The Tomahawk., 1919-11-06
DEPT. Of LABOR
WANTS CHANGES
Elimination of Unemployment and
Use of Idle Resources Urged.
LABOR 20 PER CENT IDLE.
Natural Resources 50% Unused-For-
est Communities, Open Markets,
LeasehoId System for Land
Also Urged as Remedies.


WashingtOn.-Elimina Of unem-
plOyment and use of idle natural re-
sources are necessary to solve the
high cost Of living problem, declares
a report by the Department of Labor.
Changes in the distribution system
so that goods will flow smoothly from
land to men, are also held essential. .
Proper reforms In these three direc-
tions would give US the production de-
manded by the present day capacity
for consumption.
A substantial increase in production
is unlikely, says the report, so long as
the average wage-earner is unemploy-
ed 20 per cent of the time and so per
cent of our land and natural resources
are unused. A scheme for bringing
together these potential productive
factors is presented. The main points
involved in this scheme are the fol-
lowing:
1. Unemployed labor should. wher-
ever possible, be diverted to farm
communities established under public
supervision, thus relieving unemploy-
ment and increasing the supply OF
foodstufrs. These communities should
be organized SO that they do not con.
sist Of isolated farmers. They should
be concrete organisms" and not as.
semblages of conflicting interests.
They should be thoroughly equipped
for cooperative marketing and buy
Ing Not only should organization be
applied to new communities, but the
government should extend assistance
toward organizing already existing
communities.
Organization Of Forests and Mines.
2. Economic waste can be minim-
lied by a proper organization Of forests
and mines. The lumber industry Is
not yet one of forestry or timber
culture" as in Europe; 1t is still one
of timber mining" 1t is a. tramp
industry and therefore a breeder CT
tramps. The migratory lumberjack,
or timber wolf," must remain a hobo
until the logging camp is supplanted
by the forest community. Forest and
agricultural communities can be or
zanized together. The report goes
into some detail in showing the possi-
bility of developing such a combina-
tion in government and national for
ests, both in the East and the West.
3. Power resources must be organ
lied under public control. Water
power must be co-ordinated with coal
power. Wherever possible, the white
coal" of falling water should be sub
stituted for the black coal Of the un-
derground. In this way, vast en-
ergy requiring Insignificant labor ef-
fort can be placed at the service of
the people.
4. Transportation and marketing
systems must be organized under pub
lie control. The farm community
should be linked with the city market.
Railway, waterway and motor-truck
service should be effectively co-ordi-
mated. Staples, such as milk, poultry
and eggs, can on IS per cent Of the
farms be carried in small containers
and sent directly into the city by mo-
tor truck, thus relieving the railways
Of the work of supplying the urban
populations. Such shipments, when
retailed to the city consumers through
the parcels post, could go almost d.
rectly from farm to table.
Public Construction Service Proposed.
s. The construction of public works
must be more effectively organized.
The plan worked out for the report
calls for . large program of road
building to be followed by farm
building" outside the city. To carry
out such of this work as is done un-
der federal government, 4 public con-
struction service is suggested, to be
run under proper standards Of labor.
Temporary employment in such con-
struction service would lead to per-
manent employment on the land be-
ing opened.
In prefacing the report, Secretary
of labor Wilson says that the pri-
mary requisite Of any scheme of pub
lib land development is the "elimina-
ton Of everything resembling, even
remotely, the speculation in, or pri-
vate appropriation Of. natural or COM
munity made values" The report
therefore urges the necessity for the
adoption Of the conservation principle
of retaining in public hands the ulti-
mate control of all natural resources
and for such restriction of titles as
is necessary to prevent speculation.
The adoption Of the perpetual lease
hold is recommended as guaranteeing
the right to use land without the right
to barter 1t. ~
Under the plan by which the gov
ernment took over the ships, in 1917
the ship owners apparently got as gem
erous terms as the railroads. Reports
show that several great railroad sys-
tens, for instance, received over 20
per cent on their common stock which