The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-01-22
10 ascertain How Labor and Capital
Gan Probably Be Employed--WiIl
Secure Data for Use of Con.
struction lndustry--of Gen.
eral Value

-
Jacksonville, Jan. 21.-For tho pur.
pose OF interesting the nation in pub
TIC works and private construction q
new division has been created in the
department Of labor. Secretary Of
LABOR Wilson announces that the new
service will gather and distribute in.
formation that will enable private
initiative to make the transition from
war to a peace basis without Sc
rious interruption, due to lack Of
data on which business judgment
must depend.
A survey Of business conditions
Will be made with view to learning
how labor and capital may be profit
ably employed during the critical pc.
Rod when factories are being made
over for peace production and mar.
kets are being canvassed for future
outputs.
Section Of Information Service
The division which will carry on
this work is now being organized by
F. 7. Miller the publisher of con-
struction periodicals, as a section of
the departments information and ed.
ucation service, Of which Roger w.
babson is chief The new organiza.
ton is called the division of public
works and construction development,
and occupies the building at 16 Jack.
son Place.
The particular object Of the bu.
reau's research will be to secure data
FOR the use of the construction indus.
try, 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 determ.
lining whether it is advisable to un.
dertake public or private building at
present. When circumstances unfay.
cradle to construction are discovered
an attempt may be made to correct
them, but there will be no stimula.
ton Of economically unsound enter.
prise. The findings of the bureau
will be given the widest publicity.
Private Nature
The pivotal nature Of the building
industry is economic construction
and the general purposes of the work
of this division are expressed in Sec.
rotary Wilson's statement:
Building construction will help to
provide employment for returning
soldiers and for workmen dismissed
from war industries. One Of the larg.
est sources Of prospective employ
ment is the building trade and its al
lied factory Industries.
IN the case of private construc.
ton, resumption Of activity will al,
so lessen the congestion Of popula.
ton, improve conditions affecting the
public health and convert inactive
property into active property, which
supplies the means that enable com.
munities to support the functions OF
governments.
Provision for Future
During the war the nation practic'
ally concentrated all its efforts on
the production Of goods for immedi.
ate consumption-war materials. food,
clothes. The failure to produce
the normal quota Of goods for future
consumption has made these scarce
and high-priced, and as they are es.
sential to further production they az
feet the cost Of production and, con.
sequently, the cost Of living. Chief
among such goods are building and
other real estate improvements, In
GLIDING public works, as roads,
bridges, etc. The scarcity of build
ings, for example, creates high rents. y
The inquiry will be under the di.
rection of business men of wide prac.
teal experience, who are serving
without pay, The actual investiga.
ton will be conducted by a group OF
economists and special agents sup
piled by the department Of labor and
other government departments or
lent by universities. The field will
include the cost and supply Of build
ing materials, the amount of labor
available and its cost, the values Of
land, prevailing rents the supply Of
capital, the amount of construction
held up by the war and the demand
for building in all parts Of the coun
try.
i Under the supervision of the eco
} Monies section, FIVE other sections
will prepare information for publica
ton by the means Of the press, public
I