Central Purchasing Commission: [Memorandum by Frederic W. Alle]

Central Purchasing Commission.1. Appoint Commission of three a) To make all United States purchasesb) To vise foreign purchasesc) To control and exercise the decisions of priority.2. Announce to public either directly, or by letter to Commission, the purposes of the Commission as follows: “To win this war we must have maximum production, therefore urge that the Commission establish prices which will produce maximum production- prices sufficiently high to permit the smaller and the more disadvantageously situated manufacturers to produce his quota at a generous living profit. Such prices will necessarily bring to larger and more advantageously situated manufacturers excess profits, but it will be suggested to Congress that these profits be reduced by a progressive excess profit tax, so that he who makes the greater profit will pay the greater tax. Indecision and delay will postpone the day of peace and thereby directly cause an additional loss of life and money. The war is costing ourselves and our Allies many thousands of lives and approximately $100,000,000. a day. While the law of supply and demand was not created by man and may not be repealed by him, many factors affecting its working may be materially changed by governmental action.
Relying upon the patriotism of our business men it is believed that the Commission through suggestion and requests will permit the establishment of satisfactory prices. In this work it is thought that the Federal Trades Commission may be of service to both the Commission and the manufacturers and producers. Priority decisions have been created in the Commission because they are inevitably interwoven with the purchasing of supplies.