Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-11
Employer and Worker
Alike Turn to After.
War Reconstruction
WISH GRADUAL RETURN
Organized Labor on Guard
Against Period of Tn.
rest and ldlcness

nf ,nnditi,ns ucrcssitatCd by the cpuu-
try's return To- II pre-war tootur.
Many trades crippled 10y the war oN-
pect "A period uf uucNamplod prosperity
Manufacturers generally express none
.hc rcndusmeut will be- gradual, su tho
millions uf men now doing war N'rh
VIII be able to 20 back to their former
nccipatious without loss of time ur
money. Especially Is organized lahcr ou
guard against "a period Of labor unrest
and unemployment
Nathan 4. Eoiwelt. former pr'S'd"n'
Cr the Manufacturers club aud nroinl-
nent textile manufacturer believes cloth
will be scarce Tor months after the war
Prices are likely to remain high for
some time" said MIR. FolwciL This IL
because Of tho existing shortage "I
wool. and the fact that there has been
only Il very small production ot civilian
goods during the past year.
Immediate Lower Prices UNLIKELY
Il do not look FOR lower prices until
after the Government releases wool iu'
civilian manufacture. II IL difficult '"
rN time for prices To come back 1"
normal Possibly II will not be until
next fall
Even after ueaco Is proclaimed the
Government VIII nccI clothing FOR th"
troops It viii take some time to bring
the army homo and disband IT, The Gov
crnmcut at present IL asking bids On
more army goods.
"And when the troops DO pc, homo,
they will have 20 change back TO cIviliru
| clothes, which win call for far mov"
! clothing than ia my opinion th" dealers
| now have H. stock, as stocks are very
/ light at present
"From the time tho Government rc-
! leases wool Tor civilian purposes, 1t viii
! take eight az nine weeks To make Il UU
| into cloth The wool must be sorted.
! washed. rardrd. spun and woven before
4 the clothing manufacturer are able 'n
J make II up. when the cloth is ready,
/ Il will not take long to make the rloth-
| ing. The clothing factories are able e.
! turn out the completed product in -
/ remarkably short time under present
/ conditions"
Labor itself (, no less Interested than
| the emrl yer of labor IN what viii hap
! pen when the time Of readjustmont
comes. During tie period OF the war,
| organized labor has cu-opcratod with tho
! Government in keeping down unrest and
speeding up production.
Clarence VI. Wurdcr. architect and
engineer. said:
"phiiadclphia wiil'Witness the greatest
boom in the building of manufacturing
plants in its history during the ucNt
four or five years. with the coming
of peace. millions Of dollars worth Ot
building contracts that have been held
In allegiance since the opening of hos.
| tilitics, So that war work miEht pros
per, will be released and with q urus-
poct Of ample materials on hand, au
unprecedented era Of activity in all
building lines may he anticipated
Il firmly believe that from three ~
six months after peace IS declared an
enormous number of Industrial buildings
will be In the course Of erection This
applies particularly 70 textile plants
Of which wo will see a greater number
than We ever dreamed of before as
time goes on.
"In the past 1t has been our custom
to obtain much Of our textile products
from France, but most of the mills
over there have been destroyed. Now
this business will be carried on I'm Amer
lea and Philadelphia is preparing "a
get its share OF it,"
Joseph VI. Richie. representative iu
Philadelphia Of the American Fedora
tiun of Labor. said:
organized labor hopes that the Gov.
ernment will not order any sudden stop.
page Of war work Such a stoppag,
would throw large numbers Of men out
OF employment.
Every one realizes that when the
war is over many men employed at wal
work will have to seek Jobs In thch
original lines. organized labor will
do everything in its power to faciltat,
this readjustment. We will cooperate
In every way We can with the Govern
ment to relieve the situation created by
the ending of the war, Tho plans fol
this work cannot be formulated now
they will grow out of the conditions that
arise. Wherever necessary. urEani2oc
labor will aid fits members to get bach
In their former occupations
Tho ending Of the war should bc =
great stimulus to tho building trades
Industry will resume where II left on
at the beginning of the war, but under
vastly improved conditions II must b,
: borne i'm mind always that labor de
/ mands fair living and working condt
| tiOns.
There probably viii he a rcadjust
mcnt in wages as a result Of tn" return
TO u peace basis. In certain Industries
however we regard the wages paid dur
j ing the war as only what would hay,
been fair in time of peace, In others
the wage scale has been 30 high tina
there can be no objection to lOwel
wages, provided the cost of living comet
down.
Living Cost to Govern Wages
Wages generally will be governed h'
} living cost. During the war our people
have suffered severely because Of som'
proflteering merchants. We have peer
silent about this because we did not wan
to embarrass the Government. We have
kept our mouths muzzled 80 as not tt
create unrest.
: "Now, when peace Il declared, tn
working man will not stand for proh
. teering. The employer class and thos'
? in business viii have 10 be fair, Where
the United states has warred 10 estab
. lish democracy abroad, We viii hght FOL
the fruits of democracy at home.
Labor has sacrificed many men q
our country They have given up goU'
Jobs to go to France to fignt WheI
they come home. organized labor vii
see TO II that these men enjoy in th'
United States the same rights and bene
fits that they fought for abroad
Colonel samuel ID. Lit. OF Lit Brothers
said: IL do not believe the signing o.
the armistice will have the sllghtes
effect on business. OF course, the peO
pie will be much happier. ] think tina
business win continue at its presen
pace for at least two or three years
The need of production win be just al
great after the war as 1t Is now
. Charles :. Caiwen. president Of th
Corn Exchange National Bank said IN
arrival of peace would cause hardly
ripple on the surface Of American bust
ness as far AS immediate results ar
! concerned.
Money win continue 10 he tight" n
said. but every line that enters !rt
Ieconstruction work will continue boom