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because I don't know enough about state constitutions.

Every Governor of every state in the East had begun to worry about unemployment in his state. The New England Council called a conference of New England Governors. John G. Winant was Governor of New Hampshire. They were asking a number of people to come, and he suggested that I be asked to come, although I didn't have anything to do with the government of any New England State.

It was probably at that conference that I heard the idea that an industry in one state competes with the same industry in another state. The laws are different and so forth, so how could one industry in Maine put into operation an unemployment insurance scheme which would cost them money, when they didn't have anything to do in New Hampshire or Massachusetts. I don't know whether the word “compact” was used then, but an idea of an agreement between the states was certainly discussed. We held the meeting in the old Parker House in Boston. The discussion took place in the big ball room there. It was a very rewarding meeting for me. I got a lot of ideas and among other things I got this idea of the competitive areas. I realized, of course, all the time that every one of the New England industries was also operating in the State of New York and that New York was a competitor with them. I always had this