New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-02-08
Henry Glen, S
Weekly Letter
Especial to tfcraldD

| ClOuded DN Z com Dllldlloi oA "'iAt'N VI
able problems, requiring time and dis
| cusson for settlement. The Peace
| Conference has finally settled down to
| hard work, but points Of difference
| are cropping out and there is more or
| less dissatisfaction at slow progress
| and the meagroncSs of details given
out. This is much as expected and
| is not stimulating.
Perhaps the most important source
| OF uncertainty is the financial one of
! bonds and taxes. If the new revenue
measure and the bond issue are push
ed through simultaneously the Gov
eminent will issue $4,000, 100000 in
loans and impose another $4,000, OO0,-
600 in taxes; a total of $12, 600, oO0,O 900
in few months, which is probably
considerably more than the country's
savings. To meet such unprecedent-
cd payments, the largest in this
country during the war, extensive re-
sort TO bank loans will be inevitable
with more or less consequent imitation.
1t is plain there will he little money
for new enterprises for some time to
come, and great care will be neces-
sary to prevent undesirable imitation.
The railroad outlook is confused
by the conflict of opinion between
those who wish TO return the roads
to owners at an early date and those
who wish the Government to maintain
control for another five years. My own
preference would be to let the present
arrangements run to the appointed
twenty-one months after peace has
been signed; and if the situation ic
not then satisfactory to continue Gov
eminent control for the balance of
the proposed five-year period. Ow-
ing to enormous increases in wages
aGgregating 500 000,0 900. to increased
cost Of materials and to impaired
physical condition, the credit of the
railroads has been somewhat weaken
ed, and they are at present in no con-
dition TO be handed back to their
owners. Public interest and common
justice require that they be given a
chance to repair damages incurred by
war before the Government which
seized them throws them back upon
their own resources.
The labor question is beyond doubt
one of the most difficult of solution
The increasing number of strikes in
Great Britain and the United States
is symptomatic of deep seated unrest,
the outcome of which cannot be mea-
sured at this time. It began long be-
various theories of industrial and social
reconstruction, most of which are not |
only impractical, but absolutely un- |
workable, human nature being what it !
is. This dissatisfaction has been in |
tensely aggravated by war, and the re- |
adjustment to peace basis is proving |
infinitely more difficult that placing |
the country upon a war basis The thing !
most essential to satisfactory adj |
Justment in this problem is a spirit of |
patience and fair play. The warning |
countries are passing through a phase |,
OF national neurasthenia, character |
lied by an impatience with things as |
they are and a dangerous readiness to !!
experiment with all sorts Of radical |
vagaries which would certainly make |
the new state worse than the old. |
What is most needed is wise counsel |
and careful action on all sides Little |
can be gained by harping upon abuses |
and wrongs belonging to the past !
What Is most essential is careful study |
Of workable plans that will carry us
step by step toward the goal of social |
justice in preference to violent |
methods that would simply confuse
and destroy. Capital has already
taken the inititive in adopting q con-
ciliatory attitude, this being notably
expressed at the recent convention in
Atlantic City, when thousands of big |
employers declared in concert their |
readiness TO facilitate betterment of
conditions on logical lines. Wages have !
been largely increased, hours of labor !
have been shortened. and many of our !
leading manufacturers have under |
taken liberal measures to amcIioratc !
the conditions of worllingmen. The |
concessions on the side % initial o16
the gains on the side of labor during !
the last ten years if correctly chroni- |
Cled would fill Il big volume, with |
the changes largely on the side of the |
latter. But labor is still discontented. !
mainly because of the increased cost |
of living. The question naturally fol- |
lows what is responsible for this lat |
ter increase, and the only answer is
the war and labor itself. War forced |
high prices by It's oXtraVagant de |
structiVeness, by diversion OF la Dor to
useless products thus lessening the |
production of industries; not to speak |
of the killing and manning OF millions
of men and the utter decentralization
of industry and transportation. The |
only effective cure for this impover-
ished condition is to fill the void thus
created by increased production or
more work. But this labor frequently
refuses to do, and persists in multi
plying its own hardShips by insisting
upon still shorter hours and still |
higher wages which means diminish
ed instead Of larger production. If
labor really appreciated that such q
suicidal policy increases its difficulties
it would adopt more rational methods
but labor unwiseN increases the cost
OF the very things Of which it is the
largest consumer and makes it's own
situation worse rather than better
Under really sound leadership, labor