The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-04-22
Spirit of Revival Of Business, After
Peace Comes, Will be Greater
Than Ever
Before.
sELFR1DGE PREDICTION
America VIII Play an Important
Part in Rehabilitation Of
the Commerce Of the
World.

! 1.-THE following article. written at
the suggestion of the United Press,
outlines postwar conditions in Eng
land, as seen by Mr.. Henry Gordon
Selfridge, the American who intro
i duced the American department store
| and American business methods into
London trade with enormous finan-
cial success. Mr. Selfridge long has
been close student of international
and European commercial economics.
fBy Henry Gordon Seifrfdge, Written
for the United Press.]
LONDON, April 11.-(By mail. y
Europe will rise rapidly from the
ashes of war. Demobilizing the great
armies, restarting the machinery and
collecting the threads of commerce
vival will be much greater than ever
before. The belligerent nations enor-
nous new machinery for making
munitions will, mostly, be adapted to
developing various manufactures
This will be great asset. question
whether labor will ever permit re-
turn of the pre-war low scale wages
in England. France or Germany 1
think the standard of labor has been
permanently raised throughout Eu-
rope. I am very glad of it. Tremen-
dous impetus has been given to
female labor. European women have
for years wanted larger place in the
commercial world. They have it
These women never again will occupy
dull, uninteresting places in the home
This will increase the supply of
labor after the war perhaps so per-
cent. I think increased production
viii employ part of this increased
supply. The European labor supply
at the beginning of the war was
greater than the demand This was
the reason for the low wages. Still
think l am right that wages are
permanently raised. l think they will
be raised by the power of the trade
unions. Europe will, after the war,
no matter if it lasts two years more,
have enough money to do business
Those who have been living on the
interest of their money will suffer
most. The rich man who is active
can afford to lose his money because
he Is continually getting more 1t
has been the custom for man to
retire from or never enter business,
just living upon his small or large
income, and seeking a peerage or
baronetcy. Now he will find it wise
and inviting to become a business
man who helps produce. 1 think So
ciety, so often snobbish and uninteI-
ligent in big affairs, will break off the
barnacles of the mid-Victorian period
and again look upon work. trade and
commerce as praiseworthy rather
than pitiable.
England has many beautiful
Il trt III
A great many of these es-
ers cannot afford to hold them Thus,
much land heretofore idle will be-
come agricultural ground. used in the
real interests of life. Many young
m en- who had uninteresting posts
have joined the army and got taste
of fresh air and sunshine which they
will have difficulty in forgetting.
Those posts now must be made at.
tractive and remunerative. Probably
large number of these young men
will turn to newer countries Canada,
Australia, South Africa. The United
States will get her large share, but
Europe will strive to keep the best
men. l don't believe the young man
! whose head is full of brains and
whose body is full of good red blood
will be content to continue on the
old, somewhat feudal basis which
existed in parts of this portion of
the world before the war.
England is recognizing for the first
time in fifty years that commerce is
the most necessary branch of activity
in building up the state think the
terms of final settlement of this war
will have much to do with possible
trading among themselves of the ma.
lions now at war. Many pepole feel
that the public never again will buv
German made article. Others feel
that trading again must begin be.
tween Germany and Great Britain
after the settlement. to a greater or
lesser extent depending on the man.
ner in which the final treaty is drawn.
England may adopt a protective tar.
iff, taking the matter out of politics.
Before the war, the issue of protec-
ton was nearly dead, but with the
new industries springing up there
will be a feeling that they should be,
at least for period, protected from
lower priced continental labor. Amer
lea could manufacture for the Euro.
pean market, but has not during the
last year and a half manifested any
great desire to do it, or taken any
serious steps toward it, with a few
exec ptions America has not yet
quite learned the science of export
business. 1t is difficult for CONNER
cial community to develop the intr
cate export business where the ele-
ments of trading are unfamiliar.
Great Britain certainly will make her
self a greater export nation after the
war than she was before. Much OF
the old spirit of 'let-weIl-enough.
alone" and getting enough to live on
and then getting out of business will