Omaha daily bee., 1917-12-01
Reconstruction IN England
Bg Ere erie J. HGsk n

will face two great problems in reconstruction;
What can be done to meet the unemployment
crisis that will inevitably follow the close of the
war? How can the nation develop its natural re-
sources so as to prevent it from again becoming
a dumping ground for German manufactures?
The best brains of the country have been called
upon to work out these problems and already
certain reforms are being seriously considered by
the government. In sense one problem seems
to answer the other. r.
1t is estimated that the end of the war over
100000 men, returning from the 'front.' will be
thrown upon the labor market. simultaneously
about third of the working population will be
thrown out of work by the closing of munitions
ton. At the beginning of the war there was a
labor crisis. But it wassquickly passed. through
the rapid enlistment of men and the opening up
of new war industries. Entirely new remedies
must be found for peace. ~,
OF all those suggested by the men working
out the reconstruction problem, agriculture seems
to offer the most favorable results. The soldiers
returning from the front will be used to an out
door life. Many of them, sent home to convalesce,
have already commented on the success OF the
small French farmer and have expressed long
ing to get back to che land. Heretofore land has
been extremely scarce in England-tillable land,
that Is. Thousands of acres were tied up In the
large estates, very little Of which was cultivated
Since the war the government has put many
of the large estates under cultivation, under the
stress of food shortage, and the policy OF the re-
constructonsts seems to be to keep it cultivated.
They want the government to buy these large
estates and divide them once more into small
holdings, to be sold to the people on time basis.
That the owners may not care to part with them
appears to make no difference. They must be
compelled to for the public good, just as British
soldiers have fought and died for the public good.
With the ending of the war these soldiers will
come home and something must be done for them.
Otherwise, it is predicted, there will be whole
sale immigration from England such as there has
never been before.
The unionist party has already pursued the
above policy in Ireland. Through national loan
of E120,000,0O0 it purchased 100000 acres of
Irish land and sold it to 100000 Irish farmers.
Then it built $4,000 iaborers cottages and rented
them to laborers at nominal price
This last is another feature urged upon the
government by the reconstructionists. The hous-
ing conditions ir Great Britain are acknowledged
to be very bad. For years the government has
been on the verge OF taking some important step
to ameorate them, and the war has increased
its anxiety in this regard. So many cases of tuber-
cuosis and other degenerative diseases occurring
in the army have been traced back to insanitary
quarters at home. Atithe beginning of the war
1t was estimated that over 100000 persons
were living in overcrowded insanitary houses, the
average sheltering more than two persons to one
room. AMgs ,%$s
When the war was about month old the
British government passed a bill appropriating
sum Of G4O00,0OO to be distributed among local
authorities for the construction of small houses
small houses being especially scarce. The purpose
of this bill, however, was not to- relieve housing
conditions as much as 1t was to relieve conditions
in the building trades, which had beenshterally
shot to pieces by the war. sE as.Rw. j -
During the war the housing situation has be-
come more acute than ever. There is still an
alarming scarcity Of snnaihhcusess, aslthought,
for while that the wives Of soldiers wenld give
up their homes and 60 TO live with their parents
or.with other families, but such has not been the
case. The women have shown a strong tendency
to keep the homefres burning for, the return of
their husbands. sst.5ve tsgegw .g- @
i Ir 1915 house famine occurred. Rents became
sexor1itant. This was largely due to the fact that
the government had offered per cent on its war
loans, so that everybody was anxious to call in
his loan bearing lower rate OF interest and buy
war bonds. Renewals OF mortgages were made
only at higher rates OF interest which further in
creased the rents Disputes between house owners
and tenants reached a dangerous pitch, and rent
strikes we're threatened. y~sfss u gs.~es L.
Finally the government hadto pass another
BILL providing that for the period Of the war rents
must not be increased; the rates of interest on
mortgages must not be raised and that mort
usual and special circumstances.
This has served to restore order for the period
of the war, but it does not dispose of after-war
conditions. when it is anticipated that private
capital will be as cautious as ever It is estimated
that over 100000 men are employed in the building
trades OF Great Britain third of these are now
in the army; another $4,000 are employed in muni-
ton factories and the others are engaged in war
construction. The end of the war will see all OF
these men thrown out of employment
The reconstructonists urge, therefore, that the
government can kill two birds with one stone by
outtinp these men To work on the construction of
small houses, thus providing them with employ
ment and at the same time alleviating housing
conditions. aE@