Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-03


an abundant supply of the materials
needed, by which to check undertake
ings that could for the time be dis
pensed with and stimulate those that
were most serviceable in war, by
which to gain for the purchasing de-
partments of the government GER
tain control over the prices of es-
sential articles and materials, BY
which to restrain trade with alien
enemies, make the most of the avail
able shipping and systematic fnan-
cial transactions, both public and
private, so that there would be no
unnecessary conflict or confusion
by which, in short, to put every ma
terial energy of the country in har-
ness to draw the common load and
make of US one team an the accom-
plishment of 9 great task, But the
moment we knew the armistice to
have been signed we took the har-
ness off.
Raw Materials Released.
Raw materials upon which the gov
eminent had kept its hands for fear
there should not be enough for the
industries that supplied the armies
have been released and put into the
general market again. Great indus
trial plants whose whole output and
machinery had been taken over for
the uses of the government have
been set free to return to the uses
to which they were put before the
war. 1t has not been possible to
remove so readily or so quickly the
control of foodstuffs and of ship
ping, because the world has still to
be fed from our granaries and the
ships are still needed to send sup
plies to our men oversee and to
bring the men back as fast as the
disturbed conditions on the other
side of the water permit, but even
there restraints are being relaxed
as much as possible and more and
more as the weeks 60 by.
Boards Offer Help.
Never before have there been
agencies in existence in this coun-
try which knew so much of the field
of supply, of labor and of industry
as the war industries board, the war
trade board. the labor department,
the food administration and the fuel
administration have known since
their 1abors became thoroughly sys-,
tematized, and they have not been
isolated agencies; they have been di-
rected by men who represented the
permanent departments of the gov
eminent and so have been the cen
tiers of unified and cooperative &C
ton. 1t has been the policy of the
executive, therefore, since the ar
mistice was assured (Which is, in
effect, a complete submission of the
enemy, to put the knowledge Of
these bodies at the disposal of the
business men of the country and to
offer their intelligent mediation at
every point land in every matter
where it was desired.
Returning to Peace Footing.
1t is surprising how fast the pro-
cess of return to a peace footing
has moved in the three weeks since
the fighting stopped. 1t promises
to outrun any inquiry that may be
instituted and any aid that may be
offered. 1t will not be easy to di-
rect it any better than it will direct
itself. The American business man
is of quick initiative.
| The ordinary and normal pro-
cesses of private initiative will not,
however, provide immediate employ
ment for all of the men of our re-
turning armies. Those who are of
trained capacity, those who are
skilled workmen, those who have ac-
CURED familiarity with established
businesses, those who are ready and
willing to 60 to the farms, all those
whose aptitudes are known or will
be sought out by employers will find
no difficulty, it is safe to say, in find
ing place and employment. But
there will be others who will be at
a loss where to gain livelihood,
unless pains are taken to guide them
and put them in the way of work.
There will be large floating res
iduum of labor which should not
be left wholly to shift for itself. 1t
seems to me important, therefore,
that the development of public
works of every sort should be
promptly resumed, in order that op-
portunities should be created for un-
skilled labor in particular and that
plans should be made for such de-
velopments of our unused lands an.
our natural resources as we have
hitherto lacked stimulation to under
take.
n Should Reclaim Lands.
I particularly direct your atten-
ton to the very practical plans
which the secretary of the interior
has developed in his annual report
and before your committees for the
reclamation of arid, swamp and cut
over lands which might, if the states
were willing and able to cooperate.
redeem some 3O0,000,000 acres of
land for cultivation. There are said
to be 100000 or 100000 acres
of land in the west, at present arid,
for whose reclamation water is
available, if properly conserved. =
There are about 230,000,000 acres
from which the forests have been
cut, but which have never yet been
cleared for the pillow and which lie
waste and desolate. These lie scat
tered all over the Union. And there
are nearly 100000 acres of land
that lie under swamps or subject to
periodical overflow or too wet for
anything but grazing which it is per-
fectly feasible to drain and protect
and redeem.
| The congress can at once direct
thousands of the returning soldiers
to the reclamation OF the arid lands
Il Al