Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-15
BANNER TIMES
NEAR, SAYS RICE
General Electric Co. Head,
Here for Launching, OPP
timistic OH Business
SCHENECTADY OFF WAYS
Unemployment Problem Not
Serious. New. York
Mayor Explains

Better times are coming around the
bend for America, better than the ma
ton has ever known, according TO f.
w. Rice, Jr.. president of the General
Electric Company
1t may take six months and II may
take longer for business to swing back
to normal" Mr. Rice says, but there
is nothing on the horizon to alarm us
The fundamental conditions of busi-
ness and sound. and il we keep our heads
the country will soon adjust itself to
peace conditions" ;
Mr.. Rice. who is president Of the
General Electric Company. is here
with party of more than fifty officials
of the Schenectady plant OF the big
electrical corporation and city officials
including Mayor Charles \. Simons.
They journeyed to the city to see the
launching Of the Schenectady a Hog
Island ship. that went overheard this
noon.
The ship is fitted with turbine en-
gines that We're built in the Schenectady
plant: the event was considered so inn
portant that Mr. Rice and other notablcs
were on hand TO christen the ship
Although the breaking Of the trad-
tional bottle of wine on the prov of
the ship was scheduled as the big event
OF the day. Mr.. Rice regarded IL as a
mere incident
Tribute Appreciated
You must remember" he said. that
we have been fitting most of the gov
ernment ships with turbines and have
been devoting 95 per cent of our time
and energy to government work. To
pay our city a tribute for it's war activi-
ties one of the cargo carriers has been
given the name of Schenectady We ap-
Dreciate the tribute,
Mr.. Rice commented upon business
conditions and sounded warning
against pessmists.
For more than four years he
added. "the world has been upside down.
Now that the war is over il is difficult
to get back to normal. There are many
adjustments to make and nobody knows
| how long it will take to make them, but
we should not be alarmed"
Plant Was Hard Hit
The ending of the war caused the
government to abrogate many contracts
and our plant was particularly hard hit.
but we started work on peace products
and are gradually getting back to nor
NAL. The employees of the company have
not suffered. and | don't believe they
! will. for we have no intention of cut
ting wages. In the war period We put
/
from the farms and other fields of en-
deavor. In the general scheme of re-
construction most OF these men will go
back to their former occupations.
80 far as our normal peace time
force is concerned there will be but
! little change. If any. Our domestic trade
Is fair, and as soon as the Peace Con-
ference arrives at something definite we
will go out for foreign trade. We
should not hurry the Peace Conference
because ii is solving big problems and
must be given time,
"Our real trouble today is one Of
nerves In fact, ] might say that the
average man has a bad case Of nerves
I think they will get over the malady,
and very quickly
Mayor Simon, good-natured man,
who packs a huge smile and a boost for
Schenectady that is just as big, shared
the views Of Mr., Rice.
Population at Work
We have an unemployment problem
/ in Schenectady" said the Mayor but
/ it is of little consequence. Many of the
wartime workers, those who came to the
! city to do war work are out of employ
ment, but are leaving for their homes.
Our normal population is al work and
| looking forward to good times. There
are no labor troubles of serious dimen-
sions and we don't expect any. Schenec-
tady has been developed into big and
! thriving city because it's citizens are
optimists Optimism is better than pes
simism and that philosophy is shared by
every element in the city"
j. r. Loveioy and c. T.. Emmons vice
presidents of the General Electric Com
pany, and ]. G. Barry, sales manager
were in the party.