Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 January 1918 — Co-Operation, Not Competition Must Govern Business in Future [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Co-Operation, Not Competition Must Govern Business in Future

By GEORGE W. PERKINS.

Business and Financial Expert

America is face to face with the necessity of revolutionizing her attitude toward business. The events of our first war year have demonstrated that we are as unprepared for peace as we were unprepared for war. And unless we learn the lesson that this year’s events ought to have taught us, industrially and economically, the United States is in for a very severe trial not only during but after the close of the war. The new principle of business that our unpreparedness has taught us is that co-operation and not competition is the life of trade. On our acceptance of

that principle depends not only the industrial welfare of this country m the future, but the social status of our people as well. When war was declared, this country was saddled with the incubus of the lack of vision of our so-called political leaders of the last twenty years. Politicians had decreed that ruthless competition should rule industry. .... We have had all the evils that flow from unrestricted competition costly trade wars between economic units that were fighting for the same market; adulteration of product and bad trade practices, rebating, secret agreements, price cutting, low wages, child labor and all their attendant evils. ■’ Have we profited by our mistakes? Have we awakened to the necessities of the future? Are we ready to prepare with all possible speed for the new economic conditions that face us? ’ Are we ready to accept the new principle, viz., that co-operation is henceforth to be the life of trade and that ruthless competition is no longer the life of trade? The problem, brought fully before us in the events of the past year, is the most important and also the most fascinating of any that this country has ever solved. It calls for the most supremely unselfish and patriotic effort that the people of our land are capable of giving.