By a system of priorities that governed both production and distribution the War Industries Board regulated the supply of raw materials to manufacturers and the delivery of finished products. It stimulated production and speeded distribution of whatever was urgently needed for the fighting forces, for exchange with neutrals or for our own people, but limited the supply of raw materials, or coal, or electricity, or labor, and temporarily withheld the facilities of distribution when need was not immediate, or when there would otherwise have been interference with some war-making effort. Every important class of industry in the country, and some that were not of large consequence in so far as the size of their business was concerned, came within the scope of the Board’s operations. The expert leaders of these industries were represented among the advisers of the Board, to which they brought their comprehensive and profound knowledge of resources, conditions, methods of operation, and quantity, quality and ordinary destination of output. Industries were listed, classified and studied to determine the degree of preference to which each was entitled, and in many cases the same method was applied to individual plants within an industry. To those entitled to preferential treatment because they could best subserve some phase of war need was given priority of service in all their requirements, while the needs of others were deferred until the preferred industries or plants were satisfied.