Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-11

Labor Department Division
viii Make Survey of Bust
ness Conditions.

For the purpose of interesting the
construction new division has beer
created in the Department of Labor
Secretary of Labor Wilson announces
that the new service will gather and
distribute information that will enable
private initiative to make the transit
ton from a war to a peace basis with
out serious interruption, due to lack
Of data on which business Judgment
must depend.
A survey of business conditions will
be made with a view to learning how
labor and capital may be probably
employed during the critical period
when factories are being made over
for peace production and markets are
| being canvassed for future outputs.
| Section of Information Service.
| The division which will carry or
| this work is now being organized by
| +. T. Miller. the publisher of construc-
| ton periodicals. as a section of the
/ Department. information and educa.
ton service, OF which Roger w. Bah
son is chief. The new organization
is called the division of public works
/ and construction devefVpment, ano
occupies the building at is Jackson
! place.
| The particular object of the bureaus
research will be to secure data for the
use of the construction industry. but
the material to be collected will be
! so varied that the information will be
of value to industry generally. The
, facts made available will help any
| community or investor in determining
whether it is advisable to undertake
! public or private building at present
! When circumstances unfavorable tt
| construction are discovered an at.
| tempt may be made to correct them
| but there will be no stimulation OF
economically unsound enterprise. The
| findings of the bureau will be giver
| the widest publicity.
| The pivotal nature of the building
| industry is economic reconstruction
| and the general purposes of the wori
| of this division are expressed in Sec
! rotary Wilson's statement:
Building construction will help Il
provide employment for returning sol
| diers and for workmen dismissed from
war industries. One of the iarges
! sources of prospective employment i:
! the building trade and its allied fac
| tory industries.
| in the case of private construction
/
sen the congestion of population. i'm
prove conditions affecting the publi'
! health and convert inactive propert.
! into active property. which supplies
| the means that enable communities t
support the functions of governments
| Provision for Future.
During the war the nation practi
| cally concentrated all its efforts OF
the production of goods for immediate
| consumption-war materials, food
| clothes. The failure to produce tn
normal quota of goods for future con
sumption has made these scarce ant
| high-priced, and as they are essentia
| to further production they affect tn
cost of production and, consequently
| the cost of living. Chief among sucl
goods are building and other real es
/ tate improvements, including publi'
works, as roads. bridges, etc Th'
| scarcity of buildings. for example
! creates high rents.
The inquiry will be under the di
| rection of business men of wide prac
+icaI eynerience who are serving with