Automatic Age

T he A
u t o m a t ic
piking at the cause o f the real
trouble, which is outside competition.
When business men realized that
,W e were many constructive activ-
in which their associations could
^gage that were approved by the
Government, the association move-
^ n t took a jump forward that has
|taced it in a position when it has
“ecome the means by which most of
the ills of business can be overcome.
a result, trade association has
°ecome one of the greatest construc­
tive instrumentalities for business
®etterment that there is.
Be assured that there is nothing in
Statutes of the United States, or
'n the decisions of its courts, that
Prohibits business men from getting
^gether for mutual
betterment.
?hat people have the right to com­
bine for mutual aid has been recog­
nized throughout the centuries. In
^ct, it may be said that practically
€Very step that the human race has
taken forward has been the result of
^-operation of one form or another,
^he individual is weak. He attains
l e n g t h when he unites with his
fellows.
What are some of these legitimate
Activities in which an association
may engage? Perhaps this question
^an best be answered by a statement
^hich a great citizen of this country,
Secretary of Commerce, Herbert
hoover, once made:
“ Where the objectives of co-opera­
tion are to eliminate waste in pro­
duction and distribution, to increase
education as to better methods of
business to expand research in pro­
cesses of production, to take collec­
tive action in policing business eth-
*Cs> to maintain standards of quality,
to secure adequate representation of
Problems before the Government and
°ther economic groups and to im­
prove conditions of labor, to nego­
tiate collectively with highly organ­
ized groups of labor, to prevent un­
employment, to supply information
© International Arcade Museum
A
ge
69
equally to members and to the pub­
lic, upon which better judgment may
be formulated in the conduct of bus­
iness; then these activities are work­
ing in public interest.”
On another occasion, Secretary
Hoover’s
Department made this
statement:
t
“ The trade, association as a facility
for the promotion and self-regulation
of industry and commerce has be­
come by reason of its scope and ac­
tivity, an important business institu­
tion.”
Better even then Mr. Hoover’s
words, however, is the encourage­
ment and the active assistance which
he has given trade associations ever
since he entered the President’s Cab­
inet. He has done more by far, than
any one man, to make the trade as­
sociation movement the force for
good that it is today.
No better illustration o f the use­
fulness of an association can be
offered than its leadership in pro­
tecting an industry against any prac­
tice that might impair public confi­
dence in its product.
The importation of foreign steel,
simply to save a few dollars in the
first or initial cost, is a point in ques­
tion. It is not because of its foreign
origin that the use of imported steel
should be opposed. There are con­
ditions which surround its use that
are well worth considering.
American structural steel is made
to conform to certain specifications
that are universally used in this
country. They prescribe its chemical
composition and mechanical proper­
ties which are determined by stand­
ard physical tests.
The uniform
quality and dependability of the Am­
erican product is an important factor
in the building industry.
Foreign steel is made to conform
to foreign standards that are not ac-
sceptable to us. When manufactur­
ers abroad do attempt to produce a
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