“ INVERT day the Advisory Commission of the Council of 
■EA National Defense receives offers of service from business 
firms and individuals, with requests for immediate information as 
to how this service may best be rendered. Now and then great 
dissatisfaction with the governmental departments is expressed 
because instant advantage is not taken of such offers. Many firms 
are hesitating to close ordinary business contracts because of a 
desire to hold capacity open to meet possible early Government 
need. 
“ r / AIIS spirit and this willingness to meet sacrifice, and even 
financial loss, in the Government service is a most encourag¬ 
ing tribute to American patriotism. But we must remember that 
in the great struggle in which we have now become a part there 
is much to consider besides munitions, troops, and battleships. 
Few of us can serve in any heroic role, or even in the supply of 
munitions to the military arms of the service. 
“ TN this country of vast resources we already have a tremen- 
dons equipment for munitions making, built up on foreign 
orders, and now immediately available through expiration of 
these orders. Except in limited cases, there is little need for the 
development of new sources of supply. The dictates of common 
business sense require the utilization, as far as possible, of existing 
machinery. 
“ TT seems to me, therefore, that a plain statement of general 
policy is most desirable. Upon the industrial side of the 
war three great problems, or perhaps I should better say tasks, 
confront us. 
“ T7IRST and foremost, we must facilitate the flow of raw mate- 
'*■ rials and finished products to our allies, and must provide 
the means of rail and water transportation therefor. Second, we 
must meet our own great military and naval building schedules. 
Third, we must plan to do all this with the least possible disar¬ 
rangement to our own vast commercial and industrial machines. 
Through it all we must keep a close eye upon the possible condi¬ 
tions of peace following the present war. We must insure the 
business success and general prosperity of the country during the 
war if we are to hold our present strong place among nations in 
the commercial competition of the future. 
“ UPHERE is no doubt of the willingness of any manufacturing 
plant or individual to serve should the call come. But until 
the call does come, it is best to stick to the job. Let us make ‘Better 
Business' our watchword, and keep our factory fires burning. No 
radically new conditions confront us. We are still cut off from 
business relations with the Central Powers, but that does not mean 
that we have lost any markets. With the rest of the world we will 
continue to do a volume of business greater than ever before. To 
the billions which have been spent here by foreign powers are now 
to be added billions of our own. State activities, road building, 
public works, private industries, all must go on as before. Busi¬ 
ness must be increased, labor employed, and the country kept 
going strongly ahead as a successful economic machine. We 
must have successful industries if successful tax levies are to be 
received.” 
