The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-05
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM A TON
Blu RE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. c.
BUSINESS ON A PEACE BASIS.
la Good Time Coming"
Washington. D. c.

IA Good Time Coming
Washington, d. c., Dec. 2.-What-
ever misgivings may hold in some
quarters, in regard to the future Of
American industry, it is not shared by
the experts of the war industries board
and the United States department of
labor. who say that the country is
about to enter into the greatest COM
mercial era in its history.
There will be no financial depression
the federal banking law has put
p-n:c out of the question. If there is
any industrial depression, and conse-
quens unemployment, due to the diff
ficukies of change from war basis
to one of peace, it will be of very mar
row scope and of very short duration.
By spring the experts look for the
greatest industrial boom the country
has ever known. 1t will be greater
I than the war boom, because less arti-
| fetal and less nervous. By the same
| token it will be entirely constructive
| or reconstructive.
Both wages and prices VIII remain
| at their present high standards. For
| some time to come materials will be
| as scarce and expensive as now; but,
| gradually, with the reorganization of
shipping. and the elimination of
Moloch War as an Unsuitable devourer
| of materials of all kinds, and with
war efficiency methods turned toward
peacetime production, the cost OF liv-
ing will go down. Possibly. the re-
| duction will not be perceptible for
| several years, and it seems unlikely
that the cost of living will ever drop
| to it's pre-war level. But this is bal
anced by the fact that wages will also
remain high.
| There are hundreds of munitions
| factories in this country confronted
! with the knowledge that the market
| for their output has vanished, as it
were, overnight. But the lathes which
! have been turning shells can be made
| to turn car wheels, and the tools used
| for adjusting fuses can be used for
| adjusting parts of agricultural ma
chinery. Many munitions factories
| were prepared for peace, and ready to
| change their outputs on short notice.
To the few manufacturers who were
not prepared, the government is now
| pointing out the way TO make the
| change.
| TIL, railroads alone can keep many
| factories busy. When the government
| took over the railroads. both the road
| beds and rolling stock were in COM
paratively poor condition. During the
| months which the government has
| operated the roads conditions have I'M
! avoidably grown worse. There was
| no skilled labor to be had for the
round houses and hardly any unskilled
labor for the section gangs. With the
ever-growing demand for more loco
motives and cars, the rolling stock
coul I not be spared from the rails long
enough to give it the overhauling
needed. Instances have been cited
| where parts of a locomotive have
been bound together with bits of Irvine
| because there were neither the ma
terials nor the men to make ade-
quate repairs. Wooden passenger cars
1r .x,%z
steel enough to make new steel cars
could not be spared. An immense
number of locomotives will have to be
; scrapped, road beds must be fixed,
bridges must be built ana new rails
laid. There will be need of all the
steel this country can produce for
years to come.
Agricultural machinery furnishes
another big opportunity for American
industry. In all the war-ridden coun-
tries. it has been necessary to replace
the shortage of labor with machinery.
AS a result American agricultural i'm
plements have found their way into a
hundred new markets, and from now
on these markets will be permanently
open to them. This is particularly
: true of France. where American reap
ers and binders have done much to-
ward averting famine, and where the
great devastated area is now awaiting
the pillow.
For the shipyards the course is even
clearer.
For once in the history of the
country" said an industrial expert re-
Gently, 1--WE have enough shipyards
Only comparatively insignificant
number of ships have been built up to
the present time, but one important
thing has been accomplished: we have
established a regular and systematize6
output, and there is no reason why, il
a few years, this output of tonnage
should not make us the greatest mari
time nation of the world. The ton.
mage of the world is estimated at Co..
, 100000, and a tonnage of 20,000,00(
would give us a third of all. AIDE
quately to carry on our coastwist
trade alone requires from eight tt
! ten million TONS
1t is possible that the shipyard!
may revert for a time to single shifts
but the prospect is that the double
shift will be restored before long.
For the garment manufacturers the
problem of readjustment has been 81
simple as to be scarcely a problem a
all. 1t has been announced that dis
t charged soldiers will have tire,
months in which to find themselve
civilian clothing. 1t goes without say
: ing that the manufacturers will no
lose any time in helping them NEE
I this requirement..
The price of clothing probably will
not drop for some time. The drop will
come when American shipping is in
C position to relieve the wool shortage
by reinforcing our supply with WOO
from Australia and the Argentine.
OF course some of the munitions
< plants will shut down-a few hav,
done SO already. But this is matte
, that the government is already takin,
care of. Thru the training section o
<5a,o ,-fx, - ,lx t. H. D.,
= study of various trades released by
SuSnenSion of war work and a stud,