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Show Reports i i ' i Rep. Shannon URGESMUCUT TRADEACTIVITY House Body Advocates Taking Tak-ing Government Out of Business ' ' ' - - . j ; - . (Br tjanei Press) . WASHINGTON, Feb. S Th Shannon Shan-non committee today urged congress to pastor millions of dollars, worth of business to private hand by eliminating elim-inating government competition in two score fields. Major recommendations In a 500-page 500-page report to the house included: That the government stop msnu-fscturing msnu-fscturing its supplies snd buy them from privet concerns under contract con-tract safeguarding union labor; Cessation of farm board crop stabilization stabi-lization activities; Increases in parcel post rates to make the service pay for itself; Possible sbolition ot federal barge lines; That disabled war veterans be sent to private and municipal hospitals, where the government would pay for treatment by local physicians, surgeons sur-geons and dentists instcsd ot building more federal hospitals. Government competition has reached such magnitude that it threatens threat-ens to atifl private initiative, the committee warned. It submitted its findings to the house after an eight-month investigation investiga-tion under the leadership of Representative Repre-sentative Joseph R. Shannon, Democrat Demo-crat from Kansas City, Mo. The committee com-mittee collected evidence from 32 cities. OTHER SUGGESTIONS Additional recommendation ' Included: In-cluded: I 1. Restriction of federal-aided farmers' cooperatives to the aala of product of their own member. - 1, Discontinuance of th army transport service and the ship service of th Panama Canal railroad.' i. Award to private companies of munitions manufacturing and batUe-ship batUe-ship building contracts, following a study to determine how much of this work could be taken from srmy arsenals ar-senals and navy yards without impairing im-pairing national defense. 4. Establishment of a department of supplies and munition under civilian civil-ian control to make all purchases for sll executive depsrtments and to remove re-move military personnel "as fsr as possible from procurement and productive pro-ductive activities." 5. Centralization of all government architectural supervision in one office of-fice with the future policy calling for employment of private, instead of federal, fed-eral, engineers and architect for government gov-ernment construction. a Abolition of all army and navy (Continued ea rase Tei "broad national policy heretofore laid' down by congress," But it did suggest thst the waterways question should be seriously studied. While the committee held that farmer-owned, controlled and financed fi-nanced cooperatives were a legitimate form ot competition which the private middleman must meet, it could not stomach the government forcing bim to pay taxes to be used by the term board to finance the cooperatives' fight against him. If In the future the government wants to extend credit to distributors of farm products, the majority contended, con-tended, it must be on equal terms to both middlemen and cooperatives. URGES U. S. CUT TRADEACTIVITY (Continues from rsss One I exchanges and commissaries except in Isolated areas. PRIVATE CONTRACTS . 7. Contracting with private firms tor construction, reclamation, levee work, flood control, harbor and river dredging and tha discontinuance of such work by government employes using government equipment. The committee feels this would result in substsntisl ssvlngs. . Discontinusnce ot tours by the msrine bsnd and its use at private functions. . Abolishment of army and nsvy uniform and ssddie msnufscturing plsnts such as are maintained at the war department supply depot in Philadelphia, Phil-adelphia, the navy yard in Brooklyn and tha army depot at Jeffersonville, Ind, 10. Establishment of a uniform government gov-ernment system of accounting for cost finding and to make possible com-psrisons com-psrisons between public and private costs of production snd service. 11. Elimination of government printing office manufacture of paste, mucilsge, blank books and other items of the stetionery business, and restoration resto-ration of this business to private trade. 12. Allotment of "a fair portion" of tha war and navy departments' helium requirements to private concerns con-cerns so as to provide additional sources ot this noninflammable dirigible diri-gible gss for use In case ot war. 11. Cooperation by the government with the lumber Industry so thst the latter shall not suffer losses and Instability In-stability due to the sale ot timber from Indian lands, nations! parks and reservations. COSTS INCLUSION It. Inclusion of "creative and administrative" ad-ministrative" costs of production in the sale of government msps and lithographic lith-ographic work which enter into competition com-petition with private products. 1. Abolition of government competition com-petition in the ssle of serum, virus snd other biological and pharmaceutical pharmaceu-tical preparations. 16. That henceforth no department be allowed to erect and equip any new plants or reequlp old ones for msnufscturing without specific permission per-mission from congress. 17. Discontinusnce ot pslnt and and varnish manufacture at the Norfolk, Nor-folk, Sen Francisco, Philsdelphia, Chsrleston and other navy yards. 18. Abolition of prison commissaries commis-saries and establishment of prison industries in-dustries which will keep the convicts busy at tasks not competing with privets pri-vets industry. The committee frowns upon use of highspeed machinery at prisons and believes stress should be placed upon prison training rather than Industrial output It. Abolition of the post office department's de-partment's practice of printing return re-turn addresses on stamped envelopes in competition with services offered by private printing establishments. 1 20. No more sslvaging of ships by the coast guard except In emergencies and pending arrival of private salvaging salvag-ing vessels. 21. Abolition Of private veterinary practice by farm bosrd agents. 22. Discontinusnce of government wsrehouslng, except for government-owned government-owned goods. RESTRICTION URGED 23. Restriction of army and navy laundries, dysing and cleaning establishments es-tablishments to actual service requirements. require-ments. 24. That henceforth restaurants shall not be established in govern-ment govern-ment buildings at government expense. ex-pense. Parcel post rates, the committee held, should be raised to make this class of postal business self-supporting, and the post office should not be sllowed to advertise for trade. In this connection the Brotherhood of Railway Rail-way Clerks contended that the below-cost below-cost parcel post service was taking business from the express companies with consequent loss ot employment to their workers. The committee's opposition to federal fed-eral barge lines grows from protests of competition from privstely owned barge companies and railroads. Railroads Rail-roads contended transportation facilities facili-ties are in excess of needs and that expansion ot waterways was depriving depriv-ing many rail workers ot their livelihood. liveli-hood. RECOMMENDS STUDY The committee refused to pass definitely defi-nitely on the advisability of doing away with the waterways, because of |
