A Question of Concern

General Motors Corp. made a unique move last week to meet the objections of critics who have assailed its attitude toward such major social issues as auto safety and pollution. The world's largest manufacturer designated five members of its board of directors as a "public policy committee" to "inquire . . . into all phases of [General Motors'] operations" that relate to national problems. The group is headed by John A. Mayer, chairman of Mellon National Bank & Trust Co. G.M. Chairman James Roche said that the existence of the committee would give "matters of broad national concern a permanent place on the highest level of management."

Critics responded only with more skepticism. Consumer Crusader Ralph Nader, G.M.'s No. 1 foe, dismissed the committee as "a fraud." The organizers of Campaign G.M., a group that has been pressing the company to exercise greater social responsibility, complained that the committee "has no blacks, no women, no consumer representatives or environmentalists." The apparent moral: Only tangible and prompt action will quiet G.M.'s persistent detractors.

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