New-York tribune., 1918-11-15
rovesees Oceans Of New
BUSINESS Looming to Fill
Void War Created
p;o Contractors
Voice Pessinism
pu,iness Men Also Insist
labor Will Not at Once
Adjust Itself
Bv Theodore M. Knappen

By Theodore M. knappcn
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-two views
!, the readjustmcnt period collided
s..d.ou In Washington to-day.
soeaking through Bernard M. Ba-
.u,h. chairman Of the War Industries
pa.rd. the government painted the op-
slnistic view.
Bu,iness men and government con-
nstofs who have hastened TO Wash
irston to get the "insidc dope" brought
tie pessimistic view.
IN an informal conversation with the
newspaper men, in which nothing was
aos the record" Mr.. Baruch, happy in
.he victorious termination Of the war,
largely, as he saw it, through the mag
uiAceut spirit Of American business in
standing by the government at any
sacrifice, would scarcely admit that
there would be even a temporary
uericd Of disarticulation and suspen-
sion Of business.
He saw oceans Of new business loom
ipgup to fill the void Of war business,
nd he saw factories with their fur
nces hot from the war job turning
NTH renewed energy to the big re-
oairements Of the peace job.
Sees Prosperity Ahead
Millions Of men would be returning
to seek their old jobs, and other mill
ions might be shifted from one position
10 another, butwith a worlds business,
damned up for four years, seeking to
drive through the just opened spill@ays,
sE BaFuch could see nothing but pros
verify ahead.
lie cited the demand for two Of the
majss metals, copper and steel. ALI the
aations--enemy, neutral and ally--want
1t they can get. Nowhere else can
sasYget them but in the United States
an lie world is scantily clothed. II
HGstsome to America to be clothed. AL,
sasRorld is hungry. In large measure
anasica can and will supply the food
AMERICA has stinted and economizee
md egot along" itself. Now it wants
iosiretch and expand and make up fol
lasttime.
Contractors Disagree
The great contractors dc not agree
With Mr.. Baruch. The end of the wal
aarks the termination, they say, o'
overtime and Sunday work, if nothing
else. That alone will paralyze working
forces everywhere. All government
work has already been put on thai
basis, and everywhere the men are quit
ing.
Where work is offered it will not be
aseepted for time they contend. The
nan who has been making $50 to SIC
aweek and finds himself back to forty
eight hours week and $40 to $40 al
nost mechanically quits. For several
Fears ne has been quitting whenever
dissatisfied to go to q better Job. u
Will take him some time to realize thai
ao~ there are no better jobs.
At the great powder plant at Nitro
" Va, loo men quit the moment
overtime ana Sunday work we're abol
saed. although they knew the war was
wer. High wages and the choice OF {
auls'tude Of jobs have made Eer
Wsrywhere very "spleeny" about ths
And OF work they will do and wha'
hey will take to do it.
Idleness Is Feared
ias result will be, say some Of th'
Hggest men in war work, that for {
salie there will be idle men, ever
mere there is work to be done.
out beyond this voluntary abstentioI
''om work they see an inevitable
Nflcd Of from three to nine months il
saea the sheer mechanics of the Sit
r 1aon will result in disorganization
i Ms'aess retardation, unemployment
na general &ribulation.
4 sssy point out tha: the country ha
Sc through distressing process II
.s,s'asiag the industrial war army
M has taken many months. AM
Z sssss Of which the general public ma
s yea, to get the workers to thei
rsNas Jobs. TO reverse the process
:. oe much harder and even longe
because building up the wa
E'ng forces meant moving me
Sa one job to another, while demoh
s'as them Is the thankless task o
ing them from a job to plac
,sss' temporarily. there will be n
Industry Not Yet Ready
8. "''i take many months, these me
even With mountains os orders
~ snc Whole world shaking bank
4 and shoveling gold toward tn
sa States, for American industr
ready TO handle the new bus
we long view they agree With NJ
A. Leaping over the immediat
No.. sney foresec a period OF pro-
X mat viii be greater and health
IL asa mat Of the war. But they /,
ss you can't turn an armory In,
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He IL Continued ~. . F.