Show Demobilization Committee t 3 f Completes Initial Report I Congressional Group Provides for Action by Legislation Rather Than Executive Decree Small Business Gets Break L J By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator Service U Union ion Trust Building Washington D. D C. C At a recent White House press and radio conference the President in talking of certain measures he had recommended to benefit men and women leaving the armed service explained that long before the demobilization demobilization demobilization de de- mobilization of the fighting forces actually actually actually ac ac- ac- ac begins many veterans are demobilized who for military or other reasons are returned to civil life One m million have already been discharged and the process continues contin contin- I I ues while others are being taken into the service To some degree this process is paralleled by other forms of demobilization demobilization demobilization demo demo- and congress has realized that the machinery for reconverting the American economy to peacetime peace- peace time operation must be set up im im- mediately One group a special committee ommittee on postwar economic policy policy policy pol pol- pol- pol icy and planning of which Senator George is the chairman has finished its s fir first report which deals with cancellation Of or war contracts disposition ms dis- dis disposition position and sale of surplus property proper proper- ty and industrial demobilization and conversion Quite aside from the content of the report the document is important important important tant for three reasons First it provides for action by legislation legislation legislation leg leg- rather than by executive decree decree decree de de- de- de cree and envisions a board whose first responsibility is to congress rather than to the Chief Executive An important step in returning to the natural processes of democracy interrupted by the war Second it has been written with a realization that in the shuffling re-shuffling of industry small business must get a break It is quite probable that Senator Murray who has taken the troubles of small business under his wings will contribute considerably to the bill which will be introduced to implement the purpose of the report Political Non-Political Expert 1 Third and very important is the tact fact that the report was was coordinated I and probably largely written by a paid political non-political expert hired out of the committee funds as as' its coun coun- sel Similar assistance is always utilized by the tax committee where highly technical knowledge is essential essential essential essen essen- and it has long been the feeling bf 61 Senator George and others that one of the great weaknesses of congressional congressional congressional con con- gressional procedure is the lack of expert staff assistance for this type of work the coordinating and correlating correlating correlating corre corre- lating of the information brought out in the hearings and the contributions of the various committees and the facts and opinions resulting from the investigations and the special knowledge knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge of the individual members rs As a small group of us newsmen newsmen and women sat in iri the committee- committee I room and questioned Scott Russell the counsel we were impressed with his grasp of the subject and the way he separated political opinion from the factual content and the in interpretation interpretation interpretation in- in of the various paragraphs paragraphs paragraphs para para- graphs as he read them over to us or we questioned him concerning them Russell was a former district attorney in Georgia and he was also president of one of of the largest businesses businesses businesses busi busi- nesses in the South the Bibbs Manufacturing Manufacturing Manufacturing Manu Manu- company haired Gray-haired but young looking and vigorous with an easy c sense common approach Russell gave you the feeling he knew what he was talking about Business and Government But regardless of the merits of this particular case it seems to me rather significant that the thinking leaders in congress of whom there are always many realize the importance importance importance im im- im- im of getting to use a somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what shopworn expression in its best sense more business into government government govern govern- ment business ment business in the sense of businesslike and efficient procedure not the bias of any particular busi bus ness I have gone into some detail in previous columns in regard to the importance of small business in the American I will economy r only say here that Senator Murray although not a member of this committee was called in for consultation and andun un undoubtedly a part of his legislative thinking will be incorporates incorporated into the bill which I imagine will be introduced introduced introduced in in- before this is printed Already the giants are battling Efforts are being made by the big manufacturers to assure themselves that when converted war industries resume their peacetime work they will not be thrust into competition with prewar industries which can make the same product The report of this committee recognizes recognizes recognizes rec rec- this danger and also the need of handling the sale of surpluses surpluses surpluses sur sur- pluses in such a manner that they will not flood the market so that the regular producer will have to meet an unnatural competition I The report of the committee visualizes visualizes visualizes the need of regulating such conditions and there are many which I I must be foreseen and met I will not go into the details of the report which is a straightforward statement statement statement-he he who runs may read it without encountering the usual and the other impedimenta impedimenta impedimenta menta which many legal documents contain and which makes them quite safe from the danger of perusal by bythe bythe bythe the layman no no Board Boar a Recommended Briefly a board is recommended The President would appoint tl the e administrator administrator administrator ad ad- subject to confirmation by the senate The administrator would pick his own staff not representatives representatives representatives of any group but men of special ability fit to represent the United States as a whole men chosen chosen chosen cho cho- sen for their outstanding This board would report to congress a congressional committee commit commit- tee would keep its eye on the reports and its members would sit in at atthe atthe atthe the board meetings The board would not be an operating operating operating ing agency It would be purely administrative administrative administrative ad ad- making use of the existing existing existing ex ex- ex- ex government agencies It would be called the Office of Demobilization For the duration it would be a subsidiary of the afterward it would be supreme supreme supreme su su- su- su preme in its field The importance of this action as asfar asfar asfar far as the general public is concerned concerned concerned con con- is this it represents one of the first steps of congress looking toward taking back its policy-making policy powers which of necessity have been delegated to the administrative branch and does so in a most vital field of endeavor It is pointed out that these policy-making policy powers as applied to conversion may affect the economy of the nation for many years to come For instance as Russell put it in the interview interview con con congress gress doesn't want any anyone one man or any anyone one agency to decide such vital issues as to whether the government government government govern govern- ment remains in the rubber making business whether we shall have a large merchant marine or a small one r no important Points Briefly here are some of the points I which the committee recommends 1 That demobilization should be beso beso beso so handled as to preserve free en en- 2 That full employment be as as- 3 That owned government-owned or controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled plants be disposed of in a away away away way as not to affect the national economy adversely 4 That disposal of government- government owned plants should be in line with American foreign policy with the prevention of monopoly with the encouragement encouragement encouragement en en- of full competition and small business 5 5 No plants or surpluses disposed of where their existence is vital to the national economy or such disposal disposal disposal dis dis- affects it adversely or under conditions which would make it impossible impossible impossible im im- im- im possible for the small business to acquire them And this word of wisdom is added The shutting down of factories the stoppages of work and the unemployment unemployment unemployment un un- employment of workers through delays delays delays de de- de- de lays in contract settlements will cause far greater loss of revenue to the gover government to to ment-to to say nothing of general economy than economy than could possibly possibly possibly bly be saved through conventional pre-audit pre of contractors claims In other words the tithe laws law's delay will be expensive It will be interesting to see if the tha lawmakers themselves cause unnecessary unnecessary unnecessary essary delay in this undertaking Intelligent Intelligent Intelligent In In- and unselfish consideration and action is the keyword to a just realization of this practical example of planning |