The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-19
X I,sTRY MUST
|s,t SLOWED DOWN /
:
Not Enough Ships to Garry
Goods and Production Must
Lag Until Boats
Are Ready.
SUPPLIES ARE JAMMED
Imports Of Non-Essentiai Raw Ma
teriaIs Are Scheduled to
Feel the Next
Blow.
SUPPLIES ARE JAMMED

UNITED Press Leased Wire Sefv1ce.l
WASHINGTON, Feb. ia gradual
slowing down of industry throughout
the eastern United States Is under
way. It will continue. according to
high government officials today, until
the American ship building program.
now tagging. catches up.
Without governmental edict, With
out shortage Of supplies, without Grip
pling shortages of fuel or labor. IN
dustry, lacking sufficient ships to I'M
port necessary raw materials and 10
export the finished product. faces an
enforced and widespread curtailment'
Even the trades directly manufactur-
ing war supplies and munitions plants
themselves face a Limitation Of their
output, William Blackman, shipping
board labor expert, said today
.Not only are the ports and docks
jammed with shipments for over seas,
but there are in the seacoast terminals
alone more than thirty thousand
freight cars loaded with supplies, liter-
ally mountains of materials, for there
is insufficient shipping tonnage"
No greater surplus Of supplies can
possibly be permitted to accumulate
in these ports.
"There is but one thing ahead-a
forced slow down in American rae
tories until the ships are built" Black
man said.
The war trade board, armed now
with nmitless power to curtail imports
and exports, plans to move with hrnl
hand to restrict both.
Imports of non-essential raw mater
ials are scheduled to feel the next
blow.
job for Hutcheson.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.--William
H,,tches leader of the striking
wood workers in eastern ship yards
is to be appointed to the shipping
board wage adjustment commission.
This was the latest development
today in the governments move 10
prevent future walllouts in the snip
yards.
Hutcheson, if he accepts the new
post. will be asked to sit IN Wneh
the wood workers cases are being
considered, Just as A. J. Berres, rep
resenting the steel workers on the
board. assists during consideration OF
steel workers demands.
F1SdulHY vi SSi'>So'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.-Amerlca
needs, som ebody to head off strikes
She is three and half years behind
England in dealing with labor emerg
enctes.
w. A Appleton, Of the British Ia
boI commission, so advised TO-DAY
apropos of the recent carpenters
strike in ship yards.
1,n q
getting a taste OF what England had
to contend with at the beginning OF
the war. I find that American la
Dor and employers are patriotic and
willing to cooperate with the gov
ernment in every possible way. Bu,
the United States has not yet created
| the proper machinery for dealing
with emergencies. In England ths
| eoyernm has created the nation
al production committee, composed
of prominent statemen, which lookE
| into every dispute before the STRIKE
breaks out and compels employers u
make reasonable settlements. Amer
ica should adopt some such system
to prevent the paralyzing of vital IN
dustries."
The labor commission Is PLANNING
a trip through the country soon am
an American mission probably will b.
sent soon to England.
Housing Of Workers.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.-With
$50, 900, 900 enabling appropriation be
ing rushed through congress, the gov
ernment today was prepared to launcl
a gigantic housing programme Civ
decent shelter to American woTk1nel
at war factories. The plan, modele
somewhat after the British, and on
of the most ambitious war moves tn
government has made to improve ia
Dor conditions, was outlined to tn
United Press today by Otto M. Ei6
Ilitz. new director of housing, as TO
lows:
CONSTRUCTION at munitions center
l-as fast as they can be reared
suitable sanitary houses in sufhc1en
numbers to give decent homes to
worknen employed in the vicinity.
Making these houses Of permaI