Show TECHNOCRACY STIRS DEBATE By BUFORD SOMMERS T Technocracy a a word on everybody's every every- body's lips Ups a scant three years ago today today stands as the forgotten o gotten issue issue la lane is- is sue ne with with the tho man In the street Reviled by such big wigs of ot economics economics eco I eco eco- as S Irving Fisher and Roger Babson and eliciting indignant disclaim disclaimers dis die claim claimers era from engineers far and d near mention of the issue failed to fo arou arouse o more more than wild comment from members ers of the p profession in Salt Lake City cU And a a Te Telegram scout was unable to find half hall a men accosted at random who could recite the tenets of ot the theory J. J A A. Hale chief engineer for tor the Utah Power and Light company and anda a member er of the executive committee commit commit- tee ee of the Utah section of ot American Institute of Electrical engineers on once nee e a a a. a sprightly critic o of the do doe doc trine rine surveyed the tho situation cooly Saturday y V Justa Just a nine day wonder that people peo peo- plc forgot he pronounced pronounced- Built upon tipon an an unstable foundation and I lost st support of it its ts influential ba backers S Stirred Reaction It was Mr Hale who back in 1933 viewed with alarm V Noting a tendency to hang technocracy on the he engineers he urged at a meet meet- tog ing ng of the Utah Society of Engineers that hat the profession quickly di disown own it t lest they be left discredited when the he In those days from deep in the academic belt sp out ut Dr Thomas Thom Thom- as C C. Adams associate professor of civil civil ivil engineering at the University of f Utah In scholarly papers he was wont to explode technical inaccuracies acles that ho he said pervaded the concepta concepts con- con and hinted that Howard Scott high prie priest t of technocracy was more lore showman than scientist To Today day feels feelS' results have borne out his lis analyses RaIf Ralf R. R Vo Woolley secretary of the Utah Society of Professional Engineers Engineers Engineers Engi Engi- and senior zealot hydraulics engineer engineer engi engi- neer neet- with the U. U S. S geological survey cur sur sur I vey refuses to to irow grow interested over overa I a corpse We burled them technocrats with ceremony back in 1933 1931 he recalled He wipes out the whole argument with one question Wh What t would you you use for V money Another leader in the engineerIng engineering engineer- engineer Ing ng profession an official of ot the he engineering council looking back through the years sees technocracy as a flash lash in the pan Fine ide ideas with ith ridiculous applications applications he characterizes the whole movement Technocrats Go On V But to the faithful technocracy is s far froma dead issue Two meetings meetings meet- meet ings are held every week In Salt Lake ake City Quietly and studiously the members member are informing themselves themselves themselves them them- selves and their followers rs so that when the thO crash they reg regard rd as Inevitable Inevitable Inevitable In In- evitable for the profit system occurs occurs occurs oc oc- oc- oc curs they will have an educated to step into the breach The same same caIrn calm endeavor is going on in countless cities over the naion nation na- na ion tion tion intelligent gro groups ps as units of Technocracy Inc over which the maligned Howard vard Scott still rules as director chief in New York City V In Salt Sait Lake City the meetings V on Friday nights are devoted to those le less s schooled In the principles of te technocracy while whitO Monday night sessions offer post graduate work Prominent in the local movement are engineers engin ers who have hav r rep reputations among their coJI colleagues agues in the profession pro pro- fe sion as able mien men Neils' Neils C. C Christe sen chief engIneer engineer engineer engi engi- neer for the Combined M Metals Reduction Reduction Reduction Re Re- company Is Js' director Another Another An An- Another other prominent figure Is Keith Murdock geophysicist who spends his winter vacations In advanced study at the University of ot Utah The criticism o of their ei fell fellow w professionals professionals pro pro- In In private employment never worried the eri engineers in teh- teh They that public pub pub- agre agree the public pub pub- lic lie print c carried claims attributed to technocracy that far overshot the line Jine of plausibility They admit that the fault lay Jay partly with the leaders in failing to protest against a publicity program in 1932 th that thit t was vas vas' without the sanction of U the e founders But as for V technocracy's being a dead issue Mr Murdoch comments Like the damned spot In Macbeth Macbeth Mac Mac- beth It It wont won't out I Hes He's Founder I t A vc z p c 9 V V V 5 N V V. V V HOWARD HO SCOTT His il Followers erS Still F Follow V |