New-York tribune., 1919-06-08
Tells Housing Committee
Representatives Activity
Will Continue Long After
Era Of Readjustment
No Change in Dollar Value
Declares Material Price|
May Drop Slightly, but
Wages Will Remain Firm

iHFeStiSaClng housing conditions.
The subcommittee, composed of
Senator Charles S. Lockwood and AS
semblymen Ida Sammis and Earl H.
Miller, journeyed to Washington to hear
Secretary Wilson's testimony. Others
questioned were lie Roy X. Sherman,
president Of the Housing Corporation;
A. Harris Mcfarland, director of the
Commission on Living Conditions of
the Labor Department. and others
familiar with the nations housing sit
uation.
Secretary Wilson was optimistic re-
garding the economic and industrial
future of the country. The present
wage scale will not be reduced, he
predicted. The cost of living and the
high prices of building materials, he
declared, are due for moderate de-
cline.
81 think that there is a possibility
and probability that there will be
some reduction in the cost of ma
terial," he said; chat by virtue of the
prices that had obtained during the
war, which had been fixed or other
wise created for the purpose of slim
ulating even the high cost plants, there
has been an increase in the labor cost
of material that approXimated 80 per
cent during the period Of the war
Material Higher in Same Ratio
"The increased cost of material in
some lines of industry and in portions
of other lines or industry, has in
creased in the same ratio as the in
crease in the cost of labor Where that
is the case, there isn't any likelihood
of reduction in the cost OF material;
but there were some lines Of industry
and sections Of other lines of industry
where the cost Of material had in
creased much more rapidly than the
increase in the labor cost. There were
some portions Of the metal industry
where the increase had been 10000
and as high as 25O per cent.
There is a possibility of squeezing
prices down to the same ratio of in
crease as there. has been in the in
cre---c in the wage rates. There is that
possibility, and only that one, as | see
it, of some reductions in the cost Of
material. There is not likely to be any
general reduction in wage costs"
He declared that workers are justi-
fed in their contention that their
wages were not increased until the ad-
vance in the cost Of living had ad-
vanced materially.
No Hope of Lower Wages
Employees who have reserve funds
will combine them with the assets Of
labor unions to fight attempts to de-
crease their wages, the Secretary de-
clared. Any reduction of wages, he
said, would be only temporary because
of the era Of industrial activity con-
fronting this country. In enumerating
the reasons prompting him to predict
this activity he mentioned the fololw-
ing:
l. About 100000 alien workers who
immigrated to this country in other
years will remain in their native lands
Their countries are not producing
enough to supply their populations.
The United States also will be re-
qulred to furnish subsistence to them.
2. The United States is engaging in
a number Of lines Of industry with
which it had been only slightly idcnti-
fed hitherto. The shipbuilding in
dustry, employing only few tens of
thousands before the war, now employs
half a million. The production of some
raw materials and some finished prod
ucts, including chemicals and dyestuffs
will absorb thousands of workers.
Predicts Huge Domestic Trade
3. Domestic trade will swell to
gigantic proportions. Wage workers
and farmers received a large price for
their wares during the war than pre-
viously, but were unable to expend
teir profits. Farmers are nof prepar-
ing to purchase farming implements,
which were manufactured in small
quantities during the war.
4. South American commerce will
readily absorb North American manu-
factures. Millions Of dollars of South
American trade done with Germany
before the war now is open to Amerl-
can concerns. The Federal Reserve
act giving American banks the right to
establish branch banks abroad will
enable this country to build up q world
wide system.
5. "And then the great work of re-
construction in Europe furnishes op-
portunities for American business
houses and opportunities for American
wage workers." Secretary Wilson said
in concluding his enumeration.
Favors Home Owning
The Secretary asserted that he is
strongly in favor Of workingmen own
ing their own homes. He said he has
been working on an "own-your-o own
home" campaign, to be conducted along
the same lines as "buy- bond" drive
United States Senator'S Calder and
Wadsworth wired Senator Lockwood
yesterday that they have arranged for
meeting with the Representatives
from New York State to discuss hous
ing early next week. Three proposals
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