The Cordova daily times., 1919-02-20
BODYBUILDING GREAT NEED
 OF TERRITORY

in practically all the preliminary re- ports that are being received by the division of public works and construc- tion development, recently organized in the department of labor
 Although there is no surplus supply of building materials on hand, from present indications, there is a suf- ficient amount to fill present needs, at least, and prices are not high as com pared with other commodities. More over, labor is available now, and may not be six months hence.
 Labor's attitude, too, is thoroughly conciliatory and reasonable, accord ing to all advices that have reached the department of labor. An instance has just come to light at Atlantic City, where a $3,O0O,O00 hotel is under con- struction.
 Electrical workers employed else where in Atlantic City were receiving S7s cents an hour, but the rate of pay on the hotel was only 75 cents. The men felt that they should receive the prevailing wage and informed the company to that effect.
 For a time the controversy threat ened to halt work, but when the men understood that the company had taken the contract based on less than 75 cents an hour for electrical work CTS, and would lose heavily if they in- sisted on the 87k-cent rate, the men willingly returned to their jobs ana agreed to stick to the 75-cent an hour basis so long as they were needed.
 Assistant Secretary of Labor Louis F. Post, in an address before recon struction conference in Washington recently, declared that labor is taking a most reasonable attitude in practi- cally all the cases brought to the notice of the department.
 There is almost universal need for improved housing and business build- ings, according to information which has already reached the division of public works, and almost every mu- nicipality in the United States has suspended construction of schools roads and sewers during the war. so that large amount of construction is needed at once.
 It is the general opinion among business men that the after-warl period will bring America great op- portunities in the way of foreign trade, If the country is able to accept them. Homes, roads and bridges are as essential as factories, and ware houses for the efficient conduct of in- dustry, for the producers of the na- tion must be comfortably housed and means of communication must be available for the country's progress.
 The building industry at the be- ginning of the war produced modern fireproof buildings, hygienically de- signed, at less cost than the old-fash- toned city buildings of thirty years ago, in spite of the gradually decreas- ing power of the dollar.
 The department of agricultuhe esti- mates that $3O0,OO0.O0O will be spent during the coming year on, roads. This amount is not greatly in excess of normal road expenditures, al though there is a great deal of road building in arrears as result of the war restrictions on work not having direct bearing on the conduct of the war.
 Estimates by trade publications in the building field indicate that there is shortage of approximately FOG, 900 houses in America at the present time. These figures will be checked up through the research of tho di- vision of public works; but they correspond fairly well with figures given recently at the housing confer ence in Boston, where 1t was said that the normal home building of the na- ton is approximately 320.OOO houses each year-assuming five persons to g house and figuring solely on the an- nual increase in population.
 During the period of the war home building was practically at a stand still except for the national housing projects at shipyards and munitions works.
 Building and loan associationsI throughout the country have mani Tested much interest in the plan of the division of public works to assist home-building at this time, and co. operation on a national scale has been suggested at conference between the building loan representatives and of ficials of the division There are cer- tain technical difficulties in the way of the most effective cooperation, but I