible only by reason of a carry over from the bumper crops of the preceding year. Today the stocks of all food products are at a low level, and abroad officials who have made investigations tell us that there is, or seems to be, an almost, unlimited need for food products, One expert, speaking before a House Committee yesterday, stated that it 8d . - '. .1 srould require two years, at least, of bumper crops in this (Untry to fill the ribs of Europe. And when he made that atement he had in mind animals as well as men; for while e people of some of the European countries are today not ceiving their full rations, it is far worse with the ani- ls; for they have been held down to the very minimum limits, and so many of their animals which should be of value for food purposes will not be of such value until they have had oppor- tunity to eat more food than is necessary merely to Veep them alive. Now, there has been given to you, or there will be, a statement from I'r. Porter, which gives a bird's eye view of the organization and operation of the Federal Department of Agriculture, and I think I should not take much of your time on that subject. I imagine the subject is sufficiently well known to many of you now, but let me remind you that, aside from the administrative work, the great functions of the De- partment of Agriculture are three fold: Agricultural, Edu- cational, and Research. There are something like seventeen thousand employees of the Department. Their work is divided up in appropriate bureaus and divisions, so that each great division of the agricultural industry has its organisation within the Department. Now, the Department of Agriculture is doing a large amount of cooperative work with the States under special acts of Congress, and appropriations made by Congress; and I wish to emphasize now that the Department desires and plans this work which is done in the States upon a truly co- operative basis. The Department appreciates that the larg- est and best results will not be possible to attain unless the work is organized in that way, and I am g3ad to report to you that large results are coming into the States and to our Government as a whole as a result of this cooperation. :ri, . . : -J ;•:-' ■ ... .-..•:.■; ■•■■-.■*» ;.-• ■ . _ • . „,y« - gf.-j :■-:-: r>: 5 :rV:--Ov ... .':••.. .... .' ... Now, in the present emergency the Department is speed- ing up to the limit. To a certain extent certain activities have been decreased in order that others more important might receive greater emphasis; Secretary Houston, as soon as pos- • sible after it was known that this country would be plunged into war, called together In St. Louis a conference of the leading official representatives of all States except those west of the Rocky Mountains t and the western officials were called together at Berkeley, California. The whole subject of these enormous problems that have fallen upon the farmers of the country and upon their official organization were gone over as well as could be. Recommendations were adopted unani- mously, 1 believe; if not, they were practically unanimous, and the Secretary of Agriculture today is proceeding along those line3. He has made a comprehensive plan which has been submitted to Congress and is now under consideration. Action upon this plan was necessarily delayed because of the atten- tion that has been given to more urgent military measures. This plan includes provision for extending certain lines of work now being conducted by the Department, strengthening cer- tain efforts uhere being carried on in a minor way at the present time, and. he has recommended an appropriation of twenty-five million dollars to enable the Government to put these larger plans into operation, and a considerable part of this fund is intended for use in cooperation with the dif- ferent States. In this emergency the Department is giving special at- tention to three things: Increasing production of food} the reduction of waste; and the better distribution of food pro- ducts. I am going to speak to you very briefly upon what the Department is attempting to do along these lines. And let me say to you that this work is in line with what is being done in many of our States, because the problem is the same ... everywhere, and thinking men nave been working upon it hard in these recent days and weeks, consulting with one another as muoh as they crald, and naturally they have set'cled down very Jargejy ujinn the same general conclusions. First, as to th6 labor situation: The Secretary of Labor has made a comprehensive statement. He has called attention to the fact that the two Departments havb entered o a cooperative agresment sc that their efforts will be supplementary rather than duplicative. In a word, just to repeat a little of what you have heard, the Department of Agriculture, through a representative (which it is expected to place in each State to cooperate with the proper State organization) the Department of Agriculture will ascertain the needs of the farmers in the different States, and is to assist, as far as it can, in placing the ordinary agricul- tural labor, such as is not already placed. There is a good deal of this labor; it is estimated thai: there are more than a half million retired farmers in this country., many of them able and willing to work and help out in this emergency. In addition there is a great army of young people, many of whom are very anxious ta help. The Department, of Agricul- ture, then, plane to ascertain the needs end do what it can in placing wisely such agricultural labor in the agricul- tural communities as is not already placed. The Depart- ment of Labor will locate other available help in large number from such fields as they have information about, some "unemployed labor, some labor which may 03 temporarily re- lieved of their present duties, and so on. as Secretary Wilson has suggested; and then the two Departments will join to see that that labor is moved into the districts where it is most needed,, We are constantly hearing of the importanow of or opera- tion, - the desire on the part of many patriotic people to at, assist wherever they may. And as I proceed through the dis- cussion of these three o^ four points, I hope I may say something srill suggest to you so that you mz.y take it to your State and em- phasize the fact tnat there is something that everyone may do, and there is no reason v:hy thei' should delay their good help. In reference to the labor question it is easy to see how all citizen: may cooperate along the lines indicated by the Secretary of Labor (d along the lines which I have already suggested. How, as to increasing production and reducing, waste. So mu< has been said about increasing production, that a good many peopli have been led to think that there will be an over production and that the bottom will come out of the market, and uhey will not re- ceive remuneration for their efforts. I say that knowingly, be- (use of the enormous number of letters and telegrams that are co: g in to the Department of Agriculture en that very subject, man of them from all parts of the country, asking for some definite Rsurance from any authoritative source that there is no danger an overproduction. Secretary Houston and all who have studied the subject can see no sign of such danger. In order to remove (e doubt from the minds of every one, the Secretary has recom- nded to the Congress that authority should be given to national uncils of defense to establish guaranteed minimum prices upon rtain of the most important staple articles and to place these ices at such level as will assure the farmers of reasonable pay and fair profits for their efforts in producing these crops. Sue: I price, of course, is net a maximum price. It is a guaranteed inirnura, and the law of supply and demand may carry the price abo tie level which is established as the minimum. Closely related o this, I may say now that the Secretary has also reoomnended o the Congress that authority should be given to the Council of National Defense, if emergency requ^s^ it, to establish raximam prices upon food products, so as to discourage and stop improper s7 . -V — " gambling, hoarding and manipulation and large and unlawful profits. (Applause) There is reason to believe that some oi the high prices which we are now experiencing are due to some such causes. Nov.- as to the better methods of production so as to increase production, let no say that the Hinute Men on that phase of the job are the county agents who are scattered throughout the country. There are about twenty-nine hundred rural counties in the United States, and about seventeen hun- dred of them are supplied with these agents. I presume that their activities are familiar to all of the men in this room One of the great :liff icultics experienced by Germany when she drew a large number of her men into the army was that she could not easily increase her agricultural produc- tion, for the reason that before the war her methods of agriculture had been developed to a high state of efficiency, and there "/as not a leeway for improving methods and thus in- creasing crops production, stich ~s coald bo found in many other countries. It has been estimated in this country that thirty percent jf the food products going into our homes is sted, and a larger percentage of waste obtains in the pro- dust ion yZ food. The American people have net yet come to realize the import once of adopting and following the very best methods known for producing crops, nor have they real- | ized the importance of properly saving the cro2?s after they have been once produced. It is estimatea, for example, that on a pleasant day in July the insects of this country eat up not loss than ten millions dollars worth of good food, a very large portion of that meal being entirely unnecessary. And it can be saved by adopting methods which are already well known. And so it is the plan of the Secretary of Agriculture, 88 if ' °s furnishes the necessary funds, to place an agricultural agent in practically every rural county of this country, assuming that the States desire to have that done, aria in some counties more than one agent., in order that those bettor methods may be brought into operation more rapidly and more effectively than has been possible la the past. It is his plan also to establish a larger number of. the women county agents, whose duty it would be to cooperate with the women of the homes. For it is said that these women in the homes are spending about eighty percent of the outgo of the family, and that their expenditures involve at the present time, a waste not loss than seven hundred million dollars 8 yeaxi daughter) That is not a figure which has been obtained trough the United States cersusl (Laughter) It is a .gure which has been arrived at by government calcu- itions made by food experts. It amounts, as you see, to average of about seven dollars per capita per year. A MEMBER: Hay I ask, is that seven hundred million waste of food, you spoke of? MP.. PEARSON: Household waste. That includes other iste as well. A MEMBER: Does that include also shirt wai&t? jaughter ) A MEMBER: Is it not the city women that cause this tste more than the country women? M £ PEARSON: I doubt if it would be possible to say that there is any great difference as to actual waste, as refers to food products, as between those living in the city and those living in the country. In developing the campaign for larger food production, gentlemen, special emphasis should be given to the question 87 o i >s that nay be saved and not those that are too readi- ly perishable. *"e ought to avoid experiment ing, because we have neither tine nor money for doubtful efforts. Each cou.iunity should produce an increase \ quantity of its own staple crrp, and in addition it should increase the variety of its production t 5 the extent of its own hone needs, and communities should learn uore than they have learned up to this tine to make use of food products in their own lo- calities rather than t ) ship those out and to ship other food products in. In that way we nay succeed in largely relieving the con jest ion which rests on the railroads. As to the nethocls ^f distribution, it has been recom- mend e 1 to the Oratress that a survey should be made as soon as possible for ascertaining the quantity of food products how in this country. v.'ithout information of that kind the authorities of states and nation are helpless when it cones to action upon such an important question as changing the percentage of milling of the flour, it has been estimated that by changing that percentage from seventy or seventy- one .vo or throe to eighty-one > the equivalent of about eigh- ieen millions of barrels of flour could be saved. There "o other methods for extending flour, such as the use of ither cereals along with the wheat , and Congress has been isked to permit such extension under certain restrictions pile this emergency is existing. In >rder to make this work more efficient it is of urse necessary to standardize the grades 3f agricultural produt. s, and recommendations along that line have heen bade. How it is hoped that in every State where an organi- zation has not been effected, such an organization vail be provided. A central committee of defense or safety, .t coi.mittoe should iri.clo.de represent -it ives of farmer's organizations. It should include a representative of the Land Oront College or the extension service v r hich is con- nected therewith. It should include representatives of the business interests, so s to make it more easy to reach the e numoer of consumers in cities and towns. The banking Iterests should be represented. It is expected that the rtment of Agriculture "/ill cooperate with the States vury largely through this committee in connection with the advance of cooperation already developed through the agri- cultural extension service. We believe that even though Congress has not acted, there is something now for each State to do alon ; these lines. There should be organization in the counties, one every county, coordinated with the State organization, end it would bo well to go even further ml have organi- zations in the town snips. Ey that meons when the machinery is working well it will be possible to make known the needs in ony locality tc labor or seeds or :a?rkcts in the most oper and efficient way. And it would be possible also furnish relief most promptly and efficiently, i:r. Chairman, I hr.ve attempted to go over this matter idly, touching only upon the most important points, think- that out of the enormous field which might be discussed re some quest ions oould be of far greater interest tc the ernors than other questions, and those will perhaps come out in a discussion. I thank you for your attention. (Ap- plouse) II THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. C-IFFORD: Gentlemen, I should like to ask General Gray, of Maryland, to make an announcement winch he wishes to make, and then we will go en with the discussion. GENERAL GRAY, OF MARYLMDt Gentlemen, we have felt that the representatives of the States would like an opportunity to talk rather unrestrainedly in re- gard to a good many cf their problems, and exchange viewswith each ether about matters which are not necessarily on the program. So, a few of us who were here a day or two ago thought that we would have a subscription dinner tonight at the Cabinet Room at the Willard Hotel at seven-thirty, at which we hope every one of the representatives and alternates and governors, particularly, can come, and at that dinner, in addition to having a very plain dinner for two dol- lars, we will have an opportunity for freer discuss- ion than is possible in the meetings, which them- selves are arranged as outlined. Now, we would like to get an idea, the important feature now is to get an idea of how many ?;ill be there, and I was wondering if the Chair and the Secretary vjould not call for a vote on that, so that we could make an arrangement with th? hotel to obtain the use of the Cabinet room for the number that will probably be there. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Gentlemen, I will ask everyone who will be there to stand. (Thereupon the Secretary counted the number of gentlemen standing, a.nd announced that about sixty had expressed their desire to be present at the din- ner.) ^-^ THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Is Mr. Hale here? Mr, Hale, you wanted to apologize for something that is wrong? MR, HALE; I simply wanted to call attention to the fact that this report is made up wrong in one respect. Page three in The agricultural report should be page three in the Department of Labor report. There are also some documents from the Department of Labor which we want distributed at the end of the meet- ing, MR. E. J f WATERS, CF KANSAS: Mr. Chairman, I should like to ask Dr. Pearson what relation the representative of the government will sustain in the labor movemenx to The STate Council of Defense, the State Department of Agriculture, or the State Col- lege of Agriculture., I mean the representative whom you will designate from each of the States? DR. PEARSON: Mr. Chairman, there have been an enormous number of questions coming up and having to be settled within a very few days. It happens that question has not been fully adjusted yet, but the plan which is under consideration is that the Department of Agriculture should communicate wiTh the Chairman of the State Council of Defense, or whatever his name may be, and ask his advice as to the best method of coordination. MR. C. "'. MARCH, OF MINNESOTA: Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask if the questions that are proposed to be taken in a census will be furnished by the De- partment of Agriculture. In other words, we propose to extend the scope of the inquiries a little in Minne- sota. We have already organized our department through ?3 our defense department or commission. They are at the head of the committee; and in each county we have a chairman and in each county we will have a man re- port to the county chairman, and the county chairman report to our seven Commissioners, which gives us a working organization. We propose to take a census of the States of just what labor will be required, of just what labor we have in all of the villages and in the large cities; and what we would like now is just what the Government is going to furnish us in the way of blanks and questions that they will wish to ask us, in order tnat we may not duplicate the inquiries, and so we will not have double work, and so we can do the work that the government wishes , and also do the work that our own commission and State wishes. I would like to ask what the Government is go- ing to do, if they have decided about it, along those lines of preparing proper blanks and proper questions. MR. PEARSON: Mr, Chairman, if you will permit, I will ask Dr. Galloway, Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture, who is in the room, to reply to that question, for he has giv^n it a great deal of attention. MR, MARCH, OF MINNESOTA: May I just add another question along that line? Would the Government repre- sentative have a franking privilege, so we might be saved postage in making these surveys? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GlFFORD: I can answer that. At present, without a special law, it cannot be done in the States; so the Postmaster General has informed me. DR. B. T. GALLOWAY: Mr. Chairman, and Gentlemen: Answering in part Dr. March's question, I may say that plans which have been made are briefly these. We have already put in each State a man who is connected with the office of farm management. Tnat man will ally himself with the extension branch of the College of Agriculture. It is not intended that this representa- tive of the Department should prepare blanks or forms, but he is simply to be an advisor to the State, who is planning tc collect information in regard to labor. The Department has not made any plans for the printing of forms of blanks. It is preparing certain suggested forms, but it is planning tc send them through these agents that we are proposing to send to the States. That is as far as the Department has proceeded. We realize this matter is one largely arising in the States, and cur position is largely an advisory position, through our State agents, agri- cultural county agents, and these farm apecialists. We have thirty-two already located, expect to co- relate this work, and advise in every way helpful to those agencies already established in the States, and part of that advice will be the preparation of suit- able forms that will be utilized in making these censuses. MR. CHARLES W, AMES, OF MINNESOTA: Mr, Chairman, I want to add a word to what my associate, Colonel March, has said. It is cur purpose, it is our de- sire, in Minnesota, and I take it frcm what has been said here this afternoon, a similar desire ex- ists in our neighboring State of Wisconsin, at one time to use the very thorough organization which we have, and are going to call the war organization of the State, tc take a census once and fcr all, if poss- ibl , in which we shall collect at one operation all r r . information that the Government wants, together with any other information that we may want for our own purposes; and of course it is obvious that we need to have very efficient and elaborate schedules fcr that, and fcr that reason we are asking new whether the Department cf Agriculture will furnish us with schedules covering what information they want. We shall ask the T7ar Department to furnish us with simi- lar schedules, and the Commissioners frcm New York and Connecticut, where they are making these elabor- ate investigations for their schedules, and we want all contributions that we can get for that purpose, and especially do we want the official schedule which would set forth what the Government cf the United States wants, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: It might be well new, at this pcint, to say that we have been studying very carefully the question cf industrial and man power census* The agricultural census we have not touched, but Dr, Gal lew ay and the Agriculture Department are working en that. Sc far as the man pewer and industrial censuses are concerned, we are prepared new, that is, we have the information, we are prepared tc furnish you with what the Federal Government would desire in the way cf information, including the Department's man power census and an industrial census as to the advisability cf ta.king the census throughout the country. We are not pre- pared at the present minute to advise the taking of the census throughout the country. I think as the program develops tomorrow you may understand, perhaps, why that is. I will speak again on it later tomorrow, 7* and if it seems desirable, and when it seems desirable. We are watching the situation, and when it seems de- sirable,, we will notify the States that we think it very important to take a census if the State thinks it's desirable to take a census, in order to cooperate with the Federal Government; or in order to handle its own affairs in its own way. By all means the States should take the census, and we are very glad to assist and advise and inform the States as to what the Feder- al Government's needs in that connection would be. MR. MARCH: The point is, we want only to take one census, and as soon as possible. Do you not think it a good plan for the Federal Government to prepare a list of questions they wish us to gather for them? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: It will be done. MR. MARCH: That's all we want to knew, and as soon as possibles THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR, GIFFORD: As soon as the man power and industrial census is done, and the agricultural census. They are working on it every day. A MEMBER: Mr. Chairman, if that information is ready may I inquire if it Will be furnished to the delegates present here tomorrow, so they may have it before leaving the city of Washington. That is the point I have to make, Can we get it tomorrow? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: The indus- trial census we can furnish tomorrow. The man power census depends somewhat on the passage of the bill in Congress, and we can not make a final statement On that until that draft bill has passed, which in it- 77 self is a part of the census* A MEMBER! Mr. Chairman, do I Understand you to say that the Department does not care to have census made now? We are about to engage in that work, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: I do not mean to say that we do not care to have it made now, but simply that we are not urging that it be made now. As far as the problem before us is concerned, it does not seem that a Federal ccenr-up of man power and indus- try is essential to the program. I feel convinced that it will be essential as the war progresses I feel that perhaps a hasty census taken new would mean that it would have to be taken again. I know that some gentlemen think that it can be kept up to date. Perhaps it can. But in carrying out the pro- gram of work we have before us, which the Secretary of War described this morning, we have laid out the work, and you will hear tomorrow morning somewhat of how that has been done on the industrial end, without the need of an industrial census. We have it before us. We know what our immediate program is, and how we are to execute it on industry. The immediate prob- lem on the man power question is the draft question, which I think we should get out of before we under- take a universal man power census over and above the military census. That man power census will undoubtedly, the draft census will proceed very shortly, as you know from the conversation this morning, A MEMBER! You prefer then that we defer cur efforts until advised by the Department? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: I prefer that for several reasons, or that you do not do it hastily ft ■1" I at any rate, because it is essentia] that we do it uni- formly, and the Department of Agri culture is somewhat dependent again on the bill which passes. Congress as to t!he exact form which the census should take; and we are net quite ready to ask the States to take a census. There may be, however, local reasons why the State individually ought to take it. We are by no means to suggest that they ought not to take it. We will help as best we can, if they would like our help, MR, DWIGHT B. HEARD, OF ARIZONA: Mr. Chairman, we were very anxious to start this census in Arizona. There We started it about ten days ago. As we proceeded and learned more of what the Department was doing; we found we could not get on our form the information we should have; so we suspended that, and are hoping to get this information as soon as possible, and then we will go ahead, and I think we will make more headway if we wait a few days and get more .information and get more effective results. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: You under- stand, gentlemen, we are developing our program every day. We are finding out from the English and French gentlemen who are here part of our program. It is a mistake to do too much of this before we know exactly what we need, and how and when we want to do it; but I can assure you, from the standpoint of the immediate problems, we have them in hand. They. will not work perfectly, nothing works perfectly, but it is already mapped out, and it is not essential to those problems for the immediate census. MR. JOSEPH HIRSCH, OF TEXAS: Mr. Chairman, I n would like to ask Mr, Pearson a question. In your opening remarks you made a statement, coming from abroad "it would require two years of bumper crops to fill the ribs of Europe." May I inquire if you have received reports from all parts of the country indicating about what percentage of increase there will be this year in the acreage of feed and food crops? MR. PEKRSON: Not as yet. MR, HIRSCH: Not as yet, I should nay, in Texas, they have just completed an inquiry, under the direc- tion of Mr. Ousley of the Extension Department of the Agricultural College, indicating an increase of from twenty-five to forty-five percent, and in a meeting before the Federal Trade Commission held yesterday and the day before indications pointed to an increase from practically all the States. I think these delegates who are here and who were present at that meeting will bear me out in that statement. Now, I understand, Mr. Chairman, that these delegates and Governors were en- deavoring to cooperate, that is, to do something. We are discussing the matter of food now, are we not? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Yes. MR. HIRSCH: And it has occurred to me, and I have given this matter considerable thought, that the question of food increase, production and conservation and saving what has been wasted, is probably one of the most important questions before the American people today, and one which we probably can help a good bit more in than in other directions. I should like to ask Dr. Pearson, or Dr. Galloway, or anyone who can answer the question, has the Department under consideration any such measure or measures as have been adopted by /60 : * .- force of necessity abroad in the way of placing a ban, to a certain extent, on food consumption. That is to say, it occurs to me, gentlemen, that much might be done by the American people and by these delegates and Governors, and through the force of public opin- ion, and a tremendous publicity campaign, much might be done in the way of conservation by stopping the waste on our tables, and by doing something, either voluntarily or by enactment, such as has been done abroad, and to do it now, and net wait until we are going to be forced to do it, as every one of these countries has today to do, England only recently. Every day we read that ships are being destroyed and that hundreds of thousands of tons of food supplies are being wasted, and tt does seem to me, my friends, that something might be done in that direction, and I mer ely wish .to inquire if the Department has under con- sideration any measure of that kind just at this time? MR. PEARSON; Mr. Chairman, in answering that, I may say that experts of the Department care studying with the greatest care the regulations which have been issued in the various European countries, so that the Department may be fully informed. The Department has not under consideration any rule or regulation limit- ing consumption in this country at this time. The De- partment feels that with sufficient emphasis upon the saving of the waste, which approximates about thirty percent, we should accomplish, we could accomplish a great deal in a short time, and it is devoting it- self more to that side of the question. The Depart- ment has on its staff a number of food experts, and an additional appointment has been made only within the J £ *L last few days, so that the kind of information that you are referring to may be secured from all directions. MR. HIRSCH: May I offer a suggestion just at this point? It occurs to me, Mr. Chairman, I am quite in agreement that a great deal might be done by a campaign to stop waste, an agreement such as iH in- dicated, but I do believe that a tremendous amount of good would be done, if a national campaign could be engaged upon to stop some of the unnecessary consump- tion of food that we all engage upon, as we are going to engage upon in our "plain two dollar dinner" this evening. (Laughter) I offer that in all serious- ness, because I feel so seriously on this subject. I do earnestly believe if a campaign might be engaged upon, but not through coercion, but a campaign which it would take a good publicity man to handle. Has this Department any man engaged on publicity work, I mean the Council of National Defense, has it any- one in charge of publicity? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. CIFFORD: I can answer that, and say that it is against the law to have any one in charge of publicity, but we are giving informa- tion to the public as much as we can. (Laughter) The question you raise is a very serious one. When Mr, Hoover was here I had occasion to talk at great length with him about it. He was here a while ago. He- will be here again shortly. It is not through a desire or lack of desire to act, but through a lack cf determina- tion that that is the proper thing to do at the particu- lar time, I believe. The experiences in Europe on voluntary elimination of waste were told to me by Mr. Hoover as quite unsatisfactory, and amounting to very /o ;z- " ; .. . s... v r . ■ : • ; - ■ •' •■ little, although they made very strong attempts to do it, That does not necessarily prove that it would not work here. The other- side of it here is that any loud preaching of the necessity for economy may result in this precise hoarding which would cause more trouble than the present situation of eating. Now, it is not a one-sided question, and I can assure you that I "believe, from what I have heard, and what the Department of Agriculture told us, that the matter is being given very serious consideration, and that action will be taken, and prompt action, on that sort of a campaign, the minute it is decided it is the proper thing to do, MR. STARROW, OF MASSACHUSETTS: Mr, Chairman, I would like to ask one question: We have been informed that the products of our gardens will be wasted this sumtoer and autumn for lack of cans and containers. We are informed that there will not be anything like enough to go around this year, and I would like to ask the representatives of the Department of Agriculture if I am right in that statement that there is any prospect of any very serious shortage of cans and glass containers, which perhaps does not mean so much in some of the large prairie States, but means a great deal to some of the small garden States, and what the Depart- ment of Agriculture has already done to provide for that situation which is now coming upon us before many weeks? THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD; .. Mr , Starrow, I think perhaps I can answer that, in that the Depart- ment of Commerce has handled that matter. Mr. Redfield will appear before us tomorrow, and undoubtedly will mention that fact, but they have held several meetings in Washing-ton for the manufacturers of cans, also the manufacturers cf tin plate, which goes into cans. We have urged upon the manufacturers of tin plate to give preference to the orders for cans. The Department cf Commerce has gotten many letters, I believe, urging upon industries to put up their products in paper containers, paper nache containers, this year, and every possible effort is being made short of absolute . dictative power to get, where possible, other contain- ers used instead of tin cans, to increase the tin can production, going back to the raw material. We have held a number of conferences on the matter, and are actively working on it. The Secretary of Commerce will undoubtedly tell you in detail just what he has done on that . MR, PEARSON: Mr, Gifford has answered that ques- tion admirably, especially in so far as it refers to the concerns that are engaged in preserving food pro- ducts on a large scale. In reference to the individual householders, his answer applies also, But I might add this; we are calling attention cf the household- ers to the fact that if there is a shortage of cans and glass jars they may very easily do what cur parents and grandparents did at the time cf the Civil War, and that is, use creeks and seal them with sealing wax, and thus have a perfect container for substances that need tc be hermetically sealed. Also, the Department is making some special Ex- periments to extend our knowledge with reference to drying. A great many articles of focd may be pre- A> fy served just as well by drying as by canning. For ex- ample, corn is said to be better if it is dried than if it is canned. The proposition has been made that union plants, both for preserving hermetically and for drying, might be furnished perhaps by business men. This is now being done in one of the Southern States, and moved about from place to place, so that all the people could get the benefit of a larger and more ef- ficient equipment for these two purposes than they could have in their own homes, MR. ST ARROW: Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask just one mere question. I am Chairman of the Committee of Public Safety of Massachusetts, and references have been made to studies, and for instance, to this last matter just spoken of. I do npt think those are find- ing their way up to us. We have a food production and conservation committee in every city in the State, and every town, except a few. We can distribute over nih;ht any of this information, if the Department of Agricul- ture will get it to us. I am not sure that I am right, but I think so far, we have been in existence now over two months, we have not yet been honored by a communication from the Department of Agriculture, There is some hitch there that ought to be broken. MR. PESRSON: Mr. Chairman, the letters have been coming to the Department literally by the thousands, and some of the Department people have been sitting up until one and two o'clock in the morning to try to answer them. On my desk there is an enormous stack of correspondence now. We are making a list of the organizations such as you represent, and it is the plan of the Department to put this information into the hands of the various State representatives so xl ■ will be timely for use« MR. STARROWj Mr. Chairman, there are only forty- eight of us — ■ forty-eight States and we have not troubled ycu with any letters; but if, as you get these good things, you would slip us a copy, each one of the forty-eight will be glad to get it, and we would be glad to have two letters a day, and that would make ninety, and the same form can be used and will not take much time to address. THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: There have been thousands of bulletins sent into Massachusetts al- ready, largely dealing with the planting of gardens. MR e STAREOW: But if you will see now here is something that is important this is a work of organ- ization; you may send it to me as a farmer, but if you do, I do not get it, because I am a practical farmer. MR, PEARSON; Mr. Chairman, this is a very good suggestion, le will make note of it, MR. STARROW: But as Chairman of the Public Safe- ty Commission it will reach the people, and we have not been getting it, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Mr. Starrow, that is the very reason for this meeting. T/e want to simplify this method of distribution of information this is the way to simplify it and that is the reas- on for meeting here, MP. WAT^BB: Mr, Chairman, going back to the ques- tion of preserving the food, I would like to ask Dr. Pearson if the Department has investigated the advisa- bility of establishing chc<~p municipal canning establish- ments, these establishments that cost from two hundred /Ob to four hundred dollars for an outfit. Is that feas- ible? And is it not possible to enlist the high-school girls in the direction of the economics with which to do this work, and to enlist the boy scouts under the di- rection of the teacher of agriculture, for illustration, to gather this material? Is that feasible? I am asking for information, and do not make the suggestion. MR, PEARSOFj I believe, Mr, Chairman, that ise'n rii.a^ THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. C-IFFORD: Lot me say there Beeas to be a fueling on the part of a number of speakers that they have nc definite information as to what the Fed- eral Government wants. Can I say that one of the reasons for calling this meeting was to provide the channel for giving the various States the definite information as to what the Federal Government wants given to the States. In many instances this definite information will be known. It must be solved. The problem will be stated, but the problem must be solved definitely in different States. That is the duty of the State counoil of defense. A la- bor problem may well be a different problem in the South from what it is in the far North. A problem of agricul- ture may well be a different problem in regard to wheat than it is in regard to market produce. And it is my feeling that in many of the problems which the Federal Government will put up to the State council will be general problems in character, things that must be accom- plished, leaving; it to the State in some cases entirely as to the way to work out the problem; in other cases suggesting to the State the way to handle it; and in other cases defining in detail the way the Federal Govern- ment thinks it should be handled. And I confidently be- lieve ycu will receive more of this information than you expect in the very near future. Hun. "E::.met D. Boyle, Governor of the State of Nevada: I wish to add something to what has been said.- I would not wish to be understood as proposing any advice tc ex- pedite business, but with your permission the delibera- tions of this character are not new to many of the dele- gates here. They are deliberations that are very apt to develop an exceedingly aerial character, if not held down /JLL to earth in some way or other. We are here to learn and take instructions from the National Government, and to carry them out as well as we know how. There is no de- sire on the part of any State representative here, as I see it. to dictate, to usurp authority, or in any way invade the premises which are now occupied by the Coun- cil of National Defense in outlining the program which must be followed, However, I come from a state almost as far away from Washington as the battle front in Eu- rope are. There we know nothing other than received in the form of communications from the different departments, and I desire to say that those communications have reach- ed me and have been given to all the people, and they have been concrete and illuminating. We have no complaints of that sort to make, but I did feel when we came here, that our problem, being somewhat different from the problem of Massachusetts, Mr. Storrow's State - or any other state in the Union, that we might, by the respect- ful presentation of the facts underlying certain problems and certain isolated cases, bring about discussion of methods that would unite the Federal and State agencies, and would produce results which might not be obtainable by any other method than one which would grow out of the natural oral discussion. It was with that in mind that Mr. Groesbeck, with whom I have discussed this matter, suggested the handling of a great deal of this detail through committees of this organization. I am quite sure that committees can decide and present the ques- tions in a very much more compact and a very much more business-like way than they can be presented by the mem- bers speaking from the floor. We all know, — everyone of us knows - that business that is going to produce tangible results ce.n hardly be conducted by an organi- zation of this aharacter in the manner in which we are attempting to conduct it today, We are not getting the information notwithstanding the faot that you gentlemen are here to instruct us in the things we want to do. Neither are you finding out from us information which you would not despise, as to the facilities at our dis- posal that you want, and I "believe that we can by reor- ganisation somewhat provide ways and means for doing that thing which we all came here to do together, and the do- ing of that thing in a much better way than we can do it if we attempt to proceed in the more or less ragged way in viihich this conference has proceeded so far. HON. ERNEST LISTER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHING- TON: Mr. Chairman, the discussions this afternoon indi- cate very clearly that the States represented are work- ing valiantly to assist in the solving of the problems Wo have. I come from a state in the far West where we have many problems much the same as these of the States of the far East. We have the seaboard commission. We also have cur agricultural problems, I believe that every state in the Union has put forth every effort pos- sible to do its part in this great crisis. To me it seems that the country is facing the greatest crisis in its history, for in the past, when we have had conditions that in a way to me seemed similar to this, we had a much smaller population. We have the problem before us, not only of oaring for our own people now, but also assist- ing in caring for the people of our allies in this present world conflict. We started in the Ste.te of Washington the first of the present month just past the handling of the food production problem. Like many of the States in the oentral West and the far West the weather conditions have not been the best for the production of the greatest crops. Nineteen fifteen .-as our great wl 3at year. In "'.".. ueed something over fifty million bush- ela of >%. a I last year approximately forty million bushels and this year the crop prod-action will be loss great effort Is put forth in our State to plant kc: rint "' - b, Wb are endeavoring to ret the very best possible i fte in that direction, We have our agricultural problems in the direct char re of our State Commissioner of ulture, and associate! with hir is advisory board consist inr of many of those who are con- nected arith our agricultural college, some of them being jointly officials of the Federal Government, of the State Governinent , and business men of the different communities, _re trying in a small way tc a.ssist by doing our part in the building o^ chips. More ships are being built in the State if Ws -hington, end will be completed thin year, n have been built in the State of Washington in the past twenty years. I come to the City of Washington as the representa- tive of the State of Washington for the purpose of getting first-hand inf crrrntion that would assist our State and its people in rendering the greatest possible service to the country. I am sure that every other representative who is here from the other States of the Union have that same purpose. We must in this crisis have a leader. The people of our State are ready to say that the 'leader in this crisis is the President of the United States. (Applause) And even though in some respects they may not agree with him upon the line pursued, yet they recognize the fact that if we are going to bring to a successful conclusion the present wax we must recognise leadership. That is equally true in all of the problems that are presented. "7 In matters in connection with the War Department, we are ready to recognize the Secretary of War as our leader in that direction and in agricultural lines the same way. And I am here simply for the purpose of getting informa- tion tha-u will enable me to return tc the State of Wash- ington aad tell the people there just exactly what the Federal Government desires that we shall do. I am sure that there will be a hearty and a prompt response, and if it were possible, while we are in session here, to have outlined what the views of the Federal Government are in connection with these problems in a clear and concise man- ner, so that we could go back to our states and say that this is the line of action the Federal Government desires to have followed, forty-eight states of the Union would follow that line of act ion» Now the distance that many here traveled is not as great as that of myself, or the distinguished Governor from Nevada, but our interests are identical. We are all here for the same purpose, and I hope to-morrow it -will be possible, while we are in session here, to have presented to us by the Federal Government direction requests for action along certain lines, and we will then return to our States, - those represented by their chief executives. The chief executives in those cases will present those re- quests to the states, and get the response, and where represented by someone delegated to represent the States the same action will be forthcoming. Unless we can present to our people definite information as to the lines we must follow, we are going to find that we cannot get the results needed. We have a food problem which I believe is not fully //g &#?. .• f ■ ■•- - .- - . . : ••- th¥h it > .,- • ■ •-,- ...,>■. .. r ,. , „r. .- , . • • - ;■ • ; •- . •- ■ :■ ■; tc] v.\.- ,: ; '.#J 1 ;.-'■•-. -' ;. ' -'J -,:■'.' . ' '■'•■". : ;■ --■ , ., : - ; ; ■ •••• ^-:-- . ■■.,+ fcjfcte .. . ., ,.- : , - . • ... ..'.i -. -. > . ■-• -;■-•' :.i ■■:•>- - '"i • - -*1 1> ".- -. •■ -; • • > ■ • . . . . - recognised by the great mass of the people of the United States, V.'e have a steadily increasing demand for food produclo, EJid just as steadily a decreasing supply.. I believe in oar stats we will be able materially to add to the prospective thirty millions of bushels of wheat by planting during the next three or four weeks many acres of land, that oi'dinajcily would be left unused during the Spring of tin 8 year, in Spring wheat „ We would al30 get in many acres of potatoes that would not otherwise be planted were it not for the fact that the demand is now being made f Our organisation reaches down to school districts units. In bows sV-^.es other lines have been followed, bringing about the same general pliin of organisation. Now, those different organizations, reaching down in the State .of Washington to School District units, will, I am sure, do their part . Bat we are here for the purpose of getting direct information as to what is required of our States, and if that can be given to U3 to-morrow, I am sure that we will be able to go back to those states with a report that will add tc the enthusiasm of our people, and also bring better results. It was well said by one of the speakers here a few moments ago that just the discucsitn of these questions at this meeting will not bring forth the results. We are much in the same condition from the meeting standpoint, That is the relative value of a street parade to show our patriot- ism at the present time. The street parade in itself is of no value. It's only value is in the installing of a clear responsibility, if you please, of duty on the part of individual citizens. There is an individual — a personal responsibility — on the shoulders of every citizen of the "I United States to-day, and we must place in the hands 9f each of our citizens some task in connection with the present war problem, and I hope to-morrow, before we shall • have adjourned, we shall have before us the direot re- quests for work along fixed lines, so that the States can respond to the call of the Federal Government* (Applause)* THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR. GIFFORD: Governor, may I simply say that I had hoped that you were getting some of that to-day* The Secretary of War called attention to the need of the State Councils of Defense handling the sentiment and the patriotism in their states, and keeping it alive and awake. He called attention to the i*eed of aid by the State Councils of Defense in the matter of re- cruiting for the National Guard and the regular army. He called attention to the need in the several States and the State Councils of assistance in the draft and the enrollment of the men between certain ages, whioh will take place shortly as soon as Congress passes the bill. He called attention to the need in the several states of assistance in the planning for exemptions, on account of dependents, or industry, or agriculture, from the draft after it is made. The Secretary of the Navy called attention to the need of help shortly in the recruiting of 150,000 men for the Navy. Adjutant General McCain called for the need of getting man to go the officers camps to become offioers. We have heard this afternoon from the Secretary of Labor, who called attention to the need of maintaining standards — present standards. There is work to be done if we are to maintain present standards. That is the policy /ZC ■"••■" . leant '■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ' ■ -. ■ ' of the Council of national Defense to maintain present standards of labor and of living, if possible, until the Council of National Defense and the Federal authorities decide that those standards should be changed,' He called attention to the need of the States assisting in getting • the workers who have broken time onto the farms, to use that broken time, as he used the phrase, the vacation time; also the need of mobilization or getting the idle workers engaged at work on the farm; also to the need of using boys on the farms. All of this will have to be done by your local State Councils of Defense in conference with such labor repre- sentatives of the Federal Government as are there, or with the representatives here, He called attention to the desirability of planning holidays from which the men, women and children could go out and gather the crops if it was necessary later. The 'Secretary of War — I skipped a point — called, attention to the need of making a great festival day of the day of registration* Attention was called to the need of planning a- clearing-house by which the worker may be brought in touch with his job, and vice versa, Professor Pearson of the Department of Agriculture has given you some .illustrations of the way in which the States can assist the Department of Agriculture, Their plans are .somewhat held up awaiting the passage of a bill, as it was explained to you, or the bill which they had pro- posed to Congress,. Now, I do not know what is definite if those items are not definite, I do net know that, you understand that you want us to tell you just what foot you are to start with on this work. But this is the problem, and this is what we want the States to do; and then your State Councils will ' ": ' •:. work out the problem and accomplish the task. Now, if I misunderstand that, I would like to hear from some of the gentlemen present. HON. CHAP.LES CURTIS, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM KANSAS: Mr, Chairman, I just wanted to say that we are called here to meet with the Council of National Defense* They have a program outlined that is full and up to the present time it has certainly been a splendid program, and I think that we lose time only when we digress from this program, and I think if the Chairman would keep us to the subject a little more, - and it has certainly been proven that he has one good thing after another to follow, and if he would call us down when we get out of order, and make us speak to his program, and then take a day to talk it over afterwards, we can do that, and I believe we will make headway. (Prolonged applause) » THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR, GIFFORD: The Chairman stands rebuked J (Laughter), HON. W. L. HARDING, UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM IOIA: Mr, Chairman, I am in hearty sympathy with the remarks of the Governor from Washington. We in our State did take up the question of increasing crop production. We are or- ganized down to the township. We have taken up the ques- tion of labor. We are organized in the counties and in th towns. We are making and have made in many localities surveys of the help needed on the farm, and have arranged to fill that need. Our people are awake and are anxious to know from the Federal Government as to the things which they are expected to do. I think through the Central West there is no question but that all of the people are awake to the problem of the food shortage, and all of that. I x - f -v.- . ■',/,.:.■ . . -. , : . f .•?.. '.~{i ) f-'il.'ilJv O. 'fJIrtiJ ; »1lVi. .» '" • _.".;".'....• ' :U i j ;^ '5 vri.T Ji: • '••;':•"; c } oyr:-.'» £•-;».£ I*" I t " '.-■'.'■• *■ ' ■•■■'•*-. ':■■■ :■■;.: , : 'i*d~ >•- *n.o s.s.i f-d « "'? s^;- : i ; -'): .-3C" f©jA53B SK?ATa tt?Tr»u ,i«iQfTr^ ..i ..v .-"•; '■■••'- ; '■: - ; • :" Ti •; ri-2 ■:' - =: ;f .. ' ' - mo-;.; 'i.af.ievofl :?;'•• x? '• ; '•► ■•-' -•.' ■■ : ::'-ix r r- ■. ■-.: ;■[ ^.-\r(..\x-- ■".:-. "■ : ►'» x'«'.X ">" Art.' ■ - \ Nor/, we have done all the pre] iminary work that can be done, unless something dsfinite further can be offered to us, There are many problems in connection with the s matter of raising the army and equipping it, and subjects of that' kind, that I am sure every chief executive in the country' would like to know, I receive many letters every day making inquiries, We have thousands of men who are anxious to get into the service. Cur National Guard is full, A good many of them do not want to go into the regu- lar arcy e They prefer to go either into the National Guard or under conscription, and I think it is along that line that most of the men who are here arc anxious for informa- tion and for instructions, THE PRESIDING OFFICER, MR, GIFFORD: Senator, you will hear to-morrow from several members of the Advisory Commission of tbe Council of National Defense, who have had up the question of equipping, and I think you will be somewhat enlightened on some of the points that you asked for. SENATOR HARDING: And I think I voice the sentiment of many of these others who have these real problems to meet every day, and have not yet been able to get the answer, and a good many times we have to put them off, and with a State ready, willing and anxious to act, organisa- tions ready to enlist in many communities. It is not a question of enthusing our people. We did all that, and some of it too early, because we have it on hands now, and have to keep it alive I (Laughter) We have had the parades and the street meetings. Practically every city and vil- lage in Iowa held a patriotic meeting, and they got all that enthusiasm stirred up, and now they want to do something, and we are getting as many of them as possible out on the /2$ farms*, but when that is clone, we need to work out these problems in the ether way. THE PRESIDIKG OFFICER, MR, GIFFORD: Gentlemen, the Chuir has digressed from the prograu because the program was finished a half hour ago! Shall we adjourn? (Whereupoi the Wednesday afternoon session of the National Defer se Conference was adjourned). /* 4 THURSDAY HORNING SESSION. May 3, 1917. The conferenee was called to order at 9:40 o'clock, Mr. Walter S. Gifford, Director of the Council, presiding. THS CHAJ.2MAU, We have a long and busy program ahead. We are a little late in starting, but you are a little late coming. The first one on the program today is Mr. Willard, Chairman of the Council of National Def ense, who will tell you-something about the work of his particular committee of that Commission, and also. about the p rogram of. the entire advisory commission. llr. Willard. (Applause.) STATEMENT OF DANIEL' WILLARD, CHAIRMAN OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. MR, WILLARD. Mr. Chairman., and Gentlemen, I want to ap ologiae for the fact that I have not had time to prepare as I should like to have done for such a delegation as this, but I have been so very busy in the past few days, day and night, since this conference was arranged for, that I have not had time to prepare as I had hoped I might do. But I fancy, after all, that you are not here to listen to address-- es^ You want to learn what we are doing, and possibly what ;- can do to be of help in this great emergency, and I shall trr to tell you as briefly as I can, something about the activit: of the Advisory Commission as a whole, and of the particular sub-committee of the Advisory Commission, of which I am also Chairman, The Advisory Commission, as you probably know, \vas px vided for by law, and in connection with the establishment ol the National Council of Defense. Possibly you may not fully - • ■ " ir'K *-..- ~ ■ ■ * .:.* ..-■ ' * . ... - '■ ■ ' ; - '-' ' T;. . .'. . _ ; v. ; - .~. ,, ■ ■•«... ■ ■■• / »■ » - . . » . ' ■ .. * ■ •.. . . .- . *- . . \ '. ;' ■ I .-,;sV- :■.- ' ■.'. . , . . . • ; • • ■ • ' ■- ■- - . ^...- ■ .*• : ;. v .\ . . ; realize just what powers, or rather lack of powers, the Advisory Commission has. The law states specifically that the Advisory Commission shall he established for the purpose of advising only the Council of national Defense. The Advisory Commission, of which I am chairman, has ab- solutely no power under the law at all, but vie have been called in council frequently to advise and assist the Council of Defense, and they have referred many matters to us to be worked out, and we have endeavored to be of assistance to them, and we hope to some extent we have been. The theory of the organization of the Advisory Com- mission is this, that we will draw together, draw to the Commission, to assist it, the best men to be obtained in every line of business. In the organization of the Com- mission, it was found at first that it would be desirable to establish sub-committees to deal with the particular things, and so we divided the Commission* It is made up of seven men, into the following committees: One on science, research and educational problems, of which Dr. Godfrey, of Drexell Institute, was made chairman, and he is giving his attention primarily, to all matters that would naturally come to that committee. Another com- mittee was formed on raw materials, metals and minerals, and Ilr, Bernard Baruch, of Hew York, who fortunately, has extensive knowledge of that matter, is giving it his at- tention. He has formed committees to deal with raw mater ic of various kinds, and you have read undoubtedly of some of his activities. Ilr.. Howard Coffin, of Detroit, has been made chairman of the manufacturers and munitions, and the standardizatio: /2c ■ - -* . • ' - - "•'■ ;;... ■ ■ ■ - .'_•..'■■ " - -- • '■ •■■ ' el ' -'•-" ■ . '.: ". < -.' " - of industrial processes. Mr. Coffin lias been giving his ;:. time to tola matter for a year, ana. he has done work that no one who has not had it brought to his attention, could possibly appreciate* He has not only given his tine, but he has contributed of his means, and he has done very valu- able work in this commission. Mr, Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck & Company, of Chicago, is chairman of the committee on food and cloth- ing supplies, and he has also formed committees to deal wj the various activities in that connection, and has done ex- ceedingly good work. -I 1 . Gompers, as would be natural, has been made chair- man of the committee on labo^ , wel^arto work, and other all- subjects. He also has had a number of conferences with le: ing representatives of labor, and manufacturers, and has formed aub-committees, and his activities extend over a wi. territory. Dr. Franklin Martin, of Chicago, is chairman of the ec mittee on medicine and sanitary problems, and the work th his committee has done has been marvelous also. Dr. Martii. has called to his assistance some of the ablest surgeons :'.. the world, such as Dr. Finney, of Columbia, Dr. Shellings ■: Chicago, and Alexis Carrrll, of Paris, and men whose names stand high in the medical profession. Dr. Simpson, of Pit'. burgh, has been working here with me for some time. They have done very valuable work in connection with matters per taining to the care of the wounded and sanitary processes. Dr. Martin will undoubtedly tell you more about the detail The chairman of the Commission is also chairman of the sub-committee on transportation, and it is with particular reference to the work of that committee that I shall a&dr< 75/ myself for the few minutes that I shall take. It has been, as I said, from the first, our theory that we would be more effective in our work if we formed voluntary committees in connection with the different ac- tivities and called to those committeeamen vvho are recog- nized leaders in that line of work. Of course the Advisory Commission, as you probably know, under the law, serves without compensation, and all the men who are working in this building, some 70 or 80, with the Advisory Commission, are also serving without compensation, and of course the co-nrnitt/x^s that have b??n formed all over the country and in connection with the different activities, serve the same way. Everyone has contributed his services in connection with the work of this committee, except a very few whose work is clerical, and of course who properly are paid for what they do. The committed of which I have been made head, has within its activities, transportation and communication. The committee on communication was formed by Mr. Theodore Vail, at my request. I wrote to him explaining our work of organisation, and asked "him if he would associate .. with himself the leaders of the telephone and telegraph companies in the United States, and when he has formed such a com- mittee, come to Washington, and meet with the proper of- ficers of the Government , and agree on a plan of organisa- tion. It is only fair to say that the representatives of the telephone and telegraph companies have been working mostly with the officials of the Government for more than a year, and I shall not try to tell you of the wonderful things that have; been accomplished. They have made it pos- sible for the Secretary of the Havy, sitting in his office to talk instantly by telephone with any point in the United States, with a-ny ship within a reasonable area of the coast /2 8 on either side of the United States, or with any shipyard in the United States, and he can talk by telephone for some considerable distance out at sea. That of course is done by a combination of the wireless and the wire. Tha' is too marvelous for me to undertake to explain. They have actually accomplished that. They have arranged sig- nals that would put that system into effect in the brief e v possible time. They have laid extra cables and they have arranged so that at any time on a given signal a complete- system can be turned over to the Government in connection with the government's affairs, a very great accomplishment (Applause) The accomplishments of that committee, are well wortl j of any applause that you may give them, (Applause) The law provides that the activities of the Commissi < shall not only be in regard to transportation by rail, bu.-i also in regard to water transportation, and by highways. Naturally, the steam railroad systems, together with the electric railways, is the most important transportation system, and we gave that our first consideration. At my request a committee of railroad presidents, representing all the lines of the United States, met in Washington some several months ago, and formed themselves into four committees, to co-ordinate with the four military depart- ments of the United States. Vie had a conference here witii the Secretary of War, the President of the War College, the Chief Os Staff, le discussed with those gentlemen tin problems that would confront them in the future in case this country should be at war, and many other things, and. particularly mobilization points, and that is a matter that concerns directly all you gentlemen because it is es sential that the mobilization points of the various state should be located with reference to transportation facili- ties, not so much for the purpose of getting troops to the points, but to get them away from the points, to the place where they may be needed. Those committees are studying the matter now, I suppose, in connec- -- - • - : r . ' - , i . ' . . " .' - ' t ..'.-- . -:lU: ■ '■ '■ * -,-1- tlon with the representative.'; ci" ~he in^ii/id"..-'...":. ***..&>*# This coiuaittee, of the four CQUZiittees, which .:.. ganized to deal with the railroad pyaoleB, took up the ssat - ters that were first considered necessary, but it soon deve. oped that the work of the railroads was going to be of a much broaden j.. •_.,■„■; ....... .. and about three weeks ag , at ay re- quest, the representatives of all the railroads of the Uni- ted States assembled again in Washington. I explained to them the situation that had developed in the meantime. In the meantime our country had entered the war, and I said to them that in order that they might best be able to co-oper- ate promptly with the Government, and the industrial activi- ties generally, I felt confident that it would be necessary for them to select a committee to sit permanently here in Washington and direct the movement of the traffic of this country. What I asked them to do, in effect, was nothing less than this - to turn over their individual properties ;• a committee of five to be run as that committee of five should dictate, having in mind the situation as it was pre- sented to them. They unanimously adopted my suggestion. They formed a committee of five, and they are sitting perm.., ently here in Washington now, directing the transportation of the American railroads. In England, as you may recall, when the war began, Great Britain took over the roads, and selected a committee of general managers to operate the railroads, just as we are doing it now, but at the same time Great Britain guar- anteed to the railroads that the dividends which they had been receiving for a certain period o_ time should be con- tinued. Uothing of that kind has been done here, so far as any guarantee is concerned. The Government has not as- sumed any responsibility! but the railroads themselves, /3o 175 different conpaniea, have signed an agreement between the/as elves by which they put in the hands of five men com- plete authority to order their cars, their engines, their facilities, - to give any order they wish to give, which must be in the interests of the public. (Applause) It see to me when you consider that they sv.bordinated all self in- terest to the interest of the common good, that there agair. was an evidence of how the business people of this country feel, and are going to act in this great emergency, and wha^ I have said about the railroads is^ I am sure, equally tru? of every other interest, at least so it appears to us here in Washington as we have come in contact with the different activities. HoW I will try to give you 3ome idea of what that com~ uiittee is doing in Washington, and how they are handling the railroads in the interest of the public at the present time. These five gentlemen, who are themselves presidents of different railroads, are sitting here in daily confer- ence, and they are not thinking in terms of the Pennsyl- vania, or the Illinois Central, or the Northwestern. So far as they are concerned, there are no individual railroac, in the United States. Their problems are of this charac- ter, and I will give one specific insta.nce. We had infor- mation not long ago that at the head of the lakes this year, there was left over only about 300,000 tons of soft coal, while a year ago there was left over 3,500,000 tons. The railroads and the business men in the ITorthwest are ve:. nuch concerned about the possibility of a fuel shortage no . winter, and of course it would be a very serious thing in that northern climate. Nov;, that was one of the first pro lems which the railroad committee took v.p, and this is wl they .have dpne». They have, aad "in conference ohose who con- trol the big ships of the lakes carrying ore, and they have said this to theiaj "A year ago your ships brought ore dowi the lakes, but you didn't carry coal up the lakes, because you were anxious to get out a large amount of ore, and you did not want to wait. This year there is a condition in the Northwest which will make it necessary to carry coal on your return trips." The situation was explained, and they said: "Of course we will have our ships carry coal to the north." Then they have said to the railroads oper- ating from West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to the lakes: "You must see that the cars are furnished and promt.' ly moved so as to get the coal over the lines to the lakes, in order that the boats on the lakes can carry it to the head of the lakes, so that there may be no coal shortage ir Minnesota, North Dakota, and the Northwest during the corai::.. winter. " Never before has that question been handled in that way, and if there is any fear on the part of any that there is going to be a fuel shortage in the Northwest next year, you can go away feeling as well assured as a man can be assured of anything, that that subject is being given the best possible attention at the present time, and I person- ally do not believe you will be short of coal in the North- west during the next winter* (Applause) Other important things have come up. For instance, the Secretary of Agriculture has impressed upon the committee the great importance of doing everything that can be done to stimulate planting and crop growing during the present- year. On that question for the last four or five weeks cars have been diverted and used to move seeds, fertiliser., agricultural implements, and doing the things that were n necessary to stimulate growing. That matter will soon be over, and then the freight cars that have been hauling /3X fertilizer to a large extent will be used for other pur- pose o. Amother thing the Commission has done and this in the interest of greater efficiency, and it may hear ra- ther on some of you gentlemen, and on men that you meet. Before this arrangement was made, the railroads had been asked to move a rather large amount of coal from the eas- tern coal fields to the Pacific, for use on the coast. Formerly that coal went around by wateir, but now because of the further demand for boats, it had been decided to move this coal by rail, and coal has been sent to the coast in steel cars primarily because it was more con- venient to unload the open steel cars on the coast. Now those cars that went from West Virginia to Califor- nia with coal had to be hauled back 3000 miles empty be- cause there was nothing to come east. At the same time we were sending empty box care west to baring grain and other things to the east. We were sending empty cars in both directions as a matter of custom and convenience. When this committee took hold of the situation and began to view those matters in a big way, they said "Why, we can't do that, that is not efficient." They took the matter up at once, with the coal operators, and asked them if they would load coal in box cars. They did not w?.nt to. It cost more money, but they agreed to do it. We asked the coal consumers if they would be willing to unload this coal from box cars. Some of them thought they could not, but some of them agreed to it, so that now we have cut out the hauling of empty coal cars 3000 miles across the country, and hauling box cars in both directions. This is one of the great lines of efficiency that /3 3 tho committee has endeavored to work out, and because of the innumerable things that it can do in that direction, we feel that without additional cars and without addi- tional engines, the railroads will be able to handle more business during the coming year and next winter than they were able to this winter. You have in effect today with- out having purchased the railroads, without having guar- anteed anything to the railroads, you hava 1 in effect a nationalization of the railroads* You have a national system of railroads 350,000 miles long being operated as one grand system under the control of five men, sit- ting permanently in Washington, to. whom all complaints and requests should be sent, and who will act promptly on those requests unto the best of their ability. One other thought which we have got to take seriously at heart is that we are at war. It is a waste of time to discuss the situation as it is today in terms of peace. We are not at peace. We are in the greatest war that the world has ever had. A hvmdred million people have gone to war, and our enemy is the best organised, the best disciplined, and the strongest enemy that ever en- tered one side of any war in the history of this world. And do not make the mistake of thinking that the enemy is exhausted, or is likely soon to give out. Unless all the signs, unless all the information that we get is wrong, we are in for a long hard war, and it is apt to mean that a lot of our young men will go across the At- lantic, and will never come back, and you must think of everything in relation to that point of view, or else you will not have a proper understanding of the problem that is before us. How are we going to help the Allies? I am not going to speak in any spirit of criticism, and I am not going to speak in any terms of dollars and cents. I am speak- ing in terms of men and power, and I ask, how can we help those who are now our allies. One of the things that is worthy of consideration, at least so it seems to me, though I may be prejudiced, is the matter of the so-called full-crew laws. I say nothing concerning the matter, although I know they have been criticised by railroad men, but our information from the railroads show that there are approximately 6500 men who are working on trains because of those laws, that railroad men feel are not necessarily so employed, and that if they were released, there would be 6500 skilled effective able men who could go to Russia or to France, or could do other useful lines of work. What do I sug- gest? Simply this. What I have said is either so, or it is not, and I simply suggest that in each state a proper way to deal with the problem - I do not ask it because of the war - that you should repeal any law - but that during the war your Public Utility Commission look into the matter here, and decide if it is a fact that men are being diverted from useful employment be- cause of legislation which might have been justified at one time perhaps but not now, under the conditions, and if it be a fact, that they could be spared and in the interests of the public used in some other way. It is not a question of dollars and cents. It is a question of man power. That is one thing that might be considered. Another thing. Now are we going to get more effi- ciency out of our cars? We will not be able to buy cars and locomotives as we would like during the next year or so. Why? Because a large portion of the output is need- ed abroad. They are building today nearly a thousand engines in our various locomotives works for Russia and France, and one of the foreign governments has asked one of our largest builders for its entire output for the first si:c months of next year, and an option on the next six months. It is vital that France and Russia have engines. We can get along. We must get along with what we have got , and they must have the care and engines that other- wise we would take, Now will we meet the situation? By doing the best that we can do with what we have. Here is one thing. Generally today all over the country there is an estab- lished rule that permits the shipped 48 hours free time for loading cars and 48 hours free time for unloading, and then in some states it is as high as 72 hours. ''/hat do I suggest? This, that the free time be reduced to 24 hours. If this should be done, in our opinion, it would result in releasing, and giving for other service 645,000 cars for one trip each during the entire year. How do I ar- rive at those figures? This way. Sixty-four per cent of all the cars that are loaded, according to our records, are now unloaded in the first 34 hours. Twenty-one per cent are unloaded in 48 hours, and 15$ take several days. Now if you would unload that 21$ that now takes 48 hours, in 24 hours, you would add to the efficiency of our equip-' ment 645,000 car3 for one trip during the year. In Ger- many, I may say, under Governmental control, the shipp^i is only allowed six hours to load and unload cars, but the German car is smaller. I would not suggest anything less than 24 hours, but I do think it is desirable now to say to men who have cars "You must, in the interest of all the people - not in the interest of the railroads - but in the interest of all the people, load your cars promptly, and unload them promptly, and let them move /3<£ , someone el ee ' s f re ight . n That is one thing. Now there is another, and that is the question of readjustment of passenger schedules. In England and in Germany, the oountries at war, they have absolutely eliminated commercial schedules during war tirr.es. They always do in Germany.. I happened to be in Germany at the time of mobilisation and for eight days no cars were run for the carrying of passengers. won't have to do that , but we may have to do something. The figures show that the passenger train mileage in this country is nearly as large as freight grain mileage. I was surprised when I saw the comparison, of those figures. We run in this country 570,000,000 passenger train miles a year. That is 1,600,000 train miles a day, or if you are interested in figures, that is six times the distance to the moon that we run every day, with out passenger trains. Modern opinion is that it will be in the inter- est of all people later on, and perhaps not very much la- ter on, to give very careful consideration to the passen- ger train schedules and the railroad presidents are study- ing that in this particular connection. For instance, where our duplicate trains parallel railroads between two places, with trains running practically the same schedule, we are trying to reduce those schedules so that the people will have the necessary service, but still release the cars and the engines. Now who do we want to do this? What do we gain? There are 14,000 engines in this country, handling passenger trains. Now if we can take 4,000 out of the passenger engines, which are almost as strong as the freight engines, and put them into freight service, and if you hurry up the loading and unloading of cars, you would add very much by so doing, to the effi- ciency of the railroads. It is a matter for you to do. /37 The railroads can do it with your permission. They cannot do it in th3 interests of business without your assent. #ow, that problem will be worked out. You will be asked to consult about it. It won't be done without your being considered, and we want your views about it. We will put the problem up to you, and we will 3ay, "this is the situation if you will do this during the continuation of th war." I a:;: talking in terms of vral, not in terns of peace. If you will help us to do. this in tine of war , we can do no i for the efficiency of the trains, carry more fertilizer and flour, and so on, and I an sure no one will object to a pro;- i solution of such an important question. (Applause) There is another very important and very difficult question, and I do not know how it will be solved. It is this. 7or sone tine, while the war last3, perhaps, there will be more easiness for the railroads than the crews can handle. It has been said that the railroads have broken down. They have done more business than at any tine before, but there is much more to be done. With all this co-oper- ation they can't do the business of the country, and where they can't it will be necessary to decide which particular business will be given the preference, and that is a very important question to settle, because every nan thinks his business is most important , and it is, to hin. But sone: bod 0-' men sonewhere, will have to decide which is the most im- portant business in the interests of tae people, How that matter is under consideration. Thau question has had to be settled in England. We will have to heap watch and we will do it. The railroad commit bee, as already stated, has taken one chance, and I may say that they seem to have gotten away with it so far. They have said that the coal is the most important tonnage ;c .:-e moved, and nobody has criti- /35 ' ■-.' \ cized it as yet. They have already begun to fill the coal iins for next winter, and I think you will all agree that that is something of importance.. What is next? what is third? what is fourth, and what is fifth? No matter what committee v;e get to deal with the question, it is going to make decisions that somebody thinks should not be made. ic must try to understand that and bear with them, becau.se wai makes inconvenience. Inconvenience is the least of all evils that grow out of war. Just one matter more.. There are two other activities that the committee of transportation will have to take up, but in which I have not had time as yet to make the prcgres that I would like. I expect to appoint a committee on in- land waterways, and a committee on highways, in order that those particular aeans of transportation may be co-ordina- ted with the railroads. The electric railroads are working witn the steam railroads, with their committees, but we haven't as yet got a committee on inland waterways, repre- senting transportation on the Mississippi , the Ohio, the Missouri, etc,. We are a3kiag General Black, who has had to do with the improvement of those rivers, to meet with the railroad committee and advise it, and others, includi Senator Ransdell, are now trying to assist me in formi a committee on inland waterways, so that we ce,n co-ordinate the use of the waterways with the railroads. We are try- ing now to find out how we can use the Mississippi if pos- sible to take coal west and brint flour ana jrain down to help out this general transportation problem, The question of highways is another one. I have had communication with people who are particularly interested in that sucject, but it seems so much mors important; to the railroads and the electric railro-^s and the shipping u /2 7 interests started first that we have just lot the highways wait for a few minutes, but they have not been forgotten. I think there has been some concern in sons quarters, be- cause more has not been done, but we will take that up soon, and we have tried to do first what seeued to be most im- portant, (Prolonged applause and clreers) fro A MEMBER, Mr. Chairman, I simply want to suggest at this time that the membership can now go home and say that they have heard something. (Applause)' MR. GIFFCrD. I introduce myself as the next speaker, I shall describe the organization of the Councils of national Defense, and the relation of the Council to the state councils of defense* Last August a law containing the following provisions was passed;' Sec. St. That a Council of National De- fense is hereby established for the coordination of industries and resources for the national secur- ity and welfare, to consist of the Secretary of f ", the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Labor That the Council of National Defense shall nominate to the President, and the President shall appoint, an advisory commission, consisting of not more than seven persons, each of whom shall have special knowledge of some industry, public utility, or the development of some natural resource, or be otherwise specially qualified, in the opinion of the council, for the performance of the duties hereinafter provided. The members of the advi- sory commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be allowed actual expenses of travel and subsistence when attending meetings of the commission or engaged in investigations pertain- ing to its activities. The advisory commission shall hold such meetings as shall be called by the council or be provided by $rhe rules and regulations adopted by the council for the con- duct )f its work, /A/ 1 That it shall be the duty of the Council of National Defense to supervise and direct in- vestigations and make recommendations to the President and the heads of executive depart- ments as to the location of railroads with reference to the frontier of the United States so as tc render possible expeditious concen- tration of troops and supplies tc points of defense; the coordination of military, in- dustrial and commercial purposes in the loca- tion of extensive highways and branch lines of railroad; the utilization of waterways; the mobilization of military and naval re- sources for defense;- the increase of domestic ' production of articles and materials essen- tial to the support of armies and of the peo- ple during the interruption of foreign com- merce; the development of sea-going transport- ation; data as to amounts, location, method, and means of production, and availability of military supplies; the giving of information to producers and manufacturers as to the class of supplies needed by the military and other services of the Government, the requirements relating thereto, and the creation of relations which will render possible in time of need the immediate concentration and utilisation of the resources of the Nation." Here is expressed the duty of the Council of Na- tional Defense under an act passed while we were at peace. The advisory commission was appointed, and the Council held its first meeting in December. Te have been working on the Z r . proper form of organization for this work of coord- lnating the resources. It is only recently that we have determined on the final basic for acting. Mr, ffillard has spofcen briefly to you of the advisory commission of the Council of National De- fense, and explained that the commission, by law, is purely advisory. The Council of National De- fense, you will remember, consists of six cabinet officers, the executive heads of the iargs depart- ment a which are mentioned, Tho seven advisory com- missioners advise these six cabinet officers, bring- ing to their ears the knowledge and the information of the civilian resources and business activities of the country. In order to ca.rry out their task of ad- vising, they have appointed and associated with them- selves commitxees on certain lines of industry, Mr. '"il lard -.has cauned to be appointed, the committee on railroads, which he referred to, and the committee on telegraph and telephones, as well as the committee of electric railroads. Other committees will be on in- land waterways and highways, Mr. Coffin, as announced, is chairman of the com- mittee on munitions, including standardisation and in- dustrial relations and has also taken over the work of the committee on motor transport. He is chairman of the beard of aircraft production, and i3 likewise supervising the work of the general munitions board of the Council. Dr. Godfrey is chairman of the committee en sci- ence and research, including engineering and education, and is today and tomorrow holding meetings of college presidents from all over the country regarding its activities. //,» Mr. Rosenwald is chairman of the committee on supplies, Including food and clothing, and has formed, or caused to "be formed, in the various lines of in- dustry, committees on woolen goods, cotton goods, and shoes ana leather. Mr. Gompers is in charge of the committee on labor, including the conservation of the welfare and health of workers, and has associated with him- self a large committee of employes, employers and representatives of the public. Dr. Martin, from whom you will hear later, has charge of the committee on medicine and surgery, including sanitation. Dr. Baruch directs the committee on minerals and metals, and has caused t o be formed sub-committees on nickel, steel, oils, rubber, lead, sulphur, and many other committees are being formed. What does this committee scheme mean? It means that when the Government wants to know anything, about say nickel, or steel, or oil, or rubber, the Govern- ment can call to its help the advisory committee to give information on what it knows in regard to the situation in that industry, and the knowledge will come from men who are prominent in that industry. The Government has already been holding conferences ^ with the leading men in these lines, as to the sup- ply of oil in the country, or the supply of steel, or of nickel, whether there is enough for our pre- sent and prospective needs. Those are committees q± . advice at our command, organized, ready to be called on, which we ore using and esn eor.tinue .to use; and they brin^ to the Government in the prosecution of • • this work the best intelliser.ee on the subjects in question that we have in the country. The Council of National Defense* itself , under the ; law cited, has the power to appoint subordinate bodies, which are wholly legal in their constitution and the personnel of which serve without pay, Thus fur, the Council has appointed a number of these subordinate belies. To enumerate them, it has recently created a com- mittee on cocl production, believing it necessary that the question of coal production be settled not only from the standpoint of the coal producers, but also from that of the Government's needs, using the infor- mation possessed by the Bureau of Mines, and other Federal departments to assist it in its work. Desir- ing to coordinate all the information gained and to study the coal question thoroughly, v/e have had a committee formed with Mr. P. 3. Peabody as chairman. The Shipping Board constitutes the committee on shipping. It has associated with it a committee on shipping, consisting of men who own steamship lines, and big men in shipping, so as to find out what ship- ping is available, what can be male available, etc. Mr. Coffin, as stated, is chairc.in of the com- mittee on aircraft production. .Representatives of the Army and l T avy are also on this board. There is a committee on women's defense work which held its first meeting yesterday, and which is meeting again today, of which Dr. Anna Howard Shaw is chairman. It consists of nine prominent, capable women, who will advise the Council of national Defense as to what aid women can best render in the prosecution of the war. /■4-r ■ ■ '■ ' ■ . ' • . : \ . ■ - . i 1 - - " ' ■ -w . iiivhP ' •' We have also appointed a commercial economy board. It is headed by Mr. A. 77. Shaw, publisher of "System," and president of A. V. Shaw & Company, of Chicago, and further consists of Mr. George F.ablee, Kr. Simmons , of the Simmons Hardware Company, Hte Dennison, and Dean . Gay of Harvard University. This committee is hc;jrd at work on the question of economy in distribution. It is not advisable, probably, at the ir/imediate moment, to make too sudden' an adjustment in this direction. r /E must adjust slowly. If we do it too quickly, we shall have unemployment , and shall perhaps have a serious condition. The committee will shortly recom- mend definite lines of economy which the wholesale and retail trade can take under advisement, so that both men and capital can be saved for the uses of national defense. VT e have a general munitions board, with Hr. ?.. A. Scott, vice-president of the "7ar&Si- & Swazey Company, as chairman. The general munitions board has on it representatives of the purchasing departments of the Army and the Navy, and also of the committees of the advisory commission covering raw materials, munitions, medicine, and general supplies. This board meets here every morning at 8 o'clock. Principal orders that are to be placed by the Army and Wavy aie submitted to this board which schedule the orders and finds out if there is any conflict. The Army and the Navy may be v/anting the same thing from the same place at the same time. It is the duty of the board to decide which should be given preference. It is its further duty to ascertain what probably will be needed to equip our proposed military and naval forces, and to find out, as against /46 • ... that, what our producing resources are, and what plants exist that can produce the materials needed, and in general to schedule the needs of the government , and the capacities of the country to fulfill those needs. You can see that this means that we have in effect a muni- tions department. We are thus preventing duplication oi' effort, and we are preventing one branch of the Government "bidding up the price of goods against the other branch. v, e have in addition a munitions standards board. This board is subdivided into committees on small arms, naval ordnance, optical instruments, fuses, gauges, and mobile artillery. A civilian expert is in charge of each, and is advising the ordnance department as to the proper specifications, drawings and plans necessary for the quantity production of the articles demanded. It is bringing to tho government the practical business experience which it is necessary for the military people to have in making up their specifications, drawings , blueprints and gauges. An advisory committee on food supplies has been ap- pointed, of which Mr. Herbert C. Hoover will take charge. Mr. Hoover arrives from Europe this week. His committee will be organized as promptly as he gets here, w e expect to have from him information as to the experience of Ger- many, Belgium, ?rance, Italy, and Russia, in the hand- ling of food products, we do not intend to make any mis- takes that these countries may have made. (Applause) There are additional departments of the Council of National Defense. One, called the Medical Section, is under the general supervision of Dr. Martin and is carry- ing on a great deal of administrative and executive work. /4ci Also 96 have this department on cooperation with state defense councils with the conduct of which Mr. Georg Porter is to assist me. ^e have organized this meeting through that department, ^e are further planning to act , as a bureau of information to all of the state councils in defense work. v "e intend to give any information, di- rections or suggestions that may be wanted by the State . Councils from the Federal Government, and we welcome all ideas that you may proffer to us. we will see that your requests are properly answered. Incidentally, I think every letter is replied to at the close of each day. nr e have associated with us other organizations. The Naval Consulting Board, headed by Mr. Thomas A. Edison, acts for us as a board of inventions. Anything with reference to inventions we refer to them, and they give proper consideration to it. We have committees on supplies of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, which were appointed at our request. These are appointed in each city in which the Quartermaster has a representative. In peace times, the purchases in the Army are made hy the local quartermaster for the district. It was felt that if an unusually large quantity of supplies were purchased under this method, the system might be somewhat strained, that it was not entirely sound for the purchase of large amounts. To prevent any possible falling down, and to be sure that the best advice is given to the local quartermaster, these committees of business men in Philadelphia, Bos- ton, St. Louis, and the various places where the quar- termasters have representatives, have been formed to suggest and advise with the quartermasters in the pur- /Ai ,i\: •■■ 1 Z03 • ■ ;. ■ . ■ . } .„; ,. .; : . ... •'. ^ «..= :•'•». • MVii a? - f*:i a.«: fS V-.-'-i <>. - 5i: ^r*sis ~. . .« : • W/ chase of supplies * The national Research Council acts as a board of scientific research for us. I will net describe its functions, as Dr. Hale of that Council is going to talk to ycu shortly regarding its wcrtr, This -then, is the way in which we are coordinating the work of the Government. rT e have in the Council it- self a coordination of the Government departments. Fur- ther^ every other morning in my office, we have at 9 o'clock a meeting of what we call the interdepartmen- . tal advisory committee. A representative from every executive department appears at the appointed hour. we discuss tne work being carried on by the several departments in regard to national defense. T7e take up labor and agricultural matters, and we find that sometimes three or four departments are starting to work on the suce problem. We stop that, we cut out duplication, we eliminate wasted effort by this means. • :T e can immediately get in touch with all the depart- ments in Washington and we are speeding up the defense work therein through this commit tec < The state councils of defence will, we hope, cooperate heartily with us in th3 labors stretching before all of us. ^e have an immatse amount of work to do. ™e must not put any monkey wrenches in the gears , nor must we put any extra machinery in that is not needed. r 'e must proceed in a straight line forward in v/hat we have to do. I hope we will deal directly through the Council of National Defense with the state councils of defense. It may be that the labor Depart- ment will have to deal directly on some matters with the labor departments of the state, because it may be ///■ -■■* ft •?'-■'< . ' •;•;' k-"'-r> V» J*"VV ' - •- !(•.;;- » . - ■ • ■ * ■ ■ \ •-.'!' : • .U. : . ..., .. ... . • . .... ■ . v . - : ;• ■ - .-■.•■: ■ • - •- ■ ' ' ' ; that that is the quickest and most efficient way to get a particular problem done. If it is, it ought to be done that way. The ytate Council of defense and the National Council should, of course, be kept fully informed as to what is being done. In most cases, the cooperation should be between the state councils and the national Council, and when it does not go through that way, there should be a specific and definite reason for its going some other way. You will notice, as I have described these advisory committees, that there are a number of things on which we are advised nationally, rather than by state. That applies particularly to indus- tries, railroads, and telephones and telegraphs, which, after all, do not fundamentally recognize state lines. I think v/e should continue to work these on. a national basis. Much of the work, however, will be done on state lines, problems must be solved locally, pro- blems of getting increased food, etc. You can be ad- vised by federal means, by the Department of Agricul- ture, but it is a local problem in the community to do the particular job. p e do not know here, and we cannot know here how it should be done in the detail. It is problems of that character which must be put up to the states for solution. I have taken the liberty of presenting to you a very brief memorandum on state organizations, which has been prepared with the assistance of some of the gentle- men who represent states that already have organizations completely worked out. It is only a suggestion, but we believe of value. There are plenty of copies and it ■vill be distributed. I am sure that you all agree with me that the problem in this country is not so much a problem of increasing our producing resources, at this immediate moment, as it is of taking units of energy that we have, and organ- izing them effectively, so that we may be working to a common purpose. That is precisely the duty and the task ahead of the Council of National Defense. (Applause) /W tir;iti? ■: '■) JC:-. ! i i :i ; ■ 5 . A MEMBER: I would like the scheme to be put in the Records, THE CHATRUAN; Gentlemen, our time is short and we will move right forward, I wish to introduce Dr. Frank- lin Martin, of the Advisory Commission, of the Council of National Defense. ADDRESS OF DR. FRANKLIN MARTIN. Gentlemen, I will be brief. The problems before the medical committee of the Council of National Defense are technical problems, many of them. The responsibility of this committee T think is felt by every member of the committee, and when I call your attention to a thing that is known, that until the Japanese- Russian War, more troops died of disease than those that were destroyed by the ravages of war, and that in the present conflict in Europe the men in the trenches and in the rear of the trenches, the enlisted men, are healthier than the same group of men elsewhere, you will realize what organiza- tion of the medical department in a great army means. Now as representatives of the states, I wish to pre- sent one proposition for your consiaerat ion. One year ago, before war was declared, in fact more than a year ago, a committee was appointed, a joint committee by five of the leading medical societies of the United States, a committee of 28 of which W. J. Mill, the famous surgeon was chair- man, and F, F 6 Simpson, secretary. The Committee proceeded AT-£. organize all state activities in medicine in the 48 states in the union. These distinct committees consist of fine men. The president of the state medical society, was a member of that committee, the Secretary of the state medi- cal society was also made a member, The first duties that devolved upon the national committee, and duties to be sift- ed on to the state committees, consisted, in tire selection of the medical men for the Officers 1 Reserve Corps, men called to the army, who would act as jwfdical officers to various regiments of troops sent to the front. The sta*e committees were asked to come together on a certain basis in proportion to the population of the state, and they were asked to select their share of El, 000 picked men for the service of the United States Army. The Illinois quota, for instance, my state, consisted of 1,600 men. These men were selected and grouped according to their special- ties, according to their ages, and according to the work that they could do best. These groups were sent to the Surgeon-General's of- fice, and he directed the list. The Surgeon-General's office has done heoric work in sending these men applica- tion blanks. These applications brought back something over 7,000 men f ox enough to man an army of 1,000,000. They have all been given their commissions as officers of the Reserve Corps. On these subcommittees -- I am dwelling on the sub- committees because I wish to impress upon you the import- ance of these subcommittees --on the subcommittees we have medical representatives in addition to the nine medical officers of the National Guard, the local officers of the United St.At.es Armv. The same m mm it, tee #vf nine has also :.U - : -{? Tail n^rr rr-jt>^ 000.15 to itlfiitf 'ttafjj ?? ..-iwa «1 jytrfc ■ -Xaii>.:-^c vi "7- >i ^nitjieoo-s k&LVPJg f>V $$ i ? i *f$£& PUN W .. e 'i^^C^V^i'i'tt.'S ?«'? -Jail ?>rij ie»4as>'U4> '*4 .*xw *•:■. *£dft£$4S a>?f **a*M jjftiijfl5«2; £i * -n:afr ae/i sol It „^:./ # r . ; v £ V: %«$• r ae« o? ri2:J- : ?*g> so »$ffl OOC,f soy 1 - •: jfj ow a :\'xp ■■■■■ *f'*s*impn&Sv9i *tU «»*»«>. *J«m»i»«rsrs s« ■ >if* iy tii.v-v< >'*o I :=•>«>/, rt 3 ,j?1jsi»D liSnotJ-"' --silt 1<. . .-.tl1\ a committee of the National Red Cross, x he National Red Cross has practically the same committee with the addition 15 men of the national committee representing the Coun- 1 of National Defense. vi/e , therefore, are ready to supply tomorrow an army 1,000,000 troops and 600,000 troops representing the litia, and the regular army is supplied with medical of- ficers, practically already. Therefore, we are prepared to supply medical officers for 1,600,000 men. (Appla use) I would ask you in appointing your committees, or would suggest in appointing your committees, for state defense, that you place tipon the committee a medical man of prominence in your state who can cooperate and will co- operate with these strong committees in each state that have been working for the last year, Briefly, at the end of my talk, I wish General Rucker, of the Department of Public Health of the United States to state what has been done in the last two years by the health officers of the various states in the United States that have been meeting in Washington. New one thing more I wish to call to your attention. The doctor must be at the front when the troops come to enroll. He must be with the troops while they are in encampment to look after the sanitation and their health there, and he must be at hand when the troops are mustered out of service and he must further look after the question of pensions after the war is over. Now what is the result of our preparedness? What has happened to encourage us? Remember it requires •■■••I '■ ■;• four years to educate a doctor, and remember that France, ii England have been in the terrific conflict for three ars; that their medical service is depleted. Remember at the mortality in this war among the medical profes- sion is greater char? in sny other "branch cf the service. Iance and England are now far below the requirement of gical officers at the front, The civilian population practically depleted, Very few doctors are left be- hind in England and France. When the Englishmen came here, and we met them, the first request made by Mr* Balfour when he met the medical deprtajent was, How can you send us doctors,, and when can you send as doctors? The reply was simp], e. The doctors were ready. We told him we could send on one thousand doctors to England and 1000 doctors to France within three weeks. (Applause) is was immediately ccrrniunSeated to General Bridges, e next day a cable was Bent to England, to England 1 8 War Department, asking it to make this sore of request. This was done. What has happened? Six hospital units ere called out within 49 hours after this order went th. That means 196 listed personnel. It means an anization that will care for 500 patients. These ts have already been ordered out by the Red Gross to pera c te in Europe with the French ana English armies, next morning. Colonel Goodwin, ranking officer cf the medical visitors, asked modestly if we could send 200 medical men a month for an indefinite time, these medical men to be sifted in ary c arm unity needed, to work shoulder to shoulder with the English and the French. The same morning General Vellier and Major Dreyfus asked the War /S5 H a.i fh-.fA Department to send 110 ambulance units. These ambulance units call for 70 men listed personnel and 20 automobiles or ambulances. This request was immediately accepted and the order immediately given. So to summarize, we have the six units going out with- in the next three weeks, the first installment of 200 men as soon as possible, and we hope within three weeks 3,000 i ambulances and 5,000 ambulance drivers for aid in Prance. | (Applause) The one message that I have to leave is that in ap- pointing your state committee on defense, you appoint your medical representatives and ask him as far as possible to operate with the Council of National Defense and its mmittee on medicine. I will now ask you to listen iefly to General Rucker, who will make a statement in regard to your state public health office. STATEMENT OF GENERAL W. C. RUCKER. GENERAL RUCKER; To sum up all the remarks which have been made, we must have a coordination and integra- tion of all the forces of the nation in order that we may carry this war to a successful conclusion. Coordination and integration of all the units in the nation is merely another word for health, because heAlth is the coordina- tion and the integration of all the parts of a nation and all the parts of the individuals to go to make up a nation. Now, gentlemen, in the excitement of military affairs, there is very grave danger that the health of the civilian population shall be overlooked. If we are to produce the £ I •t -»■ v- ZCS i '"J'- '-•'.- i " ; . ....>_,. Urti X :.-u . ■■■* , * . J >^ ..* 4 Til * - •• . • * • ■*. . •i "■ ■ '- '- « £ It T.arv.. - ^»ii x>-- • * - - • ' C: : i w: H aqua rrvlj:-nil—o^ r ...111 ??LT » , • .-.. : . T; * MtiStfiSSfc W .-Oi^Tf: ,Xf| •'. ,:jry,.. : - '-'* t -.r;. * J. -'» 30i r l! & :. JF •„ ,- : " U. •»- iL v;v ' **$ ** : ~ • i- IS -■- ■:;. t ■:•.<.. 'il 1'; - /_ . ? i/:'v', men, the food, the munitions, the transportation, the com- munication which must go into the making up of a great Ilitsry force, we cannot do it unless we have healthy ople. We are able, in times of peace, to functionate th a certain amount of bad health and disease in the community. But when the added stress of war comes, and this added stress is put upon the organization of the com- man it y, then if there is bad health, if there is disease, that organization is going to break down. Therefore, there must be a definite coordination between the heath of the civilian public and the military public. On the one hand we have the Medical Corps cf the Army and the Navy o are responsible for the health of the combating for- On the other hand we have the State Department of 1th and the subordinate organizations for health that responsible for the civil population, and between these we have the coordinated organism which is the United tes Public health Service. Recognizing thds fact, the nference cf State and Territorial Health Officers with the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service on Tues- ■, unanimously -- and I may say that there were 44 ites represented there — > placed, : : .n so far as their s would allow, the organizations of the state, municipal county health organizations, at the disposal of the eral government. In order that this may be effective, it will be neces- sary that there be formed a reserve for the Public Health Service, such reserve to be appointed from the sanitary officers of th^ various states. In this* way the services /*7 a large number of men which otherwise would be unavail- able to the general government, vculi be brought in play, r many of the health officers are man who are above Bili- ary age, and their efforts can be coordinated and brought ito play with those of the general government, and made bear directly upon the health of the combating forces. A point where you gentlemen can do an egrcrmous amount good is the question of appropriations fox- state boards health. Already acme of the states have cut down their appropriations for their state boards of health, be- cause they thought that the money was needed for national defense. A greater mr stake could not pc-ssibiy have been made, because when all is said and done the bed rock of national defense is health, and yea ovst keep that up. Ie second point that I wish to bear upon you, is that in Ties of peace we are apt to say $n, well, we are not going be sick. Therefore it is not necessary to e;:ercioe our police powers for health to their fullest extent* I urge upon you that during this period of stress that you exercise to the fullest extent your police powers for alth, but that in doing so you should not do it in such ay that ycu will hamper the operations of other parts the government. It is a question of relative valies, t do not stand back now on the question of the enfor ce- nt of your health laws. The last point which I wioh to make is that in ap- pointing your ccrr v !Ji' L tees of nationij. defense, you appoint a physician^ as Dr, Martir. has asked you tc do, and that you request the msctical representative on your state beard of defense. to form a subcommittee on hygiene and sanitation. This is particularly important in those states in which there will be mobilization of armed forces, because it is necessary that the civilian unit be prevented from trans- mitting disease to the military forces, and it is equally important that the military forces be prevented from trans- I mitting disease to the civilian unit upon which the mili- tary hnit roust, depend for food items. I would urge that you, in the exercise of your police powers and through the influence of your committee on hygiene and sanitation, so far as possible, to see to it that your communities in the immediate environment of military camps have no in- fectious or contagious diseases. They must be stamped out as soon as they a ppear. See to it that they have a good water supply, and that that supply is safeguarded to prevent pollution. Also that you take the appropriate measures, by the exercise of your police power, for the prevention of prostitution in the neighborhood of camps, because when all is said and done, typhoid, malaria, and venerial diseases are the scourges of armies. We must not send sick men to France. We must send a healthy body of American citizens who are there to carry on in full » health this great battle for the protection of the civili- tion of the worJ.-&. (Applause) MR. GIFFOHD. Gentlemen, our next talk will be by Mr. George Creel, of the committee on public information. Mr. Creel, ycv>. all know, is a well known and famous maga- zine writer, and I do not need to tell you anything about him. /*7 • ........ • Hi -•. .j *| , , %| c:toi ^llar^ ^ *| . ... -Hi -' ~li!* -■ .■ . ,i .i ■-. ■ ":c>!.f ri^i.- u^/l^vj.} • : J *| ; - ?y : * " rv "" ; "•"■'- - * ; ^"- : " *~ y rt INfi ■■'■ t&u$Si '' *'be -:.-j;.' .;: ' :■_/ ;:;■* ay*'., I'ijXr'i.^ %'« :: ' I,:: ..... -- ,,^- , | . , . .,;.-.-. j sj tcfri v. «.;.:..; , :,- „ J..v - - rBiq*W ^ •' i r&ea' i 1-: ■■ -■-' •; ' • 'J. - -•-. .; iq£ ,-.. -I^r is -'--^ •■•' - - --; " r vr .- ■*. ■ ' - ■ * ' " STATEMENT OF MB. GEORGE CREEL. MR. CREEL. I want to speak co you a vary frank word praise of T,he press. We Americans have always given certain amount of iip service to the p~ess, but down in ir hearts we have looked upon the press somewhat in the ight of a necessary evil. We have kepi it outside of Le council chambers. That is all changed, I think. War ith all its activity is new a pari; of oar daily life, and )u must now take the press into cooperation with you. You are going to find from it most encouraging support. We are today operating in the United States by virtue a voluntary censorship, Everything is suppressed vol- ltarily that i;3 aeercei prejudicial to the military af- tirs of the country. There is no law whatever, ana yet ere is no ^aper ^n the Jait t has told where our fleet is. There is nc Law except patriotism. and we have had the cooperation of the press, (Applause) What you are doing here today, what you are speaking :re today, would not go beyond this room if it were not )r the gentlemen here Bending it out- This comrir.tiee of .iblic information is bringing the press into the council the nations* I should like to suggest that you Governors appoint advisory committee that will cover the press of the ttire state, have all your sources of information col- lected and brought through certain channels, I do not mean have a publicity department for the givinfeout of news. The newspapers dc nat like canned news. j3ut what they would like would be to have your channels of informa- on opened up, take the dead wood out of it, let the people derstand what is going on, open up all these sources of or mat ion and give the newspaper men something to do, X think you can do that by an advisory committee of the government. Then there will be some central control, and the central bureau can communicate with Washington, wth the bureau of which I am the head. That does not mean trol. It means cooperation. If you have a roan out re that I can send for and talk to and say. This is ortant. This should be emphasized, you would get good results right away andyou can only get your cooperation with the press in that way., and you will get a wonderful lot out of it. And when you have this committee, I would suggest that you invite the press in for conference with it. The press representatives can give you ideas. Get them to- gether, and make them en organization of state editorial ociations. State editorial associations have always een pathetic affairs. You have your country papers together, and the city papers holding aloof. In this way, you will be able to get all the papers getting to- gether sitting opposite you in your organizations, and you vrould have wonderful results. It is a question of recog- nition, in your* states. It is a great factor in any intel- ligent scheme of preparedness. (Applause) THE CHAIRMAN: I will now ask Dr. Hale, of the Na- tional Research Council, to describe to you the function and activities of that council In relation to national defense. '. - - - -'•• . . : '; o ^r.-:.^r..r- : ':■'[ .;:;• "'" j ' . ' -• • - ■'■ - ., i - - - { .■ ! ^ V.^r "• : fe - * ■ ./; '- : 1 •'-,- ■ :'■'■ . ADDRESS OP DR. GEO. E. HALE. is its demonstration of the importance of scientific re- search in strengthening the national defense. Soon after the opening of hostilities, England and France were faced with industrial and military demands soluble only in their research laboratories. Looking ahead, it was seen that the conclusion of peace would be followed by a trade war with Germany, in which no industry not perfected by scien- tific research could be expected to survive. As a con- sequence there arose through governmental action in Eng- land, France, Australia, New Zealand and Canada a group of research organizations charged with the mobilization of scientific men and laboratories for the study of mili- tary andindustrial problems. The value of their contri- butions to military practice has been recognized by the 1'rench Minister of war and by Sir. Douglas haig in his reports from the front. The success of their efforts to relieve industrial distress resulting from the stoppage of exclusively German products has greatly enhanced the appreciation of scientific research by British and French manufacturers. Thus the scientific methods which lie at the basis of Germany's military and industrial strength have been effectively adopted by the Governments and fpleg- of the Entente. In April, 1916, soon after the attack on the "eussex" and our consequent demands for the cessation ofsuomarine warfare had developed a critical situation with Germany, the President requested the National Academy of Sciences t&vi'i y\ ; ^. -■. ■ .- to organize the scientific resources of the United States in the interest of national security and welfare. The request of the President called for immediate and v.-Lgorous acta on. Ke expressed the desire that the Academy should coordinate the scientific resources of the entire country and secure the cooperation of all agencies, governmental, educational, and industrial, in which research facilities Ie available. The National Research Council, comprising the chiefs of the technical bureaus of the Army and Navy, the heads of Government bureaus engaged in scientific research, a group of invest. igators representing educational institu- tions and research foundations, and another group includ- ing representatives of industrial and engineering research was accordingly constituted with the active cooperation of t leading national scientific and engineering societies. : representatives of the Government were appointed by the President, who premised his cordial support and the cooperation cf the Government departments. Subsequently, (February £8, 1917) the Council of National Defense adopt- ed the following resolution; "RESOLVED, That the Council of National Defense, recognizing that the National hesearch OounJil, at the request of the President of the United States, has organized the scientific forces of the country in the interest of national defense and national welfare, requests that the National Research Coun- cil cooperate with it in natter pertaining to scien- tific research for national defense: and to this end /&3 the Council of National pefense suggests that the National Be search Council appoint a commit tee cf not, more than three, at 3. east one of whom shalJ he located in Washington, for the purpose of maintain- ing active relations with the Director of the Coun- cil of National Defense". Since that time the Notional fieseareh Ccunci] has act- ed as a department of the Council of National 3efen3e, charged with the organisation of scientific researches bearing on the national defense and on industries affected by the war. Wo r V; •: f t he B e s e ar 3 h 6 o un oil. In times of peace the wcrV of the Research Council in- volves the promotion of research : ; n every department of pure and applied science. At present, however, the attention of the Council is concentrated en war problems, both military and industrial, Let us see how these are attacked. The Military Committee consists of the Burgeon General of the Army, the Medical Dire.-; tor of the Nav^, che Chiefs of Ordnance of the Army and Navy, the Chief Signal Officer of the Army, the Chief Naval Constructor, the Engineer in Chief of the Navy, and the Director of the Bureau of Mines, the Chief of the Weather Bureau., the Director of the Geo- logical Survey, Mr. Howard Ccffia of the Advisory Commission of the Council of National [Defense, the Director of the . Bureau of Standards (Ser.reca-.-y), and the Secretary of the Smithsonian institution (Chairman, 1 * This comaitt.ee for- mulates most, of -i/he military pr^'Me^s, designating in each case an officer Xn cne cf the technical "bureaus of the /by Army or Navy who is familiar with the requirement and with whom the investigator engaged in the work may keep in touch. Dr. Robert A. Millikan, Vice Chairman of the Council charg- ed with the correlation of researches bearing on the nation- al defense, then organizes the investigation by enlisting the services of one or more men especially .qualified by experience and laboratory equipment. If , as is usually advisable, several research men attack theproblem simul- taneously, Dr, Millikan arranges for any desired coopera- tion between them. Freedom of initiative is encouraged, and any attempt at hampering control or interference with the freedom of action required for successful research is carefully avoided. The above remarks relate more particularly to phy- sical research, though Dr. Millikan'' s field of activity embraces a much wider range. Associated with him in V/ashington are Dr. Bogert, Chairman of the Chemistry Com- mittee, and Dr. Vaughan, Chairman of the Committee on Medicine and Hygiene. These Chairmen and those of the other committeesof the Research Council* are constantly engaged in organizing researches in their respective ields, in cooperation With the Military Committee and with . Millikan. In this way, a most helpful and inspiring ssociation of our individual investigators, our universi- ies, our industries, and the various branches of our Ped- ral Government, is being brought about -- a cooperation which is of the utmost value to any country and which is vital to it in time of war. It may be of interest here to give some illustrations •--—•'■' - l ' ' ■ ' -*' l '" '" ...<.',■•■' ' -;■;•-■ *k ■• "^ '' •'.if'. •* . i** '.* 4 '- ttij ^ « 'i -^ •'"' V " '•' '' ... V-..., -J ...... ,.-*LC ■- •'• *" '■ - ■ ■? . *H '■' . ■ -/IX ..••■■- • . •vi'v „. •- . - .■x^::tf '■' '*• ' ,% -.• - : - ' ■■• - ; " -^- -. '-■-..,-*.; ..-V ■,•„; iU » """ , .• -I ■ . ,,j* ' v- ' .., ,. • -.,- ..- ttr -•«•■> .»«^-^'-" *7 v . ' ■ - - •' ; -. t • * r - ... - \ . . -4. i. i 1 ■'. • -•• : : .v. . . - • ..].-:. ■- ■ : v; 2 '* '- -*rc - ' ,•■• ■ i.&% 4 #* ••■• .■••-' •;; i ^v . ..■ vi;- .... •' •-- i - r. . ,\'j- ■ ■ ■■■■ * " ; t I.;'.*,.' r^ -• ". : '.. '-"V i..: j . i •; ."- ;'■•*'■ i ; -'' •■' J"* ■ of the ways in which the various committees are ccntribut- Ig to the rati oral defense. Mathematics (Dr. E, H. Moore, Chairman) and Astronomy (Dr. E. c. Pickering. Chairman). Hydrodynamioal inves. .vatlons bearing on shin designs and improvement of air- ft. Statistical studies and computations required in field. Optical devices for lookouts, to facilitate detection of the periscopes of submarines. Physica (Dr. R. A, Kill Hum, Chairr.cn). Exhaustive idy of devices for detecting completely Bulged sab- marines ad mines- rar-e finders of -various types; devices for detecting invisible a^-^i£z and 8 appi.i S parties; im- provements in w-elsss apparatus and other instruments used with aircraft; oilitdr 5 photograph, Chemistry frr. War. Sou T. Begers, Chairman) General tion, detection and absorption of hydrogen, and problems incidental thereto- absorption of other gases, particularly noxious enes; f iPe extinguishes; prevention of corrosion ^i electrolytic action on the h ,, n , cf ve „ eJLs . nou _ corro „ sive metals and alloy* for a greet variety of uses; balloon fabrics; fabrics f:, a *u,y Blinker.; bacteriological and biological stains, synthetic drugs spaois.i regents for investigators; new explorivaa; new WO en of important Products; utilization of wastes and by-products, j Botany (Pr, j. M , Ocu Iter, Chairs) Organization * a botanical raw products clearing h.v.se, to aid manu- facturers needing raw products cf a botanioa? nature, such a «gums, oils, resin., fibres, wood, etc. to find either new geographical sources or new sr.ee if- o sour-ea /<£<£ Geography, (Dr< V. 11. Davis, Chairman) Special maps for military purposes; instructions forthe use of topo- graph jc maps; handbooks on military areas; physiographic features of the United States. Geology (Dr. J. H. Clarke, Chairman] Camp sites; finding of water supply; materials for road building; topo- graphic structure of military areas; supply of necessary minerals. Medicine and Hygiene (Dr. Victor C. Vaughan, Chairman) and Physiology (Dr. Walter E» Cannon, Chairman; Anti- toxins and seruns for diptheria, tetanus, pneumonia, dysen- tery arid meningitis; intradermal method of vaccinating for smallpox; polyvalent vaccines for typhoid fever; sterili- zation of drinking water; toxicity of preserved foods; sol- diers clothing and blankets; infected wounds; shock; fat- igue; occupational disea ses, with special reference to munition workrs; protection of the ear from high explos- ives;, instruction of Army and Navy surgeons in the Carrel method of antiseptic surgery. Anthropology (Dr. W. H. Holmes, Chairman) and Anatomy . H. H. Donald sot, Chairman). P hysical and hygenic uirements of recruits fcr the Army and IJavy; D.anguage :quirements; condition of teeth; abnormalities; minimum ight and weight; standardization of measurements; data id materials for scientific research. Psychology (Dr. Robert M. Yerkes, Chairman) Organ- ization of psychological tests for use in recruiting, to eliminate mental defectives and nervous types; selection of recruits especially adapted for aviation and other : * a '. \:- ■ •■- -j •*• i V . ..-. .-- - • '■ '* ■ ^ '. . . . ; .... '■ I - - -, ■ ;. - ■:■■:.. difficult tasks; study and treatment of returned soldiers, nervously or mentally affected; aid in re-education of partially incapacitated men; aid in deciding government liability aid award of pensions. Engineering (Mr. Gano Dunn, Chairman) This com- mittee, which will organize research in the various branches of engineering, has just been organized with the cooperation of the national engineering societies. In addition to the above general committees, the K«- search Council, has a number of special committees dealing with important problems. Nitrate Supply (Dr. Arthur A, Noyes, Chairman) This committee, which was appointed at the request of the Secretary of War to consider the process to be used by the Government in its plant for ptiaducing nitrates for explosives and fertilizers, has submitted a full report. Food (Dr. ^lonzo Taylor, Chairman) This committee is working in cooperation with the Department of Agri- culture and with Mr. Hoover's Pood Committee. An extensive investigation of the toxicity of pre- served foods is also -being conducted by Dr. Rosenau in consultation with an advisory committee named by the Research Council, Optical Glass (Dr. Robert A. Millikan, Chairman) through the cooperation of the Bureau of Standards and the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington with glass manufacturers, the problem of sup- )lying optical glass for military purposes is well ad- r anced toward solution. /&$ • •- I". fir si Tj ; ; ". "^.< ■sff r.'* > i. r :i .Vrr ; ' - . ■ .'-:. •;■ ;*• ; * . - i. .:: . .-1 -., *i~. £.*-.• ■ *.v//J ia 3 ■"/>•/ Foreign Service Committee (Dr. Joseph S. Ames, Chair- man) The first step in any to rk of research is to learn what has already been accomplished in the same field. Great progress has been made abroad since the beginning of the war by thescientif ic investigators of the Allied countries. A committee has accordingly been sent to Europe to report from the front on scientific matters of t;very kind and to arrange for cooperation in the study of questions still underlying military and industrial prob- lems. This committee includes two physicists, two chem- ists, one metallurgist, and two representatives of medicine and hygiene. Committees of the Research Council not immediately engaged an national defense questions are those on the Promotion of Industrial Research (Dr. J. J. Carty, Chair- man) and on Zoology (Dr. Edwin G. Conklin, Chairman). The members of the Agriculture 6omaoittee (Dr. Raymond Pearl, Chairmen) are cooperating w&h the Department of Agriculture in the mobilization and development of the agricultural resources of the country. Census of Research. A national census of the research facilities of Gov- ernment bureaus, educational institutions, research found- ations, and industrial research laboratories is being taken by the Research Council. The forms from educational insti- tutions, which are clming in rapidly, contain much valuable information bearing on the solution of defense problems. Porms for other institutions are new being sent out. The Committee on Research in Educational Institutions /£? has recommended the formation of Research Committees in universities, colleges, schools of technology, and other educational institutions where research is conducted. The Research Committees already established by a large number of institutions in response to this request serve as local organisations which work in cooperation with the Research Council. Cooperation with State Councils of Defense. The organization cf the National Research Council is based upon the principle of broad and effective cooperation between the numerous research agencies of the United States and those of the Allied countries. The Council is in re- ality a federation of research laboratories working togeth- er toward a common end. At present its chief purpose is to assist in winning the war, bo';h by the perfection of mili- tary devices and by the solubionof industrial problems which the war has occasioned. But in the future, as' Al- ready stated, it will devote its attention to the promotion cf research in all branches of pure and applied science. The organization of researches bearing on the national lefense frequently involves the cooperative effurt of many nvestigators residing in differ*. ent states. Sometimes ;he joint action of an entire university laboratory, pro- ided for through the assisr.an:e of the Research Council bf the Univers^y in question, is essential to success. We have several researches in hand in which entire labora- tories are taking part. More commonly, however, individual investigators known to be especially qualified are enlisted by the National Research Council from widely scattered in- stitut ionfu /To -■ ! : ;■ <. Such is the mode of procedure, necessarily followed in the study of national problems, local questions are con- stantly arising, however, which can be best solved through the efforts of local investigators familiar with the par- ticular industries or resources involved, acting in cooper- ation with a national body in touch with researches in prog- ress at home and abroad. We accordingly suggest that the representatives of" science and engineering, or the Research Committees appoint- ed by State Councils of Defense for the purpose of promot- ing through scientific investigations the industrial and agricultural development of the several States, arrange for close cooperation with the National Research Council.. In this way the research activities of the States may be co- ordinated with one another, and with those yC the national Government; and the information secured by the National Re- search Council and by the separate State organizations may- be rendered available for all* AFLRSSS OF MR. HOWARD E* C0STX&. MR. COFFIN. Mr, Chairman and Gentlemen: I have sat here and heard portions of the meetings of the last two days, and particularly I should have disliked to miss the very enjoyable session of last. n*ght when most of the peo- ple, I think, who came down to Washington wir.h the idea that everything ought bo be run in Borne other way than it is being run, had an opportunity to get the matter off their minds. (Laughter). The o#2y serious difference between the attitude with which yon struck Washington about a year /// and a half ago was that I was 18 months ahead of you, and in that 18 months, I have learned quite a few things which I do not believe can be learned untjil ori2 has spent time continuously here, and has come to understand to some degree, at least, the difficulties, under which the departments, end the men in the departments, do their work. If we are looking at this country as a business institution, and are looking to find the fundamental difficulty with that insti- tution, I should say that you would go back to the people of the United States who elect the Congress of the United States which makes the laws which govern the United States, and under which the departments, and the men in the depart- ments are far too often handicapped and prevented from tak- ing action which they realize just as well as do we from the outside, should be taken, (Applause). Within the last 18 months I have seen these American institutions, our war and Navy departments, come from an aggregation of independent units, made up first by the two large units of the War and Navy departments, with no or little cooperation of any kind between them, made up in turn of independent departments within these large units, of ten or a dozen business organizations, separate one from the other, each functioning a separate business institution, doing their own purchasing - I have seen the situation devel- op from that to the situation as it exists at present, where th^re is not only the spirit of cooperation all along the i line between these departments, both large and small, but where there i s an actual coordination through the centrali- zation of many of their activities through channels which '7 x .■'• h art coordinating those activities. In the purchasing, you have heard from Mr. Clifford here this morning, that all of major products are being bought through the munitions board. This munitions board was established, in my particular prov- ince of the work, of the Council, or of its advisory com- mission, as has also b ee n the aircraft production board, the munitions standards board, etc, , and most of the ac- tivities of the motor transport end of the work. They are beginning to tell the story down here at my expense about the young man who is familiar to you all, I think, from your boyhood days, about how, when there was a fence to be whitewashed, he worked the thing out vervy nicely, so that it waa a whole lot of fun for someone else to come and whitewash the fence. That is the basis on which I have been proceeding with the work that has been assigned to me, because I consider that if the members of this advisory com- mission have any function whatever, here in Washington, it is to serve as the channel or the vehicle, if you like, through which the creation and the organization of the brains of this country may be brought to bear upon the prob- lems which confront the Government at this time. I do not believe that one can impress that thought too strongly upon you, because we, after all, are all of us responsible for the state of affairs which exists here, and while we may feel that time has been lost, and while time may have been lost during the past two years, when many of us have thought we could see the situation coming, that has come, never- theless, that time has been lost, there islittle use of cry- ing over spilled milk, and the thing to do now is to get the /JZ • brains of the country on this job, and solve the problem, and not only for the best interests of this country, but of the allied powers as well. (Applause) Now, there are many phases of this work, but I prefer to deal first and perhaps entirely, with some of the funda- mental matters involved* There is not any particular mys- tery about this job that we are tackling. It is just a straight forward case of big business organization and exe- cution. You can take any one of the problems, whether it be' big guns, clothing, or any other product v/hich must be supplied for the army. Fortunately, within the last few days we have gotten the legal authorization to raise an army upon a business principle. We will not now have to go out and shock the country into a hysterical state of emotion in order to force the requisite number of men to join the colors. That is exactly what we would have had to do under a voluntary system, and we would hage probably brought avery serious businessdepression while working it up, because that sort of thing upsets every avenue of ac- tivity. Congress has voted the money, it has voted the means of raising the army, for organizing the industrial facilities of the country to supply the needs, and there is nothing especially to be excited about. We have to set our teeth into the job because we have a real war on our hands, and if it is not possible this month, or even nexjr year to finish it, we cannot expect to do everything and accomplish everything in the first twenty days of the war. There are many things which it will be a month or two months before it will be wise to do. Take this matter of an industrial inventory. If there / 7* zt » ■ • ' 10 . no v; _, K , ->'. v'-O . ..»/! r : r - ;i C ;; .... ■ '. ► J ■ i ■ •<.■■ -■..[; ;-. , : . r '"■■■■ * c • U .... * '"^ ' ' ' ' ' " -- : ,'■<■: - • -', US: S* tO 1 • ■ £ ~ * - £ :; ..*! ' ' " " : '■ : ' ' '■"■' • ~ : -. .- - ; ■ l> to - I I :< ; J i - ' " ' '■-■■>■ ijftl ., ; ■ - ..... / is any one thing that has been attacked, and put my name before the country, it is the industrial inventory. As you know, when an industrial inventory was taken, it was necessary to use the services of some 30,000 engineers of the country to do the job. You would think I would be the first to throw up my hat and yell for an industrial in- ventory, but I am not sure that that is the thing we want. In 50 days we will know more wLf-t we want alongthat line. We are having a balance sheet made up at the moment between the nation and the estimated needs of equipping the army and navy, and of maintaining those forces in the field for each period of foar months, and we are setting up against those requirements, the known producing capacities of the coun- try, the values and supply of materials which will be need- ed. Now, within 60 days we will know very much more where the shoe is going to pinch than we do at the moment. We will know very much more about it from the kind of informa- tion that we will record through this industrial inventory, because it should be very clear to you that if we went out and asked the question which we may want to know about the industrial condition of the various states, it would be like an unabridged dictionary, and &0% would be useless for the purpose that we have in mind. The form of inven- tory which we have used has its objections. Those forms co.uld not be made comprehensive enough for every bit of information which we might desire to have. More and more, in the next 60 days, the state activi- ties are going to be much involved in the recruiting and enlisting under the draft, and getting the personnel feature 7 / 'tf: fry it'?-, ' X -• .J, . .... .: :J of our problem in shape, so that while I am certain we wii: want an industrial inventory, nevertheless, you must remem- ber that a very comprehensive industrial inventory is al- ready in our hands, and that when we come to you for an ad- ditional inventory, we went to make it cover the needs which we know to exist * v/e are going to find that we have in this country already created, through 2-1/2 or at least 2 years, of the execution of foreign orders, a tremendous producing capacity in the equipment necessary for war. We have after all, three great problems before us. The first is to facilitate the flow to the allies of the raw materials and manufactured products upon which they are dependent, or for which they ere dependent upon us. We have, second- ly, the needs of our own great building problem. Thirdly, we must plan to supply those needs with the least possible disarrangement of the industrial activities of the country and the commercial activities of the country, because, after all, we must, as even England and the large countries at war are doing, keep an eye to the conditions which will ex- ist in this country following the war. If we are to hold this country with its present great place among nations, we murt go exercise our planning ability that we do not un- necessarily and unduly upset the commercial activities of the country which are so necessary to keep us going as a successful business machine and a great world power. If $rhere has ever been a time in the history of this world, when a country should be maintained upon a successful busi- ness basis, that time is during a war, and especially a war under modern conditions. If we do keep this country going / 7^ • in a reasorable way upon that basis, we will find that the difficulties of meeting the necessary taxes, the necessary levies, whether for "bonds, investment, or for meeting the expenses of the government through direct taxation, thosx difficulties will be very much lightened to all of us in- dividually, provided the business institutions of this coun- try have gone ahead upcn a basis which will keep them going .and successful concerns. It should be clear to you that you should meet the needs of this war in so far as possible^ through profits rather than through subtractions from cap- ital. Now, I have been asked to say a word to you on the subject of aircraft. This is naturally a new subject to all of us. During the 8 years previous to 1916 the United States government purchased 59 aeroplanes. Those aeroplanes were made by a half dozen different manufacturers, so that it should be clear to ail of us that there was no encourage- ment in any way, shape or manne" to the development of the aircraft industry in this country. Now great industries are not created over night. Neither the manufacturing equip- ment nor the personnel is available at the present time to meet the needs of this country. We must start at the bot- tom. We must organize the aircraft industry. We must teach the personnel, train the men. To give you some idea of the necessity for this sort of thing, which possibly is not so apparent to many of us, most of you saw a few days ago, a note in the papers that 28 Allied aeroplanes had been shot down in one single advance on the English front. Com- ment was made on this, that it was a very great percentage of loss. In talking with one of the English commissioners a week later, he told me that that 28 machines shot down did '77 ■ i ■ i ' not represent any appreciable percentage at all, because during this particular advanoe, at this one particular point, there were 1000 Allied aeroplanes in the air at a single time. This will give you some idea of the develop- ment of this art. I do not think any of us here have any realization of it. There is not a movement made by either army in Europe that is not made either plainly, or nine times out of ten hopelessly, unless the eyes of the airmen have the record of the move. Then- the eyes of the airmen are, so far as possible, spotting the effect of every shot, and if any particular point is made the subject of attack,, every square foot of the ground for miles in every direc- tion, is photographed in advance of a movement, and I have myself seen charts taken from two or three miles high in the air, which have -been magnified in the process of print- ing for military purposes, so that not only can be told the lay of the land the location of every trench, the location of every transport train, but often the activities almost of the inhabitants of the country behind the lines. These photographs taken at one minute intervals, from as I say* three miles up in the sky> anfi properly magnified, may be made to practically dover the routine of even a peaceful farmer miles behind this lines. For instance, I have had military observers point out to roe on those charts, that this dot on this particular road, represents a man who lives in the suburbs of this village and who is going in to market that morning. We ask "How do you know that he went there". Other series of charts showed that the roan kept on going down the road, turned into this particular shop, dame out agap, and went to his home in the suburbs. (Laughter and applause) /78 $2 , ; % J.- „ - i ; U . -. • : : i - fe i- , *- ~ - _ : •; : •-. j j ..; j . g . .Ja. '. ;. j ^ $g J| . -, - ■ ■■<---• f ■::, ck ••■'- • .. "• ^ ■•- i - ft .' T *i '■. ■' . - ' ' , '. .■l:'U ±~ .1 ■ .'■ - '■ ■ •■ *"' ■ ""■ v j ft ■:■•.•-; £ § i 4 '| • ' V .■'-* .. •• - • '■ '- • 5ft$ • t'stii '■'■"■'•■ • .0 . .-• r * , * i - at - •'•• . | v -. ■ f -...-■. v m :;:■ • r ;. • .:i ■ • r-. .-. . ■ . f c }h : . -'•'■- >-■* ■ ' ' * %&g$ -: ■ r , : fa i£ i.-k; -zoi ■ - • . * ...<■-.. f --•>■ - ?./- • '-•■:-;;.. . jr & ,'■ ■■ : ?- ■ • ♦ ' -'' ftr /.-".: ; .. I v::-"j .;tor.' $$ ■: ■ ■ ■'■■■- -: • • , -i'li.< ■ . \. -ot, gf ,- # ?| .■ -ii. - ■■": i; ; j | - •■: i . .r .-..;■ v;fl ggjf . ; gg & ■ ■ 2W. "-•; X , - ?m& f&* -■-. - ;■.,..-. fjj - ■ > , p^ :- 9 ^ <•• . ■• ; - ■ - • ^ : ; f . ;u . ; t : ;..-? ^o "'i That may seen to you like an exaggeration. It is proof of the ability to keep the aircraft in the air over the enemy' s lines, and it should "be clear to you that it is our aircraft which must be kept in the air^ and if the building program of tne Allied countries can be brought to such a point that they may have at all times an excess of from five to ten or twenty thousand aeroplanes behind the allied lines, over the number behind the German lines, it should be very clear to us that the German artillery men will be shooting blindly while the Allied artillery will be finding its mark. Consequently, it is not such a far cry when you sometimes hear men predict that the ul- timate determination of this war will be through the use of the craft of the air, Now, taking up that work for a moment in this country, we have to start at the beginning. We fere hard at work now with various of the universities of the country, who from now until the end of the war, will maintain cadet corps, which from/the aircraft will be recruited. It has been the rule of the British service that no man who has ever flown an aeroplane shall be taken into the service as a beginner. They desire to take new men, men with an engineering and a military training if possible, and take them in the begin- ning, and train them in accordance with the dictates of policy which has been established through the bifeter service of an actual warfare. That is exactly the basis upm which we are proceeding, and in everything which we do, we are going to coordinate our activities in the most thorough manner with the representatives of the allied powers who are 77f ■ ; ■: , ;. a: : sen- '-.i \. "«•; ■ ."" here with us. So that we will l&cse the very least possible time, and make the fewest possible mistakes, and I Venture to predict that within one year, the people of this coun- try, no matter what part of the country they may live in t will be very much more familiar with the speck in tine air which represents a flying machine than they are today. (Applause) The Commission has the habit of wishing upon me most of the subjects which the other members of the commission feel that they would rather dodge, so that I fall heir to quite a variety of activities. The motor transport I will touch upon for a moment because it is interesting to all of you. There has been a feeling upon the part of some of the patriotic organizations of the country, and others, that all of the motor cars of the country ought to be inventoried forthwith, because the United States Army may commandeer them all, and inasmuch as we have some 3,200,000 cars in service on the road today that is of course quite a consider- able contract. As a matter of fact, except in rare instan- ces, for the immediate moment, it is not probable that the United States may commandeer a single car. It is not the policy to utilise second hand cars, even temporarily, or permanently, involving adjustments, etc. , in taking over the machines. The motor car industry of this country is really able to supply every vehicle of the kind that the War Depart- ment does want, andneeds, and just what is the latest devel- opment on the other side. Consequently I do not think that there need be any time wasted in Iowa, for instance, in inventorying all the materials, because that there is not J80 ... r - * ■ . ** _., - - —t .... - . . - once chance in a thousand that they will be called upon. I merely bring this up as one of the lines of activity that is unnecessary, in order that the interest and effort may be converted to something more useful. Sow we are not' going to tell you in this one meeting in Washington all the things that we v/ant this state coun- cil to do. You are going to find, as time goes on, and we get further into this thing, that there are going to be many things that the states will be called upon to do, so that I think that even though you may go back home as some of the gentlemen expressed themselves last. night, as feeling that you can't carry very definite instructions as to ex- actly what you will do first, I do not think that you ought to be discouraged. To give you a practically illustration of accomplish- ment, take one of the boards that have been created in my sector of the work, take the munitions standards board of the general munitions beard. All of you have heard dis- cussions as to the ability of this country to build rifles, machine guns, big guns, and many other commodities neces- sary for the arming of a very large force. I have been told, for instance, that the capacity to manufacture rifles in this country is not more than 10CO or 50O>rifles a day 4 and that it would take many years to produce rifles. The munitions standards board has put this problem in the hands of five men, as knowing the most about the problems involved, men of the type of John Ottison, of the Winchester Arms Company, Samuel Vaullain, of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Francis Partt, of the General Electric Company, Frank Scott,, ■;•, : I • •' '-- - ... ' t f ■ mi , ;. . •. : • ■ ":•'■ £3 v- • -. •,.• ;- : -. . ■ ; *.. ! . : 3 .J U. of Warner and Swaaey, or E. A. Deeds, formerly general man- ager of the Notional Cash Register Company, W. H. Vander- voort. These men all know the broad features of the problem with which they are confronted. Mr. John Ottison is a master of small arms production, and the ammunition therefor. Consequently the question of machine guns and the ammunition for them v&b assigned to him. He immediate- ly created subcommittees dealing with these subjects, and due to the meetings that he has called of these subcommit- ties, dealing with small arms, machine guns, ammunition, etc. , we find that there is a capacity in this country of 17,000 to 20,000 rifles a day. (Applause). More small arms and munitions than the whole world can use in the next ten years can be made here. The machine gun test, is not to be held until May, and in the meanwhile machine guns are bought. Now, I simply bring these points out to show you that through the Council of National Defense, as Mr. Gifford has pointed out, we are able to draw into the Government de- partments, and into the activities of preparation at this end, the master brains in the various lines of work. Take the problem of the big guns. You hear that our production is limited, that we have no big guns for the Army. That is an a sense true. Our capacity is limited because w e do not want, and will not obstruct the flow of forgings of the machine parts forthese big guns to Allied governments. In consequence, we will have to create some source of supply in that line. On the other hand, if we send a force to Europe, as it is anticipated that we shall the statement /S2 »- ..? .c. n. '.'. :> ^ ■•. . • •• ■■•'.-'-- j ■; ■ - "■ I ■l.: - • . ' ; r ' :. ; : has beenmade by the representatives of the foreign coun- tries, that if it should be our decision to send American standards to the fighting line in Europe, equipped with American ammunition, that it will be their prayer that the ship bearing those commodities will be torpedoed. In short, if we send any unstandard equipment, it would re- sult only in confusion, and it would be a very questionable doubt whether or not we would be of any real use on the joV As a result, any equipment supplied the fighting force to be sent to Europe, must be standardized with European equip- ment. Otherwise we should have to establish extensive factories o£ our own in France. We could not, in any way, utilize the existing and highly organized mechanisms which have already been created there for dealing with the repp ; ' and maintenance end upkeep of all the equipment needed for war purposes. The producing equipment of England and France today for these war materials is in excess, in so far as munitions especially are concerned, of the needs of the situation. In short, the allied powers are, Jf any- thing, over ammunition, and industries devoted to the pro- duction of ammunition in England, are being slowed down be- cause of the surplus, and it will toot be used until the greater numbers of big guns are in service there, This means, looking at it from our standpoint, that there will be practically no renewal except in special instances, of the tremendous orders for munitions, in the line of ammu- nition, shells, etc., which heve been placed in this coun- try during the past two years, and I have a list here on the table before me of some three or four hundred concerns in /8^> :•; -or: . h : • ; i ;:.i ..:. v ' ' r£ , .. ■ i I I i! •■■' ; i • ' . . . - , . ,..-. 1. Xi torn - ; *' this country who hcve been producing war equipment in great quantities for shipment whose contracts either have expired during the last 30 or 60 days, or which will expire during the next 30 or 60 days, and therefore we enter into this war with the advantage that we have not only hundreds of laources of supply for war material available, but thousands and ten thousands of men in this country who have been skilled in he special art of producing equipment of this kind, and I think all of you know, who know any- thing as to the troubles which were encountered in this country at the beginning of these foreign contracts some two .years ago in getting our best manufacturers lined up in the production of rifles, of shells, and other things that go to supplying munition, have realized what a tremen- dous asset to us this trained personnel and these trained sources of supply, are. In England it was necessary for the Government to go into the manufacturing business on the ©utbreak of the war. Tftdre were not sources of supply practically, there was no trained personnel, speaking in a general way. Certain consequences in England's position are exactly what ours would have been two and a half years ago. You can see, I belive, that with this situation exist- ing, we are going to be able to make up this balance sheet of which I spoke to you a few minutes ago very much more exact and comprehensive basis, with a view to converting from other industries of a commercial nature as little of the equipment as may be absolutely necessary, and where this conversion does take place from existing industries, to the great national industry into which we must now embark, that is, the production of war materials, a very caref>ul watch .-> I •.' ' .'• ""• ~li*.J, .f»! - . . ■ "■- : :: i. "■, ■ riH .'I;; ;: J :■■■; :■■■' will be kept upon the expense of such conversion upon that plant or upon this plat or upon that industry, to make sure that we are in no way wrecking or putting out of business rn institution which will be of necessity to us upon a declara- tion of peace. In short, take the matter of aircraft as the specific instance. We know we have insufficient capa- city perhaps to meet the needs which will confront us durin, the next 12 months. we know that it may be necessary to convert from some other kindred industry. It would be a very easy matter under Section one hundred and twenty of the 1b w of June, last year, to go out and commandeer any plant in this countr3'&z&l convert it to that particular kine. fif work. Upon the other hand, it is the desire of the munitions board, where conversion is necessary, to convert by percentages ori-ly. We could very easily wreck the busi- ness organization, the selling organization, which concerns have built up over 50 years of commercial activity, by tak- ing over the producing concern, and converting it to the use of the ^overnmealit , with any regard to its commercial jindustrial affairs. We do not desire to proceed upon this basis. we have the power to do so, but we desire to take over merely a certain percentage of the producing capacity of concerns of that kind, and there is no concern in this country which cannot devote 25% or even 50 per cent of its capacity to production of governmental goods and supplies and yet maintain its selling organization in such form that the millions of dollars which have been invested in selling machinery and in branch houses, etc., will nbt suffer seriously. /8S r?f I have here a brief form which has been gotten up to fill the needs of the industrial inventory should any of you feel that you must proceed with an industrial inventory within your state within the next few weeks. That form «h1 full instructions will be supplied you, but we do not urge you to inject this thing at the moment into the other activities with which you will be necessarily confronted in connection with the draft. We do have enough informa- tion for the moment in most lines, and where we have not, the information, we have the avenues open for obtaining it. The industrial invenLory we will want in accordance with the plans formulated under the munitions board. For in- stance, in the inventory of last summen, take for instance, a state like Ohio, we know that in that state there are 1209 concerns which could produce war materials. We know that the number which have been supplying war material during the past two years ifi 154. We know that the numlfe^r having facilities for the construction of tools is 337. We know that the number having union shops is 105. We know that the number having more than 100 tool makers in its employ is 11. W.e know that the number having more than 50 but not 100, is 13, 10 but not 50, 100. More than 1, but not 10, 138, etc. We know that the number having shipping facilities is 559, By water, 273* etc. I might go on with an indefinite list collected through the efforts of the engineers. I am afraid that my talk,, gent linen, has been a rather sober one, and you may feel that it has been my intention somewhat to dampen the enthusiasm with which you came to Washington. That is not true in any sense. I have, how- ever, desired to pointout to you r some of the fundamental • ; 5, .-• ' ... •-'■.• ■ ■ ■ •- •. . .. ' r. ■ - I i i . :.-* '. .-: :..•: •-• \v: : ■ ■■■ ■ •:• ■■■ ■< ■ .' ■ ■■:-.-.; • problems which confront us, some of the means which we are adopting to meet those problems. We are going at this jo& exactly as though we were starting a business in- stitution backin Ohio or Indiana, There are certain things \nhich you gentlemen would do if you were going to business on a big scale, ad those things must be done in Washington. We are building up a personnel. We are pulling in men from every part of the world whom we think know most about it, and we are listening to them, and doing it. We have appointed to the munitions board the men who are in posi- tion, to do the things which it is necessary that this government shall have done for it in this emergency. I do not want you to feel that the board has any idea that we do not need your help, or that the state activities are not in any way related to the work. The reverse is true, but this problem is such a big one, that we must not attack it in any frame of undue enthusiasm or effort to accomplish within a week a work which we ought to consider seriously for a month before we even start. If the resources of this coun- try are to be made available, and properly available for government purposes, it is going to require that the state councils of national defense be prepared to give their time, their energy, and their money where ndcessary or the state money where necessary, for the organization of the resources in accordance with plans which fit into the national plans which are being worked out here, and that plan, gentlemen, is not being formulated by the heads of the military and naval departments which you, perhaps justly or am justly, feel have insufficient knowledge of the conditions of the /S 7 rir. '.?.*. •111 -'' u -' .1 ii ■ ...-•■.■ L •»■ l' I -. ?f "' ., • ' , ■ ,"v j • ' ■ * ■ T - ■ , .. . • ' '" • • . . .., •,.:;;•£•-> ••' J. f .3 * country to make plans, but those plans are being given the "best consideration o-f the business men who are being drawn from among the great business interests ©f the country. And I feel that we are a long way, late though we were in getting started, toward solving many of the difficulties which caused such serious loss to the other countries at the beginning of the war, and we must keep in the back of our heads that we are undertaking the biggest business or- ganization, the biggest industrial organization, ever at- tempted in the history of the world, and that we have to coordinate the activities and the efforts and the thoughts of 100,000,000, many of whom have not yet realized the seriousness of the present struggle, and the possible con- sequences to us. Should we, in any way, fail in carrying our share of this great international burden. (Applause) /8Z •■■ ■ Mi ¥ ■ * ■ - ■" ..... .-;. : :. ■ ., T.i-Vi:-; - : •••• i: ■■ '■ ■■ \ • ; ; ' . . : -_/i s>o - .'. . ,.''C" r ■: '•■''' - ; - '- -r •- . : ■ -iv.~ ' i >i 3 .-. ■ -' : •-' « ; ' - : -- : : - - ■ f Mi j ■ ,1-1 -:; i.J ■'-■ j '-■-■'- :.. - ~H. ■ • .-,.•; I , -••;'>:- \ : i r.. .. vi.v: JO- " ^j . ;< , ■>■ ■;; v ft Zt^i-r *p p;$5 ,00^,, a. . i -!>■ ;:-* i. f • . . 'V ~- <£ .•'-•■ .'■':"0*>-.- ■ '- ; THE CHAIRMAN. Mr. Goroperswas unable to be here this morning, but he has sent in a paper which I should like to read. PAPER OP MR. SAMUEL GOMPERS. No additional experience was necessary to prove the indispensable service under war conditions of those who use tools and who till the soil, therefore, the Adivosry Commis- sion provided for a Committee on Lafepr and made me its chairman. The Committee was organized April 2, 1917. At that meeting there were approximately two hundred persons present, representing employers, workers, and those inter- ested in the welfare of workers and in maintaining economic standards as well as equitable relations. The directing motive of the Committee has been that service in industry must be organized in furtherance of two purposes: (1) Conservation of the humans who furnish cre- ative labor power (2) Productivity. The work of the Committee has been so divided as to take into account the needs of the workers during and after working hours; to consider their needs and aspirations as individuals as well as agents in production. The committee must take into account in addition to factors of environment, the spiritual forces that consti- tute the springs to volition* Por the best service in peace or in war we must in- sure the existence of good will and initiative on the part of workers in order that they may mobilize for service. /8? '**>. ' . : '■ ■•■ .«i*3 .> '; .v n i-4.-i4 (1 V-\Vf ,-.; rv ;i x J .......... ^ ■■ • - !-* i ■■• ■ 5 ».'• ■ ' ^?*$ ill • Xi < ? t*«X»rt -■••-T &n*'. ix' Jl <— *3t •-*••*• . „», iiriicno I¥l ft} ■ .-" iftsisnl .... " -^ : : *■ * .* * ". * • ■ -j .."' .• i ,.»... ■-.--. i .. •;• # ■ | • ' ' ' I - . 4-i . .. ' ' ' 3 ' . 1> 1 r •» » » • t ' * '*■>*--•/ ",J J»j lfi - .,» • ,; • -. ' : - F3 :i ' 'H--' ■•' ! *~V> ;u t S fc : ...... ... .- t ., - »-'.* :j ttrvi|:1 .■;.-. .„..„..._ • ' i - ■ - .-••:! :t- : • ■• J «f * ,- -. 3 ;, ,, - ' " "• ii?iYu£ a«* . -x -..-.. .-■*..: • • •■■* J — ■ - '. ' j ; ■ "fivs > ••. r,r . . . . ,^<. Jff^-j-u:^^ ; 'f f •: ' ft«t«l*. lfS m* w?1 ,^ ' ' ' • '- -- - . £ *i > ."* ■♦* -t - * "•'■'' J ;:.-. ■ - • fltfj ' ' - '; 5 >' ^ >- r Good will can exist only under equitable relations. Ini- tiative can be maintained only under voluntary institutions. The committee seeks to protect labor through at least the maintenance of existing standards of life and work based upon trade agreements, existing laws, customs, etc. Our thought is that high standards are those which give the nation value, and that only when the last ex- tremity is reached should these standards be suspended to national defense. Fundamental among those standards are hours of work that maintain physical welfare, and wages that enable work- ers to live in a manner as to maintain self-respect. Increases in the costs of living may make readjustment necessary in .industrial relations in order to maintain present standards. It will be the purpose of the committee to assist in bringing about such readjustments without un- necessarily interrupting the processes of production. The various general committees which are national in scope, together with their chairmen* are as follows: Wages and House, Chairman, Frank Morrison, Washington, D. C. Mediation and Conciliation, Chairman, V. Everit Macy, New York City* Welfare Work, Chairman,, tk A. Coolidge, Boston, Mass. Women in Industry, Chairman, Mrs. Borden Harriman, Washington, D. C. Information and Statistics, Chairman, Dr. Frederick L. Hoffman, Newark, N. J. Press, Chairman, Grand Hamilton* Washington, D. C. Publicity, Chairman, Dr. E. T. Devine, New York City. Cost of Living— Domestic Economy, Chairman, S. Thurston Ballard, Louisville, Ky. The general committee on welfare work will endeavor to safeguard the health and welfare of workers chiefly through ' ' - ■■■-.-;.' . -; ..... T ■•: : • -.. « ■ ■ = : : . . . . : ■i ? ft ■ •' «jn ./ •... .* ,t ,■-■■■ .- ■ • b .: •• .: ;v ,.- . •...-: .... : . & . '* '- ■'• i \ ■ '■"■'.::. .; ;• .;' " : ' " - ■"' r - : ■;■ :■ i . ■ s • 1""' - * " . ■■ K ■ I ■ ; 8a ■' •• .. ..- ■ ■■, >xlC , "-"■ ■ »■ • ■ il ■ .:■- - :.! ' -'■■ -'■■- •- - •, - • -■ a • ■ ' ■ '■• ■ • < . , .. ■ ' : :;7 : ■ ; :/ > . ;;. a campaign of education and the cooperation cf existing agencies. The various subcommittees of this general com- mittee, together with tfaftix chairmen, are as follows: (a) Industrial Safety L. H. Palmer, Chairman, Harrisburg, fa. (b) Sanitation Dr. Wm. A. Evand, Chairman, Chicago. 1. Committee on Accident Prevention. Chairman to ber appointed. M. A. Dow suggested, 2. Committee on Structural Safety and Fire Pretention, Herbert D. Kohri, Chairman, New York City. 3. Committee on Dust and Fumes, Col. Lewis T. Bryant, Chairman, Trenton, N. J. 1. Committee on Lighting, L. B. Marks, Chairman, New York City. 2. Committee on Fatigue, Dr. Thomas Darlington, Chairman, New York City. 3. Committee on Home Nursing, Miss Lillian D. Vald, Chairman, New York City. (c) Vocational Education , H. H. Miles, Chairman, Racine, Wis. (d) Public Education in Health Matters, Dr. Alvah H. Doty, Chairman, New York City, Many volunteer offers of service have been received and they indicate the splendid feeling of patriotism that de- sires to render service that shell be of permanent, construc- tive value and demonstrate that the democracy of America is united and efficient. The state committees for national safety and defense should so establish their agencies and conform their activ- ities to the standards and policies upon the plan of the Council of National Defense,, its Advisory Commission, its various committees- All of these state agencies to cooper- ate with the national agencies. MR. GIFFOPD. Now the chair would like to entertain a motion if anyone care to make it for the appointment of a ,1 ■' . ■ ' ■ " ; . i ! ' . : J I •' i ■ -r i. . .1 ^<< ■ ti • r.' . , , . . alt .. , .... I ■ •«-••■ •■ \ , : ; ,■■•■ mistily i ■ ■ •'■ • ••" ■ • . ) ■ ■. . ' . M ,: - '■ l - ■ ■ . - ■. . .... ■ ; t . ■.; rWV i. .. ; : ? ■ » .' * -'• ■■> . . .. P&3 *i 5 1 • - ; .n.u- •;. . it. . '■ '. i. ~M • ' . f^t'l .■•• 1 1 i'.\ >.-. I ,'-" \ 1 Vt. '>..••> t-»i« ■ ,-::t : Hh»*I H '» ' ' i i 3 \j m '**>* nr-i • ,.-. .: m •:-. • %' ft I ' it..'. ' »l t •■:*-. l . .. .' a ' j i- committee to formulate questions which arise from the meeting and leave the question and we will answer them and snd the answers to all of you tomorrow or Saturday, A MEMBER. I move the appointment of such a committee. The motion was seconded, THE CHAIRMAN. Is it your intention that the chair appoint the committee? A MEMBER. Yes, that the chair appoint the committee, by all means. THE CHAIRMAN. I think we are "better informed to ask these questions today than we were yesterday. The question on being put by the chair was carried. THE CHAIRMAN. The chair will appoint the committee and announce the same this afternoon. GENERAL HARRIES. There has just come into my posses- sion a printed document called The Organization for the Development of the Military Resources of "che State of New York. It sets forth the organization of all the military resources of New York. It is the best document of the kind thus far, in advance of anything else that has been formu- lated, and General Stotesbury is to leave copies and these will be distributed to those gentlemen who desire to have same. It is very much worth while. General Stotesbury is here now. Thereupon the conference took a recess at 12:30 o'clock until 2 O'clock p. m. »«-o0o--— /fZ • -..'..:' ■ ■■ '-' ....':.'-■ S . > . ■ ■ '■'''■ • :. :■.-.■ .: . •, ■ ■ . '■ ■ • ■ . ' .■ ■ u ■'. ■■• . ■ fJi5£' -,'-. <\ • • ' COUNCIL OF NATIONAL DEFENSE. Conference. 1141 Munsey Building, Council Chamber, Thursday. May 3, 1917. 3.10 o'clock p. m, MR. GIFFORD -CHAIRMAN): Gentlemen, we still have a lot ahead of us and we must get at it, I take great pleasure in announcing and introducing to you the Secretary of Commerce* Mr. Redfield, HON. WILLIAM C. REDFIELD, Secretary of Commerce. Mr. Director, ladies and gentlemen, I think it may strike you, as indeed it struck me some weeks ago, that possibly the peaceful work of the Department of Commerce has had comparatively little to do with the military and naval emergency in which the country finds itself. But I have been surprised, as possibly some of you may be, at the extent to which we have been called upon to take part practically and rccively in the work which is now going on. And certain of the larger features of the work I am very glad indeed to have the opportunity to place before you. Our touch is with the business men of the United States, with the manufacturers and merchants of the country, Through our own eight offices in various parts of the land, on the Pacific, Gulf, Lake, and Atlantic shores we are in constant communication with the business world. One new and very striking thing has occurred this year. We are embarrassed literally embarrassed by the number of men of large affairs who wish to leave them, to let them go. to give up in some cases their business established /f3 * ■ * »VI~f % l v .<.•■]' ixtftf? tr »'■ ■ ..A-;..-. >,!■:;,'.-, Fiji. tOL'ljf'. ?J ;.'. i.ul f- l»*\*\ -■?>— -v- lies ^t.i ; ^t ; rj;! -^:v S >1 ■ . i £ /Iv.Vi? iT«i»3 ;.•>-' . . ' t-.i vff.- ■ ; •; -:..' ■-. ^^/firrcq > • «d -^....yrv: . S . -\ :' I j-.n- j^n.i -•- Jftcr; ;;;rr^o ;>.;'.:'' .■?/..:-• :.;v tjifk'tfl- c:: Jrix.. . ."'? /Si* ■ -■:-' zl d&Vriv ^tov. otfr its ^X^I'Sob i^nn - 4 IXni>r >n"-x^ iK.»C?iI ;..; Jo a&a «£5"sxsi£c'ijd c-rfif' ifiTiV; *1 noire; 1, iiv -: ■'■■ •■'! •■'--'' ^- r ri'jcjq f5fbT ; cfiv rtl -i' : ?'br".V!d .^.:-ij .'if^ '"i/c if' ,. SOT ."3dc'Wi»r si^^'-'ijh* oik fi^v- r%2f.-i?..:: ::,-:■?- tiU&S*§A nx ►V* J", » "'>.i:-u •"" . - '.1 .x. XXOifJf f^.:-':) :>inc after many years of wo-:k and come dcwn and accept either new employment wi' v a?j»rtO&t! rtb compensation at all, or a very modest compensation if only J .hey can serve the Govern- ment in this crisis, (Applause) . It is astonishing and it ought to be told more fully than it is told. I was speaking of it to the head of the largest concern of the kind in the United States, a concern whose business is numbered by scores of millions per annum, only to have him tell me quietly that he was here for that business himself. This morning I have taken on at a salary which at the outside will be fixed at $50 a month, a gentleman whose income is more than a thousand times that per annum, who has resigned from a position in the largest bank in the country at the head of a department, to come down and take a place in one of our services. The head of a manufacturing concern in Buffalo, a man of about 40 years, a successful business man, takes advantage of the absence in South America of one of our assistant chiefs to give up his business and take $3500 a year for a few months in his place, accepting for the time a very small part of his usual income. It is perfectly easy to call in every impor- tant city of the land for services ordinarily paid at large prices which now are cheerfully rendered voluntarily. (Applause). I would like to be rather specific about certain cases of the kind. For example, in our service, what we call foreign and domestic commerce, we are having to deal with certain very serious difficulties that face the country. We do aoi produce, gentlemen, a lot of things that we use CCamonly, end ::areiy think how dependent we are upon the world abroad fox hem„ If we stopped receiving manganese, / 7* X » - : U/JCIJ '■r.-H r-'F ■»» '■> ' . ■ a'v • -. > A ■■■l. f -?-'. >J ■» i- t^ "X-vO- V, ,'VT - ,( or ferro-manganese, or manganese ore from abroad, Pitts- burgh would shut down. If we stopped receiving rubber from abroad, there would be trouble with automobile factories. We are entirely dependent on the world abroad for tin. There is not a tin can that ever entered the house of any of you that was wholly of American origin, for we produce no tin, and for many things of the kind, such as graphite and others, we must look to the world abroad. Now, the getting of these things regularly, systematically, is al- most as important jjb the getting of them at all. If you ran a tin plate works and did not know whether the supply of pig tin would be uninterrupted or not you can make no plans for your output* If you made no plans for your output, the can maker would be in distress. Back of him the canner and wholesale and retail grocers would be in serious difficulty. We have been at work for weeks in this particular ser-*., vice, the Foreign and Domestic Commerce service, on this problem of tin plate commencing with the tin and ending with the filled can. The Department of Agriculture is cooperating with us because they have a big interest in the job, their interest being in raising the food and getting it in the can.- Our interest is in getting the tin into the country, getting the steel works in steady operation upon th job, -getting the railways to carry it, the tin and steel to tin plate works and the tin plate to the can-maker, and the can to- the canner, and then the food to the wholesale grocer. It has been a very interesting question because there are so many elaborate processes commencing, let us say., in Borneo or Singapore, in connection with th3 tin can about Which many hardly know anything at all ... Yet, within /?& : : .•■:•■ *i.;:: w ti'xo F.^'^-t . \* .■ ' V ■ J V * V_-' ^; /-i tuO i^b -. «f-« three days, at a conference at which were represented the steel makers,, the tin plate makers., the canners, the can makers and the representatives of two departments, we have agreed in writing upon a policy, a unique thing, I think, in which all these interests coincide, a policy which is stated in writing over the signature of a committee re- presenting every interest, and I think we are justified in saying now that the tin can problem which has been a very serious one, Mr, Director, is in a fair way to be solved, (Applause). For a time it looked as if you might have to pay a half a dollar a can for a can of tomatoes, which would be a somewhat serious thing because it had actually reached the point where it was threatened that vegetables would not* be planted because it was not certain if they could be packed when they grew. In that same connection we have developed fiber containers now largely used for liquids as containers, and containers of glass, endeavoring in ever possible way, and with amazing success, to go to the busi- ness men and say, tt My good friend, you are using tin cans for food which is not perishable, please quit," "It is unpleasant, disagreeable, you have your trademarks, advertising and everything of that kind, but please give up these tin containers, they are needed for something that is perishable, and yours is not such. Uee paper or fiber or something of that kind,* I think we have met no re- fusals yet. It is amazing and delightful; the sulkers are conspicuous by their absence, I presume they are alive •but not visible in large number at the present time. in the same connection, there is platinum, an article with which I have had more to do in the last two weeks than in my whole life before. One likes to deal with anything .Oil-.-.. .ii '.'.- - 1»J. t i 'ji. V .'^. 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I 1x jrfcocf is o^iiw 0* Kill fclt/om X •Jfyi'J no a.ov; *c m &s^^S actfinU ad* to a»;snag3lV <:»5 -*fii ac '.-.i-f-f -.-'-»•"'•■ T ''" , "• fur-' 1 h T'"!;"' r + "■ -^ ! " ; {T' fatfif • ~ '■' ■ •"' '■"■'■ -jsa \c..-: la ->.:dL p-?.a.f*i ^^i^ s •ra bjsv otco/iT f ti&s. a^Tov.i t \ : ;■.; ■■■ ';^;; : dcr; ,-.ii' #^ai y~*a.::o;- nidi ax .U r: co oqoortiisq /5 .ton- — ^aA-ii^v oi oImmd ne^I^ &iii s fr.n t ?7~a to Y-^- J :-^ hx etjsXg *^ :j:i?oofri-f z ion % Hi:it s»Y&rff . • ; , ;-rr- ■. ;-r:-;-i ■■.;.'! ft at ovnti $*nbih &r>d'i trrt-f i&i' X--;lZ ,'{Z$rti.x"ia ;d$ at r,iiio\ eajBijj Xjeoir'^o ^js.stri on rx5?r nx -ir , • jrTa #£.'.»^0 nx saofl r^:/ STSrft ^va.'WiTPD nJ: ti-x* > at ai/5l r ; i.firx^c j^x^sas to ::zs. :• isiii'i ^d& a* beskfwzai ton sjiv; xi^/iu-oc- si-':' ;',nif)i/fco-rq eoxxc^os'i on Iv;ri &VT »4-i ; ;;. s':^r: :,-f sj: :..-: ban .^Oi;. f >oiq itbait^O itnad orii o^ X.-^jpe *.- -Vw;i ex.-;.: o.i ■.. --ira^i; •: ..i-iilitin&liXVStii XCHJi&nut .~3 forty**'- it shall be made, in the art of making it. Within a week we have been offered any price we would ask for all on hand, something possibly like three hundred pounds* The process is not simple, it took us a year of continu- ous work to make the clay pot in which the glass should be melted, in order to find the mixture of clays which would stand the high heat developed and yet be materials that would not make the glass imperfect. Having gotten the pot, it then took a year to get the proper mixture of the glass itself. Having gotten the mixture it took perhaps six months to get the technique of making the glass; in other words, about two years and six months continuous work in our laboratories at Pittsburgh in the art of mak- ing this one material so necessary. I have on my desk, I wish I had brought it here, a large piece of as good optical glass as could be made anywhere. So that problem is solved. These are very interesting matters to deal with. (Applause). In the same way every laboratory in America, public and private, depended On Germany two and a half years ago for chemical porcelain. We made some china, but no chemi- cal porcelain that would stand the high acids. We worked that out in the same way, in the same time and place, and with the same men, and that has been manufactured for over a year. The method is this. We make the stuff our- selves, at our own expense, in the government laboratory, and then we call on the manufacturer who is willing to learn. Not all of them are always willing to learn. There has been a certain amount of suspicion which is rapidly passing. We turu over to the manufacturer free of all ex- pense all the knowledge that we have. Sometimes they want to take the men we have, but usually we cannot spare them, Our ceramic chemist, the best in the country, was asked /ft \ ••• ** ■J-! , ■■:;■ :> vafisa I '."?\i hittj^fl PK : ! : "''ii tf/ft .'T .-;/.".' ''."■■'■.'Id (>■"•>■ erf- .yf/3H :- r r •■ •* ,i; cj-ii. , -r * -A r by a large glass-making concern to become their ohief chemist a few months ago, and they said this ma& v-ould name his own salary, but he declined the proposition and stayed with us at a moderate figure, That is the work our Bureau of Standards is doing in industry, working out the problems that underlie the making of things, the unsolved problems in industry, and teaching them to manufacturers of the product. Now, alongside of that study of our great problem comes the testing of all government purchases. Every material purchase of the Government is sent to us for ex- amination. DonH think Uncle Sam can be fooled by off- color goods. Th?/3 day has gone by. We run our own paper mill, gentlemen, and by its use learn to make specifications; we have our. own rubber mill, etc, we run our own stone yard, and anyone who sells stone to Uncle Sam is going to have it worked first by practical stone men, in our own stone yard. We run our brass foundry, make our own bronze. You need not fear that private money raised by taxes is going to be wasted in poor goods. If underwear is sent in that has been sold to Uncle Sam, as all wool which is 60 per cent cotton, it goes back. Uncle Sam knows; everything is tested. We keep 375 young scientific men busy the whole time in what is probably the largest laboratory of its kind in the world. We are constantly working for the War and Navy Departments on problems, on the radio, on problems of optics, problems of determining the fall of shot, on pro- blems of photographing shot when they fall miles away from the camera, on problems of aeroplane cameras, on problems of portable wireless sets which we manufacture and set up ourselves* tzoo i b 31 ,VV ! J/iili it' 3.7) ,::.-a ; ' V.t''V.'.ii ': j^JS j-llv^ t i -'J)»3 ■>/!•.? ••aoyir... on« .Lvrrv snftfi £*.£■ ivo cur*. &w t .Ov- :. r i.e.: vl : . -vt^y axota r«wo ity. ni ,.'*o : >n~ Sn' i^oUo.?--; fivi..: 1/3 Y l? r ' ::■'., t v"i '.'.,:; ; >1 ?f.*s«3**i i £ii -Uu ■ ■ >%s f SniO.%- fli i-vV j yc i>:V;;fr,i V'- i0 ' 3 "'i-' r -t'X« ££os »Tj:d 3Srf tf.3ite nx tnoe .-** ^sr&i^feiuJ 'il .rt^oc-.^ isofl. •tt % ati9it.z> *a»o TvC: 08 si ifrs'tfV'V rA'^ lie «>*, t .'^- '■ ,. tsatf c--' .0.;!':^* ft r-itiil j^^vi {V.vorfii mit? vj'o&U ^tasti ■■..-•"•■.:•: •:•£*..' &jLp*iw srfj \v.:..\i' *s» oil ; < a.->i'5s ^Vo? <:''-'C ^ :< sVi ■i fto^i eil 1:> vTc^.tcccr teiigrsl &tt vie— - t :»■" ~* 1'i.' takes me four and a half hours to discuss. I am an sn- • thusiast but will spare you. I will not enter upon it other than to sa~, ; ""hat vie started with one new fish in August, a year ago, and at the end of a few months, this totally unused- fish — -not one of you then knew the name of it was sold at the rate of a million pounds a month; there are thirty vessels engaged in the catching of this particular fish, and in two successive winters the crews have taken in over $350,000, and that from one formerly un-used and un-heard of fish, namely, the tile-fish. In like manner we took up next a much abused fish of . Maine, which the Governor of Maine will well recognize. We named it by its color just as with the bluefish or the whitef ish and call it greyfiah. It is now sold in 30 States, and the largest order, I suppose, ever placed for one kind of a fish food was placed by a concern in San Francisco, 43 carloads at one order, of this one fish, the greyf ish, of which I doubt if you ever heard before. This spring since the winter ended orders came to the packers for this new fish for a million 1,300,000 cans, and these orders are piling up so fast it is a question whether they can fill them. The work of introducing new foods is constant, con- tinuous, regular, so far as the Bureau of Fisheries is concerned. And we have a device for holding down the price; it is our own device and we are very much pleased with it because it works. Where it is a canned food we fur- nish a Government label, we do the advertising, and we put a first class salesman on the job, and say to the men, "in consideration of this, you have got to maintain your prices so that it shall retail in this particular case, say, at 10 cents a can. It provides for that a good meal for three Z<3 2~ '•sri ?^" -?C £3X1 r;-." &cc rT ;v £_ : r- -; . ■ ...... «J ■■■'- < ; - : •' -<--■ &«.: v-r'i :& • . i • I' ?i £« - —■ j • . -A - J , ^ ■ 'J".T ' J •■ «f-t *>. ;■ /■■• • /*■ ■*,- ■ -> 01 :u £&< ■• •■■■■ '-.;.... .*. ; C 'Tl ■" V >^i' t ig ?rrf* • - * - --' a. a 3 P , r •** i ; r: u , ..;£i T .v "1- 4, 3i' £i ?«fl3 Off •-;;. • ' ' 5 ovjS/J eft? j£$ .,*■-,:•;■:. r adults, at three and. a third cents a meal* So long ae you do that, keep thai, p.cice down to 10 cents a- ca*i, you can use that label but the label belongs to us and not to you. It is a valuable label to you, but it is ci:r latex. The moment yea raise your price we want our label back* One man did raise his price, and I telegraphed him, please discontinue government label. He reduced his price* Very simple; it works. So, in the case of a new fish we are putting on the market between Buffalo and Chicago, we have an understanding with dealers to retail it at not to exceed 10 cents a pound. We furnish cookbook, salesman, and literature, and they agree not to raise the price from 10 cents a pound. That is a side of our work of high importance and it affects the army, because, knowing our interest in the general matter one day a manager of a company came down to my office offering to furnish a new food, the tile fish, which he was willing to sell to the army at 4 cents a pound fresh delivered in Galveston. I didn't tell him that he had come to the father and forerunner of the tile fish and that we were responsible for the whole job. That work crn go on continuously. There is no limit to it. There are literally scores of fish foods un~used. We have just introduced the sable fish, the black cod of the northwest into the plains states to provide a fresh variety of food for our plains states. We are in the very act of doing: it now, a"j 1 o* which is itself as practical a blow at the a.'.gi. coat of livinc, 1 as can be done. In addition to '.;hat wo are uafcisg, a new leather supply c We are now producing a good grade oC leather from the skin of the-dogfica, and a good grade of shoe leather for uppers and soles from the skin of the shaik„ The extent to which ■ ■•ft -■ zo • O i "„ \J XiVi ' * ** V-~* c*--- Pi : " grci* Pa? ' :w rrii : *?-* ;-s -j. r y. - --■ ._ * ... ,* rt -v • £ ^ ,>. , f-ufi few 4 . -;;,\t3'.x?- J.c £ . « i x.- r -- Jl — ' *. "•- .. *. ■■■ 'O ■ P id f ei^f">r': ■:- : *.* ,-_ -*c » -- r- *■ *.. f » j this is possible ;_eems as la.rge as we choose to mako _t , Incidentally the whale has been caught heretofore on the west coast for its blubber but we have discovered that the gum of the whale's jaw will provide a strip of good leather 2 feet by 24 feet long, and that the intestines of the whale are valuable in the same way as catgut and can be used for making a good many hundred thousand square feet per annum of excellent material which strongly re- sembles animal canvas. In like manner there are other experimental questions which are in process of development. I will touch upon the lighthouse service only to say we have turned over to the Navy Department 45 good steamers for use as mine layers and to assist in patrolling the coast. The lighthouses and lightships all along the shore are in use at this hour to notify the Government of any suspicious vessel that appears. A supposed German raider passed the Nantucket lightship at five minutes past 9 o'clock one morning about two weeks ago. At 9:40 I telephoned the Secretary of the Navy that she had done so* It wook exactly 35 minutes for .the message to come from the light ship 40 miles out at sea by way of Boston to our office and thence to the Secretary of the Navy. So we received from the coast of Florida warning mes- sages, and from the coast of South Carolina, and from the coast of Massachusetts. Trained observers to whom we have furnished telescopes for the purpose are busy all day and by night every day and every night, watching, a service which is original and new and very, 'very prac- tical. In the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the entire topo- graphic staff of engineers is at work upon military maps in the unsurveyed sections of our country lying along the 2oA^ n? L-fri* tfO.iJ tt/.'ii' toil ■ , flO .*Ci : 1r ' fir- i .-. *>a - -■•if r i sr.t?'-** jiiC ' f) :t\ . <;■ :?~ f.r ao > fi" ? r -oiTjr- .SSO-Sr-i 2" v ■**#T i , aw 7 : i. i. * -5 V i asifiw rrjzv- (i,*) :r> - - J J '•. ».'J ill .* ;' -I.. »C i,:»T,- .>.. ; -._£, I -, southern Atlantic coast . It will, 1 am sure, surprise and horrify you to know that we had and have no maps of strictly military type, as good as should be had for military purposes, of a very considerable part of our At- lantic Coast, not to speak of the rest of the country, and on that problem the staff of the Coast and Geodetic Survey is now at work. I want you to consider, if you will, for a moment, what that may mean. If your son is in an infantry regiment and is going up a hill in an at- tack two miles from an unseen gun which is supposed to maintain in front of him a curtain of fire falling 80 yards ahead of the advancing troops and lifting ahead of them as the troops move — -that is a perfectly familiar military operation now — -I want you to get that the gun is unseen, the troops are unseen, but 80 yards ahead of the advancing troops the artillery should maintain a constant curtain of fire which should lift as the troops march. Mow, if they come to the top of a hill and go over it, unless the topography is actually known, the des- cending slope of the hill and the fall of the shot might coincide and our own troops be murdered by our own artil- lery. Accurate topographic .jaiaps must exist which will show the exact contour lineat intervals of 20 feet in every hill everywhere that is likely to be used. Some- thing of a job; but then the Coast Survey of the United States has 26,000 miles of coast to look after besides. The Bureau of Navigation is engaged upon the work now of finding eight thousand seamen* The German ships will take nearly tha.t many, and from some source we must find, in addition to ms -■ now at cea, men to man these great vessels and to go into the service of the great merchant fleet which the country is building and will increasingly - -' H jp'ri \ X i- ■ -W0 .1 SO #flT0Ti iU '.+ *, fta,o„ -' -TCTCJVV CT ;. 7 v — KQU rrnrfi * ' •" * i.4. It "*** £ xc r^ ' * - _ - i** -^ *", /v» -*■ ia A. -3* 3. l i *y.JSX.'BDtO* 3 .,• ^ a o^ iffr; *■•-* tsv- •£vT.S S.&foiT #-a'>: '-'c.v«. ; sCfern *■•-.<■. . £.x. ?'■■ - *~ v ••' t , ' '-"-i 1 IC " ■WO; mt;u ij» •■ ■-< <.' j UZV rtf ,;. •»aafT9j3-".«; =*0 g?*fT •'"f.'T' »:» wu-. >nw«*e * -. r : 3**r» *** «ae oj nc ;^ -/I.$£0*S •** V .^3 ;/i"^' " - ,;a -f -W -X ^ " CO x Vl fe : '-- uii^ build, Ths Dte.vaboat .Inspect ion Service, finally, is at work now ujcn the problem of finding officers for these same ships which io a very serious natter r There are not enough licensed officers in the country to man these ves- sels * They must be had from seme adequate source* Oilei' machinists, water tenders, and firemen of the better grad on board of our vessels, will have an opportunity afford- ed them to get promotion. They will have a chance speed- ily to find their way at once into the lower grades of licensed engineers, and from those sources we should get men very quickly who have the one great requirement of being familiar with handling machinery and boilers at sea. You cannot send stationary engineers from the shore to handle a marine engine; they are not accustomed to having their engines rocking about them. Circumstances are different, conditions of operation are different, and so we are engaged upon the task at present of finding enough marine engineers to run the ships. It was rela- tively a very simple thing to get the ships' it took about fourteen minutes three o'clock one morning. It is another and very different thing to get these ships into operation; and when all ready, to get the crews and find officers for them. These are a few, a very few of the tasks in which the Department of Commerce is itself actively engaged and has been. If any one of you should think that we were taken in any degree unawares in this thing, let me tell you that the process of turning over the 45 ships and the crews equipped foi mine laying to the officers of the art: and navy when the hour came took, I think, exactly ten -xo& :;; scfc£rfo £ *y.-:s?[ ilr> ya;T? ,i30i,^c.~9.xq jfcs;* ?? yfJ4 £y ..:~ r-^.sr^ -.?v"M en* '3t.i ^ono ;>j y- t; ~xo;I" i;.^ o? vr . . . »c ..... .iv_- i. i. . ., _;,>r... sfijtj -' j — /lv A. V *"' & *'-'- : -• (."— tiili. .-- - . • ... Or xV.;so JfKro':,:- Jon ots \-$a;t iani:,^ pnix&C £• 0-C';n-?r c:r • -"'. :'.. £1 r scfiric o'J- hut. cj •;.■■. ..i i §£j$ :..^!i n " a^onc .; ,:;:.-: rr-xc:.; one :igoXo*Q a-i-x^i ■...-. r.a^iffi ^c>^yci- :•••"• ,; - -..•-. ■ --• tf- I < :;;'..:..j -;i;-:i nx •, : :;j ..Oi^. : : v "ug ixi n. ' 1 J - ■;' .T *.- ^ '( ■■; r.y •' . v 1 *y *- ■-? T -T-.-**» a,iyd|n m CTT-*r? ■■■,-■ i- me\ -' ■■ >• - minutes. They had been ready for that operation more months than I weald like to suggest with a view to neu- trality. (Laughter), Now, gen;leme:i. whac can you do. That is what the American nan is asking. The American man is a doe:>.', and the problem is what can we do when we go home to discuss the matter with the family. What can you do? There are two practical things that every American man a-nd woman c? do. We are the wasters of the world, gentlemen, the most wasteful of all the nations. The letters I. W. W. have not always an ideal significance. But if they were chang from that which is familiar, to read the Industrious Wasters of the World they would apply to the United States of America. For France maintains the wonderful struggle she is carrying on by reason of the thrift of th French people. It lies in your power and mine and that o our fellowmen and women in this country to pay every yeai out of the things we now waste the entire seven thousand millions of dollars thus far appropriated for the war. I want to give you just a few practical illustra- tions of that waste and the multiform forms in which it occurs. We make, for example, in this country about 20,000 tons of paper a day. Every pound of it is valuabj for making some other kind of paper, every pound of it. And yet we have imported from Europe 10,000 tons a day to make cur paper stock. Why? Because we cheerfully burned up and wasted 10,000 tons a day, which is worth at present prices something like $30 a ton. Now, when an embargo was put by Great Britain and France upon the im- portation of paper stock we started to see if we could cause come saving and issued some three million circular, for the purpose, and finally a book to tell people how t xo 7 --■-.•- -- r ^,(*#c'-'-v - * r r-- - ■- " > *• - - fr /y(> .- r-- * - r.ir .;- - -r ; r ' ' save paper j, illustrating in it a baler that could "be bought and one that could be made by a boy out of a dry goods box. In some of these ways, by constant pressure,, we have managed to save about four thousand tons a day, and recently a paper trade BBMb insisted I understated the saving. But let us hope it is five thousand tons a day, To illustrate it in another way, the superintendent of schools in this city started the children of Washington last October, to bringing to school the old newspapers from home. At the end of six months they had $5,077 in good money out of the old newspapers that the boys and girls brought to school, and that is about the cheapest kind of old paper stock, and yet out of that there was that saving that I have stated. Think of what that would be in New York or Chicago or Philadelphia, This is a cit where it would be less likely to make a large showing. The extent to which we waste is almost beyond belief For example, sawdust. What is it good for except to be burned. Yet I could take you today to a place where they are making good turpentine, cologne water and cattle feed out of sawdust, and where they purpose eventually to make lemonade (laughter) all of which would not be strange to a nation which, like Germany, is accustomed" to apply its brains in the form of science to the needs of the country but is astonishing to us who worship the obvious and im- mediate and let the real and important go„ Because saw- dust is simply a tree broken up into its smallest element, and every tree contains sugar. We all know of maple suge. but never think about the sugar being in other woods but it is there ^ust the same. Take your sawdust and cook it up and get turpentine out of it first, and then if you I2.0S • ■"■ ' Zi: .••>>■ r ■: f\T .; J. tt .... - ■ ■■ '.T'- "' -■•• ■■- r : * *'iCw*. ...~ >■ t ■' ■■. y ■■■ ; ■, .- * r?.' -• +-^"i>v?**- vVJfr* --■ + 3 ;.- k>tco * .T r> Jj : mix a certain acid with part of what is left, you will get citric acid. That is the acid of lemons. Put yeast in part of what is left and in the ferment you get a high grade of ethyl alcohol, which is known as cologne spirit; I am net speaking of wood alcohol, for I know what that is 1 know the» difference between that and ethyl alcohol But go beyond even that, and -with the sweet thick syrup left mix peanut shells ground up and you get a cattle- food which is said to make the cows smile when they come to eat it. All of that Germany would have done 25 years ago^ because Germany has what we are beginning only to have, the art of applying research to industry. I could take you to a genetleman who is using spent tanbaik, old used hemlock bark. What is it worth? Sixty cents a ton. This gentleman has put it to work making paper from about 40 per cent of old spent hemlock bark instead of other material which costs $70 a ton, because he had the idea of the seer, seeing into the unseen. So I hope we are going to deal practically with the enormous problem of waste involved in the cartage bill of the country. I have just caused a census to be made, a study here in Washington, of what the bill amounts to, an after very careful study in every way, and leaving out many things, we still find that Washington pays 8^ millic dollars yearly for a cartage, while the railroad bill for freight hauled is $7,200,000 per annum. The reasonable probability is that while we talk so much about the rail: freight rates and get excited about them and appoint sta" • boards and commissions to regulate them, we have an ex- pense in cartage about three to five times as great, to which we pay no attention at all. These are the things, gentlemen, that America has g< 2o 7 < * ' "l ;j .;::■■■• 7 : ■. r x : . f* **t .'■ ii^J Vj K\ - : \; ; v tfoclss/* ios;; Mo .:U r'^/'r *;.■< ;,r J- : -k r ,- ^jj^rrj.o £ nC"?:. rr ;o /£C£ -:::i I -- rsrrttiv '-.-■ . .u -<. -7 :•?: ;r: • A * r^ *f + t ■-■ •iXi? r i f- to wake up to. Germany has maintained a wonderful strug- gle solely because the brains of Germany have been applies to her industry for a decade or two past and they have not universally been so applied here. I went into one of the great Western states where th handle lumber largely and said to the manufacturer v/ho was showing me with pride the veneering machine handling the great drums of Douglas fir. It was steamed, as you know, in a familiar way. As the steam was rising from tie steaming chamber, I said to the manufacturer, "What is in that steam?" He says, "I don't know." I said, "Did you ever try to find out?" He said, "No." I said, "Do you not suppose that all the volatile products in that tree are gcing off in that steam?" He says, "I never thought of it," I said, "Mr. So-and-so, I have a strong suspi- cion, I don't know, but I do suspect that what is going off in that steam is perhaps as valuable as what you have left in the log*" Anyone that knows what is taken out of petroleum, what is taken out of coal tar, so that many of the produc most familiar to us as the original products have become by-products; one who knows that meat after all is now practically a by-product of a cow, and that there are mai. many things more which would pay for manufacturing, if there were no meat left, anyone who knows what has been done can see if they will use imagination what there is left to do. Germany had the great dyestuff industry, an enormous one. She dyed the world all sorts of colors two and a half or three years ago. Why didn't we have it? She applied her brains and we didn't. Take the case of the osage orange growing wild all over our southwest and central states. It was long unuse :>r,ni;' T W f.y- M i OqQZVB ^.-.»v-< J. . -i. . ^ 1.; ./.I.;'... .• j. w»'iJr-.7 '.'.- o r ■ .'...•>■ . T tSi&t bets .'roc- '■> ':-■ fvsjt •-.■■{ ■ '.'iSir-i/j v •* »-.• ... £,. yet within a year after the war began one concern was us|^ eight hundred thousand pounds a month to make a yellow dye (Aurantine) out of the osage orange, never used be- fore, to replace fustic hitherto imported from South Amer ica. We let this resource pass all these years. These are the problems before us today. Stop the waste. America should use the vision that looks into things and not merely glance along the outer crust. Now, secondly and finally, Carlyle has written some- thing which ought to be put over the front of every American capital and factory. "Produce," said he, "in God 1 s name, produce." "If it be only the feeblest, in- finitesimal kind of a product, produce it", said he, "in God*s name," Let us remember soberly and seriously, gentlemen, that we stand face to face in this country with a shortage of food, a shortage of leather, a shortage of many, many things unless we will produce. He who having the capa- city to produce fails to produce is so far ignoring or neglecting his country^ need. A friend of mine wrote me today about his son whom ho wanted to get a job in the army. The boy had some trouble with his sight and was afraid he could not get an officer- commission, and yet had an idea he wanted to fight. I told him to go and fight the soil of his country, get on the farm and get busy with it and work there. Those are the two big things that I would like to leave in your mind if you forget all else, as you may. Stop waste; and produce. Whatever it is that comes to your hand to do, produce it, In these two ways, gentlemer. worked out to the full, we can carry the load of this war without serious suffering. I thank you. 2// *V :V:-'" r ..- - ^ .-,'.:;"•. Xif^jiO ift'-J -VicX".: *..:>ri-?£t : v.'. -:~ Srt> s \ 1 - — '- » • ■*- ■- - • « '•. i *■ ■- i t — .• v xj .• ' - . _ . .--*■ J. : j . . ; '>->!" '■ - . --- — I fit' err: biii t "« - ' i*§l ic ^xsiza^i tut c? &i .vr:i^';j-q oj- vSJigi ouftorq o + v**rb ,A:-cr e'x.T^n-oo serf yntTO :: ; . . i' ■■ f.-*", ■ ■■ -*- .- *-«— - f ^ c ^ • *,— ,•'." ~ ,-- r T! ...... i. r *. - - " -^ - -■- - - . .,..:•, • •:. . .- •_ . _-^_ j _• •. -. .., . _ .<. . ;. yj t p- " '---••-, ■ ■- " ; ,. r . -,-.'■ • ■ (; * -■&' r. ■ ..I ** . :.-'>cxq t '-I" :^ 6a:rf xtrcv ;fcc wet* *;-.:,; : -.-.tr,-^:,- r X &>««< ■ .• The Presiding Officer (Mr. Gifford): Gentlemen, the Chair will announce the Committee on Questions. Governor Pleasant, of Louisiana. Governor Boyle, of Nevada. Robert N. Stanfield, of Oregon,. George W. Pepper, of Pennsylvania. Christie Ben^tjt, of South Carolina. James J. Storrow, of Massachusetts. Samuel Install, of Illinois. As Massachusetts was the first of the States mentioned to have a Committee on Public Safety, I 'will ask that Mr. Storrow act as chairman of it, and -J suggest that the Committee meet immediately after our session at the Y/ar Department. Tha J - will be at 5 o* clock, that is, we will leave ibsz£ln time to be there at five. MR. STORROW: Is it too much to call a roll and see if these gentlemen are all here. (On calling roll all were indicated as being present except Mr c Pepper). THE PRESIDING OFFICER (MR. GIFFORC): Our next epeakar will be Mr- Elliott Wadsworth, of the Red Cross, who will tell us about the relations of the Red Cross to the state organizations. Gentlemen, I introduce Mr, Elliott fadsworth. MR. ELLIOTT WADSWORTH. VICE CHAIRMAN RED CROSS SOCIETY. Mr. Director, ladies and gentlemen, All the invita- tions that I have had to speak here have said, "Arrive at 2,20 sharp and speak for twenty minutes . n I have had eight different memoranda to that effect, and am going to i i •■ ' ... ., . rr y \&t)< .+ ;r :>v~i no 9ef,t5i rf. i ■ 2 *o -:. r : t ». \'i. r. ■£„.-.• -<&' Jawl* 1 *" x -■• T 'Si l . . -_'; J- J: t . j : »>; x . > f T.-.Uf-Z ;??V?\'~K3 r . '• .^* \KA ' ■ 1 - / T ,-: ■to riiai^n • *tl j.-- i.:j !v'..ci).in. L ■: . i. . « ' ■'• - ' f 1 ! •-r' mn 33IV try to tell you this story in twenty minutes if I possibly can. The Red Cross for the first time in its history is faced with the carrying on of military duties that have devolved upon it. The duty of the Red Cross, the pur- poses for which it is incorporated, are to furnish volun- teer aid to the sick and wounded of the army and navy in time of war; to act in matters of volunteer relief, and in accord with the naval and military authorities, to serve as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and their army and navy; to continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace, 8£& to apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods and other great national calamities; and to devise and carry on measure for preventing such calamities. The Red Cross as incorporated by Congress is governed by a board of 18, six appointed by the President, repre- senting six departments of the Government. The Board now appointed by the President consists of Surgeon General Gorgas, Surgeon-General Braisted, Secretary Lansing, Secre- tary Lane, Assistant Secretary John W. Davis, and John Skelton Williams, representing the Treasury. There were six members elected by the Board of Incorporators, and six by the chapters through delegates meeting once a year here in Washington , Each committee elects a committee of seven, which is really an executive committee and manages the Red Cross. Our work is. divided roughly into two classes, military and civilian. This little diagram I have here on the wall is really too smalj. for tkia rocm, but it shows the basis on which we develop the chapters throughout the country. ■ ' ■ '-•■'. a L I.J — ~ ^ .» i. .. . V*T ;- •/ . !• , ri .; . ;--r-:;»aa ^'e^&t&rfi lrT;;f;vO~nc ::,/•;;;•/ v r,, ■ ■■.- -'.-■'':: ,^k;fe»^it siS ^0zifiM':t':^. ■ •;::.:!- rXrV. .;c: i.7 .. ■?. ? " r:.-: ■.: :::,.■ :. '<:•,/" ; ^k^loh y^UOSCi'- t&Vi§]&& :&t '$ v. j* •-■-:.*■£ r;cc s p'jci fa ccT^a^o ..■:.....:: . ,TOf>^iTi.r^r? it£ "■•" :: : . : .; ;< -^:j.-v:. ire* -vt?r.":.-ro^ ovi L* ■:.- :■:.;. :■" ^f'i'J^i'* ££ '"x-^. These chapters are the foundation of our work. In each community the members of the Red. Cross incorporate them- selves into a chapter, elect an executive committee, and they are the Red Cross of that city, or county, or what- ever territory may be allotted to them. The country has been going almost wild over this work. We had 272 new chap- ters on February first, 26 in February, 74 in March, and 170 in April, making 542 communities on the first day of Kay that had the Red Cross. We carry on from Washington the work of the Red Cross through this chapter almost entirely by volunteers. The military relief committee in Washington deals with the military relief committee of the chapter, and the civilian relief committee deals with the similar committee. In addition to these two commit- tees, there is the committee of department chapters, which is the one that manages organisation questions, and we are gradually going through the country. We have now some 3S field agents and *e hope to get through the whole country by summer or early fall and get these chapters into some standard shape, particularly the newer ones. As to the -.--'k they do, in the first place they are to take care of supplemental needs, comfort of the troops, and to provide supplementary supplies, such as hospital garments, surgical dressing, sheets, pillow cases, blan- kets where needed, etc, to the hospitals. The committees are ordinarily to finance for hospital garments, surgical supplies, comfort bags. There is also a committee for cooperation with outside organizations, committee of education, and Committee of Membership. I will briefly sketch what these committees are to do, The Finance Committee: They get the money that is needed to buy supplies, - f 1 *j '■ JC- '"' ,. &£* ~. •■ • - ."»•, > . ' , •>: X .. .L nl * -. r t : .-. ' ■.tcr.tr: . : - >lc : , • The Hospital garments and Gurgioal supplies commit- tee run all the eewing classes- In Washington there are 38 different organizations in this work, cooperating with the Red Cross. Cooperation of outside organizations. The Red Cross tries to coordinate its work with that of other or- ganizations to make it effective, and through the local chapter to coordinate the relief work of the community. Education committees have chci^e of the giving of courses in home nursing. It gives the women a general outline at a meeting each month of the details of home nursing such as making a. bed under a patient and certain effective measures in case of emergency. It may prove to be a very valuable thing in a household to have the head of the house fami?j.iar with a certain amount of nursing work, and if we have to mobilize our r;'.'.r-3.3-- .-iiji"e itt great numbers it will, of course, increase the work that will devolve on every household. They learn the principles of first aid and dietetics. Membership is an important thing in that it increases the personnel of the Red Cross constituency with which we can work and gives us our income. A year and a quarter ago, January 1, 1916, we had 25,000 members; today we have over 500,000 members, and they are getting in sometimes as high as 25,000 a day to chapters and to headquarters. There is no such thing as free membership in the Red Cross. The cheapest membership is $1, then $2, $5, $10. If we get a million members and we hope to do it this year, it will give us a substantial income in the chap- ters and the headquarters to carry on this work. Tiie military relief work is thoroughly in accord with the army r io;:.l corps,, Colonel Kane and Major CL/S' ,3 1 •': ■ < j '■ r>. ■ -.in j '. . «... t , -.-> ■ ■J •' X .. i. v. •.-•ft *■> ., v '.) .'•-;■ 'io ceo... •v ,V ... . .,-• *« VD VIA i;..i iiw v .>.JL .t»: :... Patterson are detailed to us by the War Department to carry on our military preparation. General Gorgas works very closely with us on medical questions. They have prepared a book of regulations — "Regulations Governing the Management of the American Red Cross in Time of War", and this book provided for 11 different units or chapters, dealing with ambulance companies, base hospitals, hospi- tal units, etc., nursing detachments, sanitary training detachments, information sections, refreshment units and detachments at the depots when troops are passing through, supply depots, general hospitals, and convales- cent homes. Colonel Kane working through the military side of the Department has organized already 38 base hospitals, each one capable of taking care of 500 beds* Many of these were started a yearago and they are ready today. They are so ready that when the Governments the foreign govern- ments asked to have nurses and doctors sent to Europe, the quickest and most effective way was to oall out six of these base hospitals and they were in on 24 hours 1 notice, and we ::.\>e to get them off in a very few days. They come from six different cities. We didn*t want to call too many from one city. Among them are Doctor Crile of Cleveland, Doctor Harvey Cushing, Doctor Murphy, of St. Louis, and others. This means 150 doctors and 300 trained nurses with all the personnel that goes with them. It takes about 180 people to a hospital. They are now being uniformed and equipped with what little equipment they are allowed to take with them and we hope that they will be mobilized in New York in a few days and sail when they have accommodations for them. It is the first evi- dence,, the best evidence of what it is to be prepared, ■; " ' t ■' . ' i " '-.".- : •] : < • '" * ■• •• -t .'"' .j v '. i? V nofoot br.a ■:■.. i xtan «;•/ I •■;.•'■ V , .,,. , •'• • ' ' - » V '• ■ ' ■■■■•.:- "WJ I ( . ,- - ■ '■•:■;>■:-'; t gc2rfaw0 v ■ .. ■ ■'.! .0-: . v [ 06 X efts . „.."" 1$ issutoetvc - I : \Stlr- ■:■:.■ -ur' ,i arir:.ao*i a ** vi>;ovr f>?JX ; r .v/rr. rr. ■ •.., v . . i .. ....... Cji :. . ,.' , ,.;ii, 1 !'; • • ... . s .' .„. ,v i;-;:.: QOifd rf&is taixi ::i o . ■•-:;■ I £." . : .v that instead of sending a heterogeneous lot of 150 doctors and 300 nurses we take this hospital base unit that is already organized and send it. It is generally agreed that you cannot throw 25 doctors and 50 nurses and a lot of cooks, orderlies, helpers and other people, no matter how skilful they may he, into a hospital, however well equipped it may be, and have a hospital for a number of weeks. But these people are mobilized and enlisted, they are what we call a mother hospital; they are all in it or have been in it as house officers or nurses and have worked together. When they move into some hospital in England or France they will be able to run it the day they arrive. In addition to enlisting this personnel, they have raised money, twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars, at least, to buy the equipment. They buy the blankets, pillows, etc., surgical instruments, sterilizers, and everything that goes to make up a hospital. The sewing committees have made up the surgical dressings, pajamas, towels, and what not. These things in many cases are al- Teady started and we have them stored at different places, at Boston, and points in various other parts of the coun- try. So if we wanted to equip a unit, say, in El Paso, Texas, we could call the unit, load the equipment into nine freight cars, which is about what it takes.«and start the personnel and equipment off by special train and land them there ready to work and everything with them to wonc with,, I am sure you will all remember the situation in the Spanifcb. War and realize how precious it would have been to have had a few of these units. ?tl a modem war we can only provide for the care of 18,000 bads at the present time. It has been as hard a JZ/ V r . i... , ;1-'' , ■ •" + J -...,- * «. * . j. .. . ' n '," ■ "?"* ¥i.ta V'- *-*T "•••• ■•■•.-? -•.■ • t. , ■ i a v . .• } >r " q t :-;tif- : ,-f * ?.«?:; «gi# -r .,.„.- ,,,,,„; . -L I ..... i ■!- "» ":■ ; . x F." r .. bfl .'-■:. I* ■:'o*j fc&&8 - rr.c --.;-■ n .-it :'-rOil ■:,■" ,.■ •"":■ b;' : i »<#3 «fc . \;"-' : * ■'■ • ■;:-'- .-;•", f !>&* & ^It*^ 1'C S 7 •': i " S& '. :'r, : ::X' : noi:'cT &&& at cc #£ • ;"~oi S-aftte3$s ';. ■ •''".;': a? r:.".'i.i''.^o i .:.: o.'t ■■■/;::".:■■" •••"■v; ^;,^ ;';:'■" '".'.i. :•;';'« £•-:£< > ' ' a ; «*• ,/:'.■; >#£ i - ( : '. ' ' v.a') J;...-' •:.■:. ...... , . r'-n .■• ^ -• . - - ' » , - - . ■■ • ••' :■• ■ ■ ' ■ - ' i \ 'J :.v G r, ;: •■- •- r v' •- ■■■> - - jc .1. - ■ f- Massachusetts, the Governor appointed last year a volun- teer aid society which carried on the work. But in New York and Brooklyn we are doing it all, and in Cleveland and Chicago and St. Louis we are doing it but in other places where other organizations are in existence we have not started any parallel organization but have endeavored to cooperate and help them. If the work develops as it did in Canada, which it probably will not in this country for a long while, it will become an i- creasing burrden on the smaller communi- ties who cannot raise the money so easily. In Canada the big cities such as Montreal and Toronto particularly, raised the bulk of the money. In the smaller communi- ties the individual farmer who went to war left his family e We therefore want not only a local fund which is raised by the chapter but a national fund to fill in the soft spots where they can't get any money. New York City is part of the national headquarters so that whatever is raised there will become national funds subject to the needs of New York City, and we shall have to call on other chap- ters to raise money if necessary and turn it into the general fund. To cover that vtork we have arranged with Mr, Lees, the head of the United Charities in the city of Chicago, with Mr. Mag ruder, the head of the United Chari- ties in Baltimore , Parsons, head of the society in New York, and they are here working out a national program to carry on that work should it devolve upon the Red Cross. We started upon this after the President read a letter a month ago at the Red Cross meeting in which he said the Red Cross should undertake this work. We rea- lize fully that it is being considered by many other or- ganizations particularly this Council of National Defense, .;.:. j !■:• ,.: " flf ' ■ the United States Chamber of Commerce, and while it may not devolve upon us ultimately we are getting ready to take care of it if it does, and we are actually doing the work today in many places. We are working it out in this way. In Brooklyn every relief society has appointed a delegate who becomes a part of the Civilian Relief Committee of the chapter so that we simply have as the relief organization the Red Cross with every relief organization in Brooklyn and all the ir facilities and their records of what has been done. The same thing is true in New York and in Cleveland, and is rapidly becoming true in many other cities. We have made an arrangement with the State Charities Aid Associa- tion in New York headed by Mr. Homer Foulkes, whom pro- bably some of you may know, which works all over the State doing tuberculosis work and other charity work, so that their entire facilities are at our disposal to cover the State of New York, in taking up this family relief work. We have divided the country into sections with a supervisor in each section who will go about from one place to another, one committee to another, and in this way I think we have done what we could to take the steps that could be done before the need arises. There is one thing we must not overlook in connection with this family re- lief work. It is not a question simply of providing money to people when the head of the family goes away. It has been found in Canada that a family needed much more than getting a check once a month; it needed to be visited and guided. Very often the mother could not handle the situa- tion;, it has been found that children refused to go bo school, that the mother did not know how to handle the . f ll " ■ ■ ' * ■;?$li ■t ■><•> r'.i c rr.t ' * *• *' " •- J v •' - V O , ■■■ fltf ., .: ; -:d^v ytl'info — , ; f.-'.-. :s ,, r -/•,-,, . , • rar.cfi^j viM^t ■ . : f'.C ;rci? *$X5**1 -sHi '"■ L«*w)ri '. ,;_ t-i . X I '.< ft . -''i -?."> -■•ir. (~- •* - -> -» ; i- i ' • •-•■■••■•• -■< M. ■ t ... . i. J . v i,.J-: ... v . *a :•;;:'■ 0;,.^ $ fcX/.«Oo :-t »!>*-* :it?i;v «oi' ; V'OT'; I:: v. KOij(»)2i//j ^ :■;; ,;.; ,-j T , iil^v? 2 Tl ■ '■'• ri Bv-Cfj YliuVi an'* !•:■ .:-•- 7 -r> .-> ;n..r!0.: ■ • to ^oorfo r a*ilr-tc . or *)Xao. and was out of money by the middle of the month* They have been obliged actually to pay the families : bills from headquarters in order to tide them along whe'ra a man has been the one who has handled everything of that sort* It has been, of course, a very fruitful ground for graft, and the greatest care is taken by visiting every one who receives help to make sure they are not getting the help from three or four different sources, beginning with the employer, and then the government, and then the neigh- bors, and then supplementary help from the patriotic fund, There are, of course, many other questions on which they need help. The questions of legal status, of landlord and tenant, their debts, and so forth arise. In many ways it is an ex- „rt job* Now, as to the general work of the chapter, the chap- ters of course, vary in their effectiveness as much as many chambers of commerce do in this country. We are trying to make them more effective. They will do little things for the troops which they have already done in many cases. In one city a regiment was called out the other day and ordered somewhere in the State. They had been unable to refill their medical supplies. The chap- ter went around to the drugstores and filled up their medical stores. Another chapter found a little hospital of 30 beds started very suddenly by a little epidemic and they provided blankets, sheets and things of that kind from their reserves; sheets, pillow cases. In other cases they provide delicacies for the men, and given them refreshments as ..hey passed through the cities, Tnis was particularly so last summer when the militia mobilised c Now, as to the relations Q~ these chapters to your cofiuittsesj I hope that they will be worked cut satis- •' r. $U*t\ -' •••■• ** • «.* *** :. -.-• - ■ '-T Ojf C yr • '"&>' H a "■■ I . **~wp J6rf.t0 Vn/v. fcj i .1 ."V " iC; -^ So *'*&*«& ,-,... .. .. ■ J: - ' U.r- -■ - •,-. . - + -T - -.■» r • • r>ff* r . '- /Si -i .* • • T. r < ' factorily and that the chapters will confine themselves to certain duties, and that the committees will be able to see that they are supported in that particular line of work and that the community gets back of them. The chap- ter is just as good as the community makes it and if the community gets behind the Red Cross committee, they can make it a first class organization to centralize this particular work under it and deliver the goods whenever the need arises* I hope there wonH be any overlapping] if there is that they will communicate with our division directors who are established in Boston, New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans and Atlanta, It seems to me that these forces which really represent the volun- teer desire to h.'..p along certain lines should be fostered and encouraged, and that these committees can be of great assistance to you,- (Applause), THE PRESIDING OFFICER (MR, GIFFORD): Gentlemen, Mr, Roaenwald, chairman of the committee on supplies, including clothing, has called attention to the fact that there may be a shortage of wool, and that the Home Defense guards now being formed requiring woolen uniforms may be a derious interference with the supply needed in other directions for the war. I simply call that to your atten- tion, and with that as an excuse, I am going to ask Mr, Rosenwald to talk to you. Gentlemen, I introduce Mr, Rosenwald, of Chicago. MR, JULIUS ROSENWALD. Gentlemen, the Director, Mr. Gifford, asked me to talk about five minutes and I will try to keep within that tiaw. This job reminds me of a little story o;c a woran -" ♦ .".•»? • i !?t-I^i "I' } ,■ *'--v.-jiS*,tfs -\->c. -. -~4 -ic-viror fcn>-, 'r,- isKfi 'x is-^rrtf vs.. who got on a street car with seven children* The con- ductor asked her, "Are all those your children; or are you going to a picnic with them?" And the woman answered, "They are all my children, but it is not a picnic." And so it is with this job. It is not a picnic, I was extremely anxious to get up here yesterday and be present to hear what was going on, but we were meeting with some cotton goods men, and again this morning, with the munitions board the question came up about uniforms. Somebody said, v," -\t are we going to do about uniforming these men that vie are getting. The question came up then, shall we put these men in cheaper uniforms or let them go without uniforms, and one of the men said, well,, if we do, then the spirit of the whole thing is gone. We are be- tween the devil and the deep sea. The reason I bring it up is that I hope you will carry the word back with you that we are doing the best we can undef the circumstances, that is, that we are not permitted under the law now to give out contracts until the money is appropriated,, One of the results may be that they will blame the Council of National Defense, ZZ4 In that connect ion I just wanted to say a thing that has come to my notice, and that I have changed my mind a good deal about since I came down here, and that is about the efficiency in the governmental departments, I find that for the most part we have got first-class fellows on the job. Now I don't mean to say that they are in every case the men that we would secure in our business to do the job, but they understand the work that they are doing, and they are as conscientious as any men I ever saw. They won't let a thing get away from the Government if they can help it. I have been in some departments, and with reference to one department particularly, I told our fellows when I went home I said,, "You fellows think that this Govern- ment does' nt know how to run a business., I want you to look over these orders that are issued in this department for the running of it, and see whether ours are any better, and in many cases as good." And they had to admit that they had no idea that there was any Government department that issued orders of that kind. This man has a row of -offices, and he has had every door taken out between those offices so that he can see through the whole row of offices, No man is allowed to take a newspaper in there, except to keep it in his locker and use it at noon. He can't put it in the desk. He does not allow any baskets on the desks., because baskets are made to hold stuff, and this department doesn't want to hold anything j things are there to go through, I just bring that out to illustrate that the Government is better than most of us think it is, and I for one apologize to them, (Applause) Now there is just one more word one more idea that has been in my mind a good deal since I have been down here, • v ft I ;;-.t;f?. rvifjq t ■ J . (j ■ •■ ' . . >:\ H : '~C -:i^:-- i ■ ■'■ I •-■ ' ""■■'.; ■'..ft : •:•;-■''-.'.; -tfO -■ :• .■-■ MiiCiV ;> v \- ?&&* fi : r*? T l>ri v ■' -i -■*. ■;:"' ' ■" lijaO "Vi3 ' ") ; ". . . ..«'a>7"... ' VI- i> :":Xiv . ■ '-"• . : ".-"V" " ..''.,' : ? .'*.'■ Ihi •;:•:»;• - -., -; ' -.: ^i*:' t 4 \'.£T£ f,.:-.: i - { :, .£« •?:*: - " ^ c: \ .?,;. ; I :;risil.ffjj..vi -? r^i: &3 "it-.f- '::rr,:i $p.*v.&ck +?.i ' ' . " .' i J'V;- ::: ' Ti2 / .- ; ' • r:':- . ■ ■■ I ;.•£- i «.':•'* ol;.." >• ■.: jt rfTatrCTfia s-^). eia ; rr r/i qcsjs e# .tq^pxri t o'. Ci JH^v : fi ';r,:o;'-; At « ■ ' .". '. :;!/;■ .*;i''^ [ica ..^.1:^?5 -—evil :•$ f ■:.-: "'■pV ' - .: 'nc — — ^tc- o~o--.. -*no ^e-tff; ■' ' V,'"' particularly since war was declared, and that is this; That I think we ought to be extremely careful to prevent as much as possible anybody antagonising the alien. We can't afford to have people among us who feel that they arc under suspicion, that there is any discrimination against them, because, ladies and gentlemen, we are all aliens one or two or three generations back* A few of us may be more. but mighty few. And the alien, to my mind, is just as good a citizen as the other fellow, as the American born, and ii, is as important as anything else that we be as considerate as possible,, because we cannot put ourselves in the place of these people who are just as loyal as we are and Still have something in their hearts that reminds them of their mother-country. This question never comes up but what I tljink of how careful we must be not to antagonize anybody in connection with this unpleasant situation. We will get a great deal farther if we are very very careful and guard against anything of that kind, to There is just one thing I want to refer/before I stop,, and that is of the loyalty of the industries with which our department has come in contact. We have had the finest kind of cooperation from every source that we have asked-. We have asked people from many industries to come down here; they have come willingly, they have said, "We want to do whatever the Government wants us to do," There hasn't been a single dissenting voice, They said, "We will throw aside our regular business to whatever extent the Government wants us toj we will put in Government bus: ness at less profit than we are getting; we will peg the price for a quantity so that you needn't be afraid of a rise". This is in several industries, and altogether the spirit has been wonderful; and if that message is 2Z£ ;o;-r.';ni v.:". :> »u t . % il^.m v«i Oi t :;./t. .O :'!.'-. .. . .. *»rf« ft r. i . : . '. "** T 'i iViffflC" h -"* " 1 «J r> CCSWi ^ -• .i ----- '. *•'- •/ : 'j., ii<^ •■,■ ic * : . no f. <* <-~ "■ ~t i &^v nr:*. *i\9 fi ?.?"." r.' f ' - V I ;-• ■ ' " t ' OiT^V li«f~ i.T., c;v ' r 1 *■-..+ ■ 1; -■^ a ex •£,••- ;_'&*:* v~ .•"■:; ,. !• « % ■ "i ».oi ;-;■?■/>/■•■.' .tfT-'.-.flliir; .eoiov ^ffJfetitft.avjcft aX^xi - , ■•i ! ►:. i 2 Tik? O-biaf: •jivf*i?pYi:-; has: t s&t , itv,ifbtft tOTr&vse si el ^i: ! ? . !; **:.'•*. carried back I am sure we will get that same response fro? everybody in all the states of the country (Applause) • THE PRESOIHG OFFICER MR, GIFFORD: Gentlemen, Dr, Anna Howard Shaw, chairman of our committee on Womens Defense work is here, and will say a few words to you in regard to the work which women can do in the war. STATEMENT OF DR. ANNA HOWARD SHAW, DR. SHAW: Ladies and gentlemen, I have no well- defined plan of our committee to bring before your body. The first call of our committee was made on last Friday, We immediately summoned the members; and one of them has only just arrived, although she took the first train to reach here. We have been in consultation for two days and we have tried to lay out a plan by which we could do some effective work. We have been reading the papers to find out what the people of the country and the Government expect that women can do. We find first that women are to be the inspirers of men, to fill them with the enthusiasm which is essentia in order to fill up the ranks of the Army and Navy with defenders whose hearts are free to give the best possible service to their country. We are not only to be the in- spirers of men and furnish the enthusiasm, but we are to be the calm, well-dire iplined,, home-loving people who are to keep harmony and the conditions of society and the Government from beinn; disturbed. Then we are tolrf. by the Secretary of Agriculture tha there is waste of $o much of the property of the country so much i3 wasted in the homes that we could feed the whole Army with it. So we are to inspire the people; we are to keep then* xxy T i> ■ VS 1 >'U "5:1 :ro ,f;:.;t!r!7« jTr. s ■ >J : >. i. „■ ii ..7 ;;:>.: i ; _,.,- . .. ^ , ^ . ;.-o *'■ 8:.tf> yi^o ^ ■ . * &fi -* - ...... I '■/.'. £TCC~ g-' '.c ?.-3f.rj-j *•*: \># f6TA J on . ., -,. .v , ,.-. ., -.,- , , ' . j^ , -, r>*r fc * ;■ r .••* • 1 ... •..- j. . «, .4 t . ?,«i Oi calm and we are to save enough to feed them and to do ft great many other things which are now laid upon the notseti. of the country. The women have as readily as men, now ar/ always, responded to every call the country has made upon them, and in the beginning of the war in Europe the women readily responded, but did not know what to do. They sai -\ as they are saying here in this country, "Here we are; use us" , And so not having any special directions as to how their services would be best rendered to this country- different groups of women have organized different socie- ties, different organizations, and have started out on different lines of work, many of them duplicating the worl For instance, I have receivedfrom six different societies of women a tabulated form which I am expected to fill out to tell the different kinds of work that I would be will- ing to do for the Government, Now then I suppose this is being sent to every one of the different societies, who are tabulating the women, who are registering the women of the country, duplicating the work over and over again The Government has discovered that women are ready to wo: i. but that without any definite aim the work is duplicated and they are now making an effort to find out how to gather up the services of the women of the country; and 1 suppose this is what led to the appointment of our commit- tee, and we are now in session without any well-defined plan of work, except first, that we are intending to call to our assistance- all the various organizations of women in the different states, to find out how many organizatic of women there are who are doing patriotic service, tabu- lating th,-:oe organizations; then to discover how many of them are duplicating each other's work, and as far as possible to coordinate the work under the direction of b< ZZ6 ■-. ■ f.i -r r> * »;«»:• ; Ancpcg fii j^ ',*A \w '*Tf ^'r • ;/<-- -:-• *: •:-.+ *v*fi« ■ ;p;:i &£# nit; tg >;? rr/ :• --;"'•- : -'-"•-- a j -■■ + ,■ >- •■■ «. ' < '..: ! i .i a ... j F ' - ■ 'v x ■* * •i.t ■>,>...- *1 V *^ «^ + vsii aexcv^ rioiAr ci '. ■• a>? |;p ?>3iii. X <^u %& ■eVj ?.fi O? hfi3«0ir;i/7O. : XI»'.'is \o#$ VvCff jji/iooi) has ea.nn.tr ' • . ; ^a^2, ' : _ » It pi se^S p«ot;r#y ?jf| ^c r:5orriove0 .- . • . ■ 3un p| ovl:', arc '£$#£ '.-.•!' .; ^t .D-TT.-i! fi/ .•>» j»a »•' T>. r •■-,%■ • ^ *■ ,-= :-.--v-io . -■.I,! ,-U.J.-. i.-...- ■ -' .1'.'. .'. < the work which they can do so much better than little sec- tions of women hi. ^r and. yon; and the principal part of our work will be in the coordination of all the work arid bringing under direct heads the work which they are doing., and have them continue with the existing societies* I think, Mr, Director, that this is all I can state to the meeting this afternoon* We are only seeking as far as possible their official cooperation with the committee which has been appointed by this Council of National De- fenses I thank you very much (Applause)* THE PRESIDING OFFICER MR, GIFFORD: The program is getting toward the end. Gentlemen, will you kindly send to Mr* James J* Storrow, Room 238, New Willard Hotel, any questions you would like to have asked of us covering matters in which your States are interested, I would like to ask General Harries, who is chairman of the committee on electric railroads, which Mr* Willard spoke of in connection with the steam railroads this morn- ing, to say just a few words to us, if he will, in regard to that subject. STATEMENT OF GEN* GEORGE H. HARRIES. Mr, Chairman and gentlemen, just a little something that might be added to the information which Mr, Willard gave this morning* O^e of the first things that came to the surface in connection with the War Department's study of national de- fense was necessarily coast defense. The present defenses we have on the coast are really harbor defences i They are just intended to prevent large cities from being shot up at short range* To defend the 2 So -■•■• ■ ■-;■; I ? " to I y ' .. P. ' vt- tetiTi " :• rf^iil :•' -,-;_-■ J. : " r"; v*' "H :300}I .y-o-r-o: :>.,■. o ^'Hevoo sjj in B'e£6 : £i ■ ,\-?t or rfil o.D/cv. rtov sir* ** ....... ... 4 c'Jtf O ' r? v-. < f* 70 ::: .D'-0 ,:l.-!D tb $»?1!M2T.it8 rri?iS5ifirf3 --"' : r:-;T'. : entire coast by a series of fixed forts would be practi- cally impossible en account of the cost. So the problem was to do what might be done to link up these harbor de- fenses, to the end that there be a somewhat efficient coast defense. No one knew exactly what to expect, and the Department wanted to be ready the War College did for any eventualities. So because there were only two coast defense posts on the Atlantic which were served directly by steam roads, while the inland post was served by an electric line, it was deemed advisable to see what could be done in Vie linking up. The matter was taken up with the American Electric Railway Association, and the result was the organization of the committee of which I was made chairman. Fifty-five thousand miles of electric railway have been placed en- tirely in my hands. That of course includes the electric mileage of the country. We are now mapping we found no maps incidentally- — we are now niexp.uip; the entire coast line. The committee has been divided into subdivisions, each vice chairman having charge cf a military department, a geographical military department, so that there are three factors human factors in each military depart- ment. One is the commanding general of that department; number two is a committee chairman of the American Railway Association standard steam roads and the other is the vice chairman of the electric organization. Any move- ments desired within each department by the commanding general are attended to by these two railroad men, one steam and one electric. They have absolute power within their depart rents, and report only to the. chairman. On the mop work we now have some 2,000 engineers and draftsmen employed. That map will be completed from the 23/ %*K ;.iim (■- r.:. ■" if ,...:-•:.!.; .'v .,..'. •-,:•; :uOL-3-.:. ',: : ■ •■''.' f tZ ::. ui'f-tO. LCTOn:"*; f-!-r.j:t r 5 i , •— — -nQi *• - l - V - * tliVivci'.*ill-5 ( j...i. Uj. . fji v. :'* s '-* .~ - t rv - -/ '! r • *V-. **■ ? - ■■_•, . -: •« ,* * ,« off the steam roads at junction points established by the companies and by electric motive power, just taking one interurban car, we have pushed three cars three car- loads—- right through to the Sally ports of the posts themselves at distances ranging from five to seventeen miles from the nearest steam road, without breaking bulk. Now that isthe operating, I heard someone say last night, "I want to know what the electric roads are doing". Well, they have been doing this and it is pretty near fulfillment we are all working in harmony, the steam roads and the electric roads, as to every detail. We have worked out with the Quarter- master^ department the first time it has ever been done the tariffs, freight tariffs and tariffs for the movement of men. We have all the arrangements made by which sufficient transportation can be mobilised. If the company operating that particular region on that line cannot provide cars enough, we have all the arrangements with neighboring companies, and we have absolute power to move that rolling stock just exactly as we want to and when we want to, Interchangeability of power systems has all been worked out, so that where a line, a small line comparative- ly, Turaii-'.-ig en half-hour or one hour or two-hour headway, is suddenly called upon for a strong movement, we can 'tap U3£ IT* ■ tli ■ ( * ri 3 , i : .-, ..-*■. -;• V .' OX::; J J ' JTTCl 1" --."'•■ , ■ •J V v. ■ni^-r itdt^^mtr r: i>&.**?'i -: • V - ^* -, »c I "t -■', ."■ T . ■(""• *": T** '*. r " ** *•' i, - ■.'- - - r ■ ■- -.- *- r . . - r ■ --*■-.....- '.< ■ i . . UiJ '_>.'..' |J i e>dt "?1 rt\l¥& box •'■VLirsb fci%l%!i{ ,»>'rl^V * £0 sfcS8 ,: j :£;.,.- ;/: fjj t'fe -v-v !«: . ' •y : ' 11 , r.--;x ':■::<■;"■ :v ; : .-•.; . ; .~ J ■■ r:r-; :•■■'.- ::.\i 1 ?■" iv.; ■.■■'■ ::<=*...:j-^ -:<:.. ^ ££*; H »c. i.uj. :.-.rx fT£ - "•-,"■■-.-<• h « J, - .4.W, t ' ful survey made Ox the people. A number of those men, picked men, will go abroad with any engineering expedi- tions that may go for the construction of principally what they call the n light M railways over there. They are using the light railways for bringing up ammunition to the front j and taking wounded back. We worked out with the Surgeon General^ office plans for the conversion into hos- pital cars of a very large amount of surplus rolling stock which has gone out of fashion. You know fashions in street cars change about as frequently as do- — well, hats, for instance, ladies' hats,-— and a good deal of pretty good rolling stock goes out of fashion. Now that is all being taken care of. The plans are all complete now for the cutting of side doors and the taking out of interiors and the placing therein of the necessary fittings so that litters may be placed in the interior for the handling of patients; and a very considerable number of engineers and operating men will go both to France and to Russia, That has been worked out, and the substitutes, those who will take their places, have all been arranged for. We have even troubled quite a number of folks by suggesting that ladies can do a good deal of work which men have been doing in times past, and they have accepted all that. Quite a number of companies are already planning what they will do when the men whom they know they are going to give leave, and they are planning to fill those places with women. The details are many. That is just a sketch to show you that the electric railway industry is organized, Mr, Willard was anxious that I should bring this up. He spoke to me about it at noon I did not expect to say anything about it, but the electric railway industry has been doing its share and doing ,£i&ai saorftf 1'-- ivtiikuB A .sXqosq edf ic ©xverc \- v c"^;. Zi/t -xiboqxs gpiisafjlsna vrun rfsiv fejocxoo 3^ IIx~ t .: .,-•. F ■.v.i.rq ire'Ir- ^XXsqioni:^':- i© nox.-foii-r^rrco ,.ifv *r^' : H2 ikit i&tHz&i ~;c ii; ■ ^:og rjj&l rfoluv: xci ,«?£.' t .'j...'.- —00 '-;-; uX?j: ^;:rai :, c *ju©«fj3 s^xi-erfo ,ixiL bcp$ ytfiir 2c Z'n'vh E)6c| 5 5rrn ,:;,*•-.. 'n^liusJt »&0*tij&shi Scxsd IX.:: ci ?etfi -:6ii 9 actdn£l ic 'iik strrj toc^s gallic £ £'.:r --■ on .:+::: iqsco JXs ots aflciq arfT »xq ox.-o nr-Mjsj J»h-.^ cn^X-i ip.f. 1- ?-;>."» jaijfcs* tiri.t fid's exeat tibia ti grri'MtfC .tiV> I--, .•.,-.-r,-*£ >i ^«s6sa ea$ xc ffisxoij^ gnxcslq s<# Tc :^.t.i.-..7 i;i >:!>. ~ ;„ :jl'i»>iri srW rri Lf.o.-Zq sd $ba 3Xs>7jx£ Jmxj? B'tssitl^^ i i .''ma •&3io£Jtaff6o xxov s J&ixs jo*aroJ&e^ tarf? gi£ •..*:£'*: ;:" J-n . • .?. ..'•••:? o* rffred eg XXi.v naa grrljaxc^C Iliv Giir; usc.i; t .-. -*-;?x A 'ru/p Qiif bar ' X H*6 &9gxo v rrwc £-4n t*7J8rf ■ : ,-£■:': I: ;.;j;zvzs no^d XXjk wrM »GsasIq xIv'Ti o&si $jja3 ( ji£ r-e-g::^ y.7 - ;!: > Ic "todiOaa 5 ©Jii/p i>oXd0Ox^ covo s rijcP »js;.- XT; : h: oo£ flv^r? ^6K? ifiJ5 ,*s^q a .-it ^i Ofi IIi,y Vi>/;:r 3; , 1 :';n .1!; t^B^^ ° - n r^^rrijqSOO X5 'H&*Xfi ^irVjGtX ^vig ;* :ri- : .7-j ^od^ v/a/t:i ^0.^3 tachii ns^ o^- 1 ."tft.iV ■c'X .iiciBOw clilv .J..C-: .'::* XXxl o? ^:£;iry?Xq si£ v. ■:;.■* \-._, .YiiJKiJ cxi3 Xi..;?: s 3ii^ vi/C «ri :■;-.. .: :'*Vtf s v^r i* J^r -- . h" * "■ ~< •:X5h aria ;r-.:\-{- •. ■■: ; - ■: ;. :f . ,\A v::^ .:.' -'■. r,l~:'.$ I. it very well, and the Department feels very much grati- fied, and I am sure all of us good citizens are very well satisfied to know that even though those case-hardened criminals who insist upon receiving fares for service rendered are willing' to do their share (Laughter and ap- plause) . a&f- THE PRESIDING OFFICER MR. GIFFORD; Our program ie new finished, except that I wish, Mr. Porter, who is to assist me in the State Cooperation work for the Council to tell you a little bit - - - very briefly - - - how we intend to handle that, as you will know about it. I trill call on Mr. Porter now. STATEMENT OF MR, PORTER MB. PORTER: Facing the immediate problems of organi- zation and of needed information which this Conference has now before it, our vision of the great achievement of the last few weeks ie perhaps obscured; but as we look back on the development * less than three weeks, it seems an immense achievement in that this National Defense Council has come together, and that there exo meeting here in Wash- ington representatives from the 48 States of the Union. Think, gentlemen, what this means, that here in Wash- ington on 12 days' notice, from all over the Union there have come together active, forceful, public-spirited men, representative of their communities. They have come to- gether, some of them the Governors of their States, to represent their States here. When the Council of National Defense determined upon this conference and the telegram of Secretary of War Baker calling it was sent, the time seemed very short for such an undertaking. Many states were not organized. As far as the incomplete records we were able to collect showed, only 30 states had c -ganized Councils of Defense. It was uncertain how many men could come in the short time al- lotted. It was uncertain if time would permit their ap- pointment and their arrival from the far west. But these doubts were soon dissipated. The first telegram received was from Nevada, and from the Governor of Nevada saying that he was comrng himsalf. The next was from Oregor, t#r-> -r ■ .-^J! If**- J.C - . ;i .:.r. .. . - " . .■ " .'i.t v r-;:.r &*£ v< j » - * . i a. . . • •-* x' J ■ ■ ■ * r, t;U -r-^oO .:■;•:' :.::^—:o ■ . . ■ - j ■ : . f--- ■.- " ,:■-: ■ i -.; lb Then we heard from California, that it was to be repre- sented by the president if its great university; and quickly afterwards from Minnesota, from Maine, from Georgia, from Florida, from all parts of the Union. And here today is this conference, this meeting of the minds of the representatives of all the States, establishing the personal touch between the States themselves and between all the States and the Council. It gives assurance that all the States which have not organized will speedily organize State Councils of De- fense. As we look back, gentlemen, on the development of these three weeks, it is phenomenal, and our highest hopes are realized. As to the imme" vte work of this section, we feel it must be a matter of growth, and that for our guidance and for our success we must call as we are sailing on the State Councils for advice and for help. Only as you will allow us, can we serve you; only as you will furnish us with information of what you are doing and with sug- gestions, and will take from us suggest ions for your work as we see the necessity for it here, can we hope to suc- ceed. This department must be first a great clearing house, a great clearing house of information between the National Council and the State Councils, through which information of what the Council is planning, of what its needs are, and of how the States can avail them- selves of and cooperate with it, can quickly be sent to the Scales, This Department must be a means cf 'crraaiunicatioxi betwc ... the federal departments and the Stafc(»& by which can quickly spread the information of 257 ' " •- ».;o :.; ."•I . ••i + •.,■ vf theH: activities and their needs. And equally important it must bo a means of coiaatxnioaticn by -which the States can ir.press ths Council and the Federal Government with the States' conditions and needs; with what they are doing, with what their people are demanding; with valuable ideas ana sound suggestions. It must be the channel of communication, also, not only between the Federal departments and the States, but between the States themselves. You mast furnish us with information as to '. .e activities of each of your states. We must soo that this information is distributed to the other States. Where valuable work is being done in a state, information of it must speedily be sent broadcast, with practical plans end suggestions, to the ether States. Where one State is making mistakes and learns by experience, this experience must immediately be sent to the others that they may avoid these mistakes and loss of time. Much work in the States, to be of the greatest nation- al value must bo uniform. It will be the work of this department to communicate with all the States and to see that this uniformity is secured. And in this same way dup- lication must be avoided. There were handed to you this morning recommendations for the states which have net or- ganized, which have not organised in detail, suggesting how they should or .nize. Wo realize of course that dif- ferent conditions in different states make different or- ganization not only necessary but desirable; but in prepa- ring this plan we have had the advice cf and have very oarefully considered what the states which have organized have done, and have endeavored to prepare a plan big enough to 1st all come in; to let the different conditions in the 'ferent states fit in to it broad enough for that, and at the same time firm enough so that there may be some- thing sinrlar in each state to work with, •7 * /r • wWifj-J <■ ;... . v w*t*j r-fc, iVL