The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-13
BUILDING ACTIVITIES
A NATIONAL ASSET
American People Are Still Wondering
What They Are Going to Do Along
That Line Though the Coun-
try's Wealth Is $685.
Ooo,ooo,00o.


Ooo,ooo,ooo.
(By +. r. Miller, Associate Director Gen
eral, Information and Educa tion
Service.l
The main issue now before our coum.
try is-are we in state Of liquidation,
trying to settle up our affairs, or are we
a going concernY
This country has 1855 900, 100000 of
wealth; Weather than four of the
weathiest nations of the world com
bined; we have S2,500,000,000 worth of
gold in this Countrywide greatest
amount ever known in the possession of
| this country, and considerably more than
half of the gold of the world. We are
over the war. We have shown moral
characteristics in accepting the draft
that have enabled Us to put men on the
western front in numbers second only to
France, and our men have fought well,
The war is overland We do not expect
attack from anybody, but we are still
wondering what we are going to do-how
we are going to get along After the
Civil war was over, when we had foreign
1888, 100000 in gold against SS46,000,000
greenbacks, Secretary Sherman came out
and said, The way to resume specie pay
ment il to resume" Payment was re-
sumed and we did business, because the
people had faith in the country.
This is the greatest, strongest, wealth.
est, healthiest country in the world and
it is a country that should be doing bust
ness and not a country in a state of
liquidation; and yet, because of a psy.
Geological status, everybody is waiting
to see if somebody else is going to re-
duce his price on something. Copper con-
sumption is down. Iron consumption is
down. The great question is one of con-
sumption. If We do not buy, We cannot
exist and do business---this is the issue,
Now if we had the four million immi-
grants that this country would have re-
ceived if the war had not commenced
II we had our two million soldiers home
again, if adjustments had been made
and if we were all working steadily in
the pursuits of peaee-if we had the
three to five billion dollars worth of
domestic structures of which we are
short. and the shortage of which is caus-
ing increase in rents land rentals grow
ing out of this shortage cumulativeiy in
crease the cost of every necessity of life
If we had these things and were all
working steadily, and if there were no
exceptional draft on our products from
abroad, prices might again be what they
used TO be.
When the European war broke out we
expected ii TO last but a few months and
looked Immediately for return TO old
conditions. In the meantime, different
conditions have been arising and we still
have our minds fixed on a return to the
old conditions, The thought Of a nation
il one of an ante bellum character. But,
conditions have come about which have
changed this country far more than con-
ditions which came about from the Civil
war, We cannot turn the clock back.
When the armistiee was signed in a
Pullman car in France, and people tossed
lot of newspapers out OF windows here,
we all thought we were back to the old
conditions Many now know we are not
to go back to those conditions, but it is
hard to realize that we must adjust our
selves TO new conditions and act prompt
ly,
The inertia of economic events is a
continuing force and we must all take
the new hand of cards that has been
dealt to us, familiarize ourselves with
them as quickly as possible and play
with them. II will do us no good to sit
and look at them and hope that in some
mysterious way they will change back
into the old hand we had before the war.
10 INrfI ghn afn al
people who maintained their old ideas as
ANTE bellum," The darkies said ''befo
the wah, but the majority of people in
this country now are still in the mental
hoop skirts and pantelettes Of the before.
the-war attitude of mind, and they do
not fully realize the strength of the ma
ton or the close political and economic
contacts that have been brought about
with the world in general, and which
will influence all of our future activities.
We are not going to get the immi-
grants which we received formerly;
prices of labor are higher in Europe than
they were; prices of materials are higher
in Europe than they have been for years,
in some cases higher than they are here,
and the influence of the European mar
kets on our prices must be taken into
consideration.
Prices of materials in the building
line have increased go per cent in the
face Of a declining demand, Prices of
other commodities have increased 100 per
cent.
Former Secretary McAdoo said in sub
stance on Nov. II, 1918, in instructing
the supervising architect to commence
hill for ha frn
THE normal activity of the building in
dustry will facilitate the transition of
general industry from war to a peace
basis"
The purpose of this division Of the de-
partment Of labor is to interest the ma
tion in public work and private construc-
ton. When figures and principles are
submitted to the public, each must use