The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-02
WAR TO DRAW
ON BUILDING
TRADES HEAVILY
Propose System of Relief
That Will Solve Commu-
nifty Difficulties

Men In the building trades will con-
| tribute heavily to the war, both IN
men for active military service ana In
men for the Iuilding OF merchant ships
and buildings for military purposes.
Many Fargo mechanics have volun-
teered their services in one branch OF
the service or another where their ser :
vices will tell most.
While building workmen are not
exempt from the draft the government
will need so many of them for expert
work that few of the more expert me-
| chanics ever will be taken for the
ines, though their work in many cases
will be as dangerous as that OF the
man in the trenches.
The engineering corps must have ar
tisans of all kinds, as well as the var
louS military agencies at home. The
transportation, feeding and supplying
OF an army with all necessities, re-
quires builders.
II a review Of the military situation
as 1t affects builders, Record and Guide
sad:
According to the terms of the Sc
lectlve draft measure only those men
of military age will be excused from
service who are physically unit or who
are conceded to be more urgently
needed in the manufacture Of war mu-
nitions and supplies, the operation of
public utilities and the production of
toodstuffs.
"The latter classification is of pri-
mary Importance at present as the out
come Of the conflict Is largely depen-
dent upon the ability Of this country
to feed itself as well as the Allies.
The men relieved through this cnan-
mel include farmers and farm laborers,
workers in packing plants and employ
ees OF other industries that are allied
to the production and distribution OF
food.
Under these conditions the building
trades are entirely eliminated and will
be called upon to furnish their full
share to the army. E..
There will likely be greater
scarcity in the labor market and g.
further Tightening of the lines expert
enced by all interested in the industry.
In connection, with this, however, the
main difficulty will not be caused by
the number of mechanics required for
military service, but rather because Of
the fact that the federal government
has arranged such an elaborate pro-
gram of construction works that the
labor market will be cleaned out for
the next six months or a year.
This condition has already made
itself felt throughout the trade and is
a matter that will be adjusted with
Another thing that will have de-
cided tendency to affect the building
business as applied to labor condi-
tions is the large number Of skilled
mechanics to be requisitioned for the
construction Of the large merchant
fleet now projected and for which
work has already been started both on
the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards.
THE construction Of this fleet will
call for the services of thousands OF
carpenters, iron workers, steam filters,
painters and other trades, that while
having no previous experience in ship
building, are such flexible type Of
skilled labor that it will readily adjust
itself to different work.
These men undoubtedly will flock
to the shipyards in great numbers, not
so much for the higher wages offered
but from a high sense Of patriotic
duty. .-...
THE present time is altogether too
early to become pessimistic as to the
ultimate economic effort of the war
conditions on the labor situation, but
it is the time to prepare for what is
known to confront the industry and
provide a means of combating sit
uation that has bothered the trade for
a long time"