The sun., 1918-12-14

mai population and maybe a little
more-but IL those fioaters will only go
home they will help us tremendously"
Thus far, however, the exodus has
not started. The lure Of Bridgeport
is not yet dimmed. Right up to the
day the armistice was signed the city
was crying for more and more work.
ers. Some factories never did have
enough. Not until certainty elsewhere
replaces the glamorous uncertainty of
Bridgeport will there be any consider
able detection. A war engrossed city
such as this has been cannot shake
itself back to the hard realities of
peace in a day. nor has 1t done SO in
the month that has elapsed since the
German plenipotentiaries wrote their
names on Marshal Foch's little dotted
line.
Manufacturers differ among them
selves as to how abruptly the Govern
ment ought to cancel war contracts.
AT one extreme is De Yer II. Warner.
head OF the Warner Bros. Company,
corset manufacturers. His recommen-
dalton is "a short, sharp, serious
period Of Northumberland pre-
cipitate-to get the country changed
over. to a peace time basis quickly,
ready for the period of the greatest
prosperity in our history"
Its industrial surgery. that's what
II is" said Mr.. Warner. I'VE have got
bad job that has got to be gone
through with. Why not do 1t quickly
and have it over with? If the Govern
ment will cancel contracts freely and
give the manufacturers a free rein to
buy materials and get on a peace basis
think this country with its American
initiative will quickly recover. I be-
lieve that in that way the whole affair
would be Strengthened out in from
three to six months. There is no ques-
ton that there will be great call for
our products abroad,
Looks for Quick Recovery.
II think the dropping out of NUM-
lions making will be Offset pretty
quickly by the domestic trade. There
are eight million workers on war mu-
nitions in the country, but there will
be great shortage OF labor on the
domestic basis. Bridgeport, even
though ii manufactures great quanti-
ties Of munitions. ought to be the first
city in New England to recover from
the change, because of the great d.
versity of its manufactures. No doubt
many workers will be forced to have
little idle time. The slack times
may last a few months, but there
should be no suffering If the people
will be reasonable.
THE good workman need not fear,
for there will be work enough for him.
The only ones who need to fear are
those who are overpaid and know it
themselves. Many have been work
ing for wages they know they can't
earn:
an this factory we shall endeavor
to keep everybody busy right along BY
manufacturing stock and piling it up
until the market opens for it"
Other manufacturers voiced the Of
ten heard argument that the war or
ders should be stopped gradually in
order to give more time for readjust-
ment, but whether they will or not
millions and millions of dollars worth
of work is being stopped abruptly.
A Government agent advised THE
Sun man to come back in January.
You'll find n different situation here
then" he said.
Walter B. Lashar, president of the
American Chain Company, one of
Bridgeport's biggest manufacturers,
reported that instead of laying off help
the company expected TO take on a
few workers. as there was more than
enough commercial business on hand
TO replace Government cancellations.
Summarizing his opinions, George
S. Hawley, general manager for the
Manufacturers Association. said: II
believe there will be an unsettled in
term, which will bring about cor
siderable Inconvenience, but there need
be no great hardship"