Republican farmer., 1918-12-13
CONSTRUCTION OF
 ALL BULL DINCS
 IS RECOMMENDED
Ban Lifted, and Builders, Architects and Material Manufacturers Will Soon Be Flooded With Orders: Vast Quantities of Ma terial to Be Sent to Europe.
tby Noble Foster Hoggson, President,
 Hoggson Brothers, Builders, New

tBy Noble Foster Hoggson, President,
 Hoggson Brothers, Builders, New
 York
 New York, Dec. 9-Bui1ding- construction work,-has, almost over night, leaped from non-essential classification to the greatest of all activities. In the initial order )f the War Industries Board, lifting the pan on prohibited businesses and in- dustries, construction work was first on the list of releases, and within T week all restrictions on private or public construction were removed.
 That really was not surprising. Every student of the problems of reconstruction has predicted in his calculations that building would be the supreme activity of early peace times
 Every indication points to these predictions coming true. There s serious economic need for new build lngs, mainly because the building in dustry has been depressed for years. There is an acute paucity of almost every kind of structure, ranging from
 --NN>A 1ASo o7Nh9 AOl W OL hIlleh, increase q peace-time factory and plant exten- sions, to banks, large hotels and of nee buildings. Soon there will be an unprecedented rush of building. Architects will be given commissions that will flood their offices,-so long parched and dry,-and orders for plans will be numbered in the order of their receipt and taken care of in their respective turns. The manu- facturers of building material will be utterly unable to fill the avalanche Of orders, not alone for the con- structton work to be done in this country, but for the rebuilding of France and Belgium. Almost every ship that sails for Europe will carry full cargo of building material supplies and equipment.
 It is idle to talk of awaiting the report of this commission or that commission to proceed with the work of reconstruction. Only the indo- lent-minded individual is content to sit back and wait for some body of men to do his thinking for him The problem of reconstruction is an individual problem.
 The man who has been intending to erect a new building or alter or remodel an existing structure, but who has deferred his work either because of the ban on construction or for certain other reasons, has ex- ceptionaI opportunity for doing some thing definite in the matter now.
 Many of the best authorities argue that the prices on building materials are not likely to make any decided change in the near future,-perhaps not for some years. On the other hand, it is possible, considering the high rentals prevailing, that a build ing erected now at present prices of material and labor will produce a greater return to the owner than a building erected two years hence. From many points of view, eco- homie as well as social, it seems pro- pitious to have plans for building made now, so that every individual 1 will at this time put into actual practice a bit of work that is going | to be a step towards the great work l to be done. Such action will help l to stabilize industry in this period Immediately preceding and which will l follow the formal declaration of | peace.
 1 Let us build,-let us create,-let us stage the great drama of the city streets on every corner where a new | building should rise on vacant lot Let us begin now our plans for re- ! construction; our plans to provide | employment for the returning war rior and for the loyal warriors who remained behind and helped make possible the great success of l~ 1 brother in arms across the seas