Bisbee daily review., 1918-12-03

ana or Industry dS lne WAT hDOT board, the war trades board, the food administration and the fuel admins traitor have known since their labors became thoroughly systematized; and they have not been isolated agencies; i; they have been directed by men who represented the permanent depart ments of the government and so have been the center of unified and CO., operative action. It has been the the ory of the executive therefore. since the armistice was assured (which is in effect a complete submission of the eneny) to put the knowledge of these bodies at the disposal of the business men of the country and to offer their intelligent men in every matter which it is desired. It is surprising how fast the process of return to a peace foot ing has moved in the three weeks since the fighting stopped. It promises to outrun any inquiry that may be in- stituted and any aid that may be of fered It will not be easy to direct it any better than it will direct itself. The American business man is quick initiative
 The ordinary and normal processes of private initiative will not, how ever, give immediate employment for all the men of our returning armies. Those who are of trained capacity, those who are skilled workmen, those who have acquired familiarity with established businesses, those who are ready and willing to go to the farms, all those whose abilities are known will be sought out by employers and will have no difficulty, it is safe to say. in finding employment. But there will be others who will be at a loss where to gain a livelihood unless pains are taken to guide them and put them in the way of work. There will be a large floating residum of labor which should not be left wholly to shift for itself. It seems to me i'm portant, therefore. that the develop ment of public works of every sort should be promptly resumed in order that opportunities should be created for unskilled labor in particular, and that plans should be made for such developments of our unused lands and our natural resources as we have hitherto lacked stimulation to under take.
 'I particularly desire to call atten- tion to the very practical plans the secretary of 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 300,000.000 acres of land for cultiva- tion. There are said to be 15,O00, ,0OO or 20000.000 acres of land in the west, at present arid, for whose reclamation water is available. if properly con- served. There are about 220000, ,0O0 acres from which the forests have been cut, but which have never yet been cleared for the blow and other waste and desolate lands. These lie scattered all over the United States and there are nearly SO.000.000 acres of land that lie under swamps yet to be protected from overflow, and now unfit for anything but grazing, but it is feasible to drain ana protect and redeem them. The congress can at once direct thousands of the return ing soldiers to the reclamation of the arid lands which it has already under taken, if it will but enlarge the plans and the appropriations which it has entrusted to the department of the interior. It is impossible in dealing with our unused land to refer to a great rural and agricultural develop ment which afford the best sort of opportunity to men who want to help themselves: and the. secretary of the interior has thought the possible methods in a way which is worthy of your most friendly attention.
 ''I have spoken of the control which must yet for while, perhaps, for a long while, be exercised over shipping because priority of service to which our forces overseas are entitled and which should also be accorded the shipments which are to save recently liberated peoples from starvation and many devastated regions from perma- nent ruin. May I not say a special word about the needs of Belgium and northern France? No sums of money paid by way of indemnity will serve of themselves to relieve them of their disadvantages for years to come. Something more must be done than merely find the money. If they had money and raw materials in abund- ance tomorrow they could not resume their place in the industry of the world tomorrow-the very important place they held before the flame of war swept across them. Many of their factories are razed to the ground Much of their machinery has been de stroyed or has been taken away. Their people are scattered and many of their best workmen are dead. Their markets will be taken by others, if they are not in some special way as sisted to rebuild their factories and obtain their lost instruments of manu- facture. They should not be left to the vicissitudes of the sharp competi- tion for materials and for industrial ] facilities which will Dpu in