SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1201 



subversion of the fundamental principles 

 of our government. 



The Administrative Commissions. — As a 

 necessary concomitant of these regulatory 

 movements, commissions or other public 

 agents were created whose duty it was to 

 enforce the public utilities and pure food 

 laws. At first the commissions had small 

 authority; but as necessity arose their 

 .powers were expanded. "When the present 

 powers of these commissions and agents 

 were worked out, it was found that they 

 were a combination of executive, legislative 

 and judicial ; and, thus, instead of keeping 

 these functions separate, they were com- 

 bined. Regulatory commissions have now 

 become recognized as essential under 

 modern conditions as the executives, legis- 

 latures or courts. The development of the 

 administrative commissions is probably the 

 most fundamental change which has taken 

 place in our government since the adoption 

 of the Constitution. Therefore it is not 

 at all surprising that the development of 

 these commissions has been looked upon 

 with suspicion and doubt by the people, in 

 consequence of which it is only slowly and, 

 as proven necessary by irresistible facts, 

 that they have increased in numbers and 

 expanded in functions. 



The above is a wholly inadequate, because 

 necessarily all too brief, summary of eco- 

 nomic conditions which existed antecedent 

 to the war. 



THE EFFECT OP THE WORLD WAE 



When the World War broke out in 

 August, 1914, the immediate economic ef- 

 fect was to create almost a panic in this 

 country. The stock exchanges in the chief 

 commercial countries of the world were suc- 

 cessively closed. Prices of many commodi- 

 ties fell. But it was not long before the 

 permanent economic effeot of the war be- 

 gan to appear. 



The Greatly Increased Demand for Com- 

 modities 

 There were withdrawn from productive 

 work by the allies alone 15,000,000 to 20,- 

 000,000 of men; and behind the lines as 

 many more were ere long diverted to war 

 manufactories. In consequence of the col- 

 losal transfer of the ranks of industry, 

 there was a great decline in the agricul- 

 t^^ral and ordinary manufacturing produc- 

 tion of Europe. Yet, the many millions of 

 men in the field required more than the 

 usual amounts of food and great quanti- 

 ties of clothing. The demand for ships, 

 guns and munitions was insatiable. The 

 result was an extraordinary call for essen- 

 tial commodities from the United States. 



Increase in Exports 



The amount of wheat which was exported 

 in the fiscal year 1914^15 was more than 

 double that of any previous year. The ex- 

 portation of meats and fats rapidly in- 

 creased until it became threefold. 



The exports of iron and steel gradually 

 increased until they became fourfold. 



The exportation of copper increased two- 

 fold. Many other commodities were ex- 

 ported in proportion to those mentioned. 



Thus while, from the outbreak of the 

 war, the central powers were in a great 

 measure cut off as export markets for the 

 United States, the needs of the allies were 

 so greatly enhanced as to vastly more than 

 counteract the partial loss of the export 

 market for the central powers. 



Increase in Home Demands 

 Finally in April, 1917, we entered the 

 war ; and in consequence there were at once 

 great governmental demands for materials 

 to build ships, for munitions, for food, and 

 for textiles. To meet these needs it was 

 necessary greatly to extend our manu- 

 facturing, transportational, mining and 



