The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-12-23

recent war can leave industrial con-
ditions as they were before. For
over four years millions of men in
Europe were called from farms and
factories to the battle front. The
processes of production were inter-
fered with and radically altered. The
vast energies Of nations were direct
ed toward winning the war.
AT the time Of the armistice the
United States had nearly 4,000,00GI
men under arms and other millions
engaged in the production of war sup
plies. This vast disarrangement of
formal industrial activities threw
large burdens upon manufacturing
establishments and created demand
for goods and for labor that was diff
ficult to supply. AS result, prices
rose, profits increased and wages ad
vanced to unprecedented heights.
The problems which this situation
created are still with us to a consid
cradle extent. The wartime armies
have been demobilized and many sol
diers have returned to the ranks Of
the workers. But the demand for
goods to fill the depleted supplies and
replace the ravages of war is so great
that the burden on production has
not been lifted to any appreciable
extent.
In the well-known manufacturing
city of Grenoble, France, famous the
world over for the quantity and quail
ity Of gloves manufactured there, it
is now impossible to secure enough
glove makers to produce the. gloves
needed. Wages in Grenoble have al
ready increased since the outbreak Of
the war. Is it any wonder then, with
the increased wages and the shortage
of help, that the price of gloves has
advanced? ~
The situation in the glove industry
Of Grenoble is typical Of many man,
ufacturing industries throughout the
world. Similar conditions in many
respects are found in the textile in
dustry of America. The war created
great demand for textile products.
Business multiplied, profits increased
and wages advanced. Raw material
and supplies kept pace with the adj
vance in wages and it was inevitable
chat the price of textile products
should advance as the cost Of produc.
ton increased.
Wages form a large amount in the
cost of production, and wages show g
large increase since the outbreak OF
the war in 1914. In the cotton in.
dustry as whole hourly earnings of
male WORKERS collectively increased
fO6 per cen" and for female workers
los per CEN from September, 1914
to March, 1919. In the wool indus
try average weekly earnings of male
workers inc " sed from $11.52 in
1914 to $2s.s. in 1918. The aver
age weekly sai-s,ings Of female work
ers increase, s~om $50 to $16.42.
Hourly earnings for most groups in
the wool industry increased during
the period Of the war 100 per cent
or more. In the silk manufacturing
industry hourly earnings up to March,
1919, increased 81 per cent over the
earnings of 1914 for male workers
and 100 per cent for female workers,
Can this process continue indefinite
"? Has the peak been reached? This
is the problem that manufacturers
and workers must face. Will the pub
lie pay more for textile goods? Will
the market, now that the war is oven
and help is returning from the battIel
fields to European mills, stand any
further advances? The demand is
becoming more and more incessant
that the cost Of living be reduced.
The only way that this can be brought
about Is to increase production and
thus reduce the cost of manufacture.
During the war every effort was
made by the employer and employe
to turn out goods. Labor bore man
fully its part in the great enterprise
and millions of its higher earnings
were invested at the call of the gov
eminent in Liberty loans, just as
millions of increased profits were paid
by the manufacturers in excess prof
it's taxes. Labor and capital bore
their part in the sacrifices and ex-
penses of the war, and it was through
yheir combined efforts that victory
ton saved.
Coningsby Dawson, the author of
''The Test of Scarlet" relates an in
teressing and suggestive incident Of
the Foch offensive of August, 1919
He says:
"One evening we passed through
.,,kaat Galds recentlv recanturad