The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-29
ENCOURAGING CONSTRUCTION.
There Is Not Great Surplus o.
Materials.

Materials.
Encouragement for builders appears in
practically all the preliminary reports
that are being received by the division Of
public works and construction develop
ment, recently organized in the depart
ment of labor
! Although there is no surplus of build
| ing materials on hand, from present in
| dications, there is sufficient amount to
| fill present needs, at least, and prices are
not high as compared with other COM
modities. Moreover, labor is available
now, and may not be six months hence,
Labor's attitude, too, is thoroughly
eonciiatory and reasonable, according to
all advices that have reached the depart
ment of labor. An instance has just
come to light at Atlantic City, where a
So 100000 hotel is under construction,
Electrical workers employed elsewhere
in Atlantic City were receiving STA
cents an hour, but the rate of pay on the
hotel was only rs cents. The men felt
that they should receive the prevailing
wage and informed the company to that
effect.
For time the controversy threatened
to halt work, but when the men under
stood that the company had taken the
contract based on less than IS cents an
hour for electrical workers, and would
lose heavily if they insisted on the Sta
cent rate, the men willingly returned to
their Jobs and agreed to stick TO the rs
cent an hour basis so long as they were
needed.
Assistant Secretary of Labor Louis f.
Post, in an address before a reconstruc-
tion conference in Washington recently,
declared that labor is taking a most rea-
sonable attitude in practically all the
cases brought to the notice of the depart
ment.
There is almost universal need for i'm
proved housing and business buildings
according to information which has al.
ready reached the division Of public
works, and almost every municipality in
the United States has suspended CON
struotion of schools, roads and sewers
during the war; so that a large amount
Of construction is needed at once.
II is the general opinion among bust
ness men that the after.war period will
bring America great opportunities in the
y
able to accept them. Homes, roads and
bridges are as essential as factories and
warehouses for the efficient conduct Of
industry, for the producers of the nation
must be comfortably housed and means
Of communication must be available for
the eountry's progress.
The building industry at the beginning
of the war produced modern freproof
buildings, hygienieally designed, at less
cost than the old-fashioned city buildings
of 80 years ago, in spite Of the gradually
decreasing power of the dollar
The department of agriculture esti-
mates that $500 100000 will be spent dur
ing the coming year on roads. This
amount is not greatly in excess of nor
NAL road expenditures, although there is
a great deal of road building in arrears
as a result of the war restrictions on
work not having a direct bearing on the
conduct of the war.
Estimates by trade publications in the
building field indicate that there is
shortage Of approximately 100000 houses
in America at the present time These
figures win be checked up through the
researches of the division of public
works; but they correspond fairly well
with figures given recently at the hous-
ing conference in Boston, where IL was
said that the normal home building of
the nation is approximately 100000
houses each year assuming five persons
to house and figuring solely on the an
pual increase in populatiea,
During the period of the war home
building was practically at a standstil
except for the national housing projects
at shipyards and munitions works.
There is unquestionably, therefore, a
need of construction of practically all
kinds; there is labor power available at
present, and there is the necessity for
putting the nation into shape so that it
may be equipped in the best possible way
for future developments.
Building loan associations throughout
the country have manifested much inter.
est in the plan of the division of public
works to assist home building at this
time, and cooperation on a national
scale has been suggested at conferences
between the building loan representative
and officials Of the division. There are
certain technical difficulties in the way
of the most effective cooperation, but Il
is anticipated that these will shortly be
cleared up or circumvented, and that
home builders may be assured aid in
much the same way that farmers are as
sisted by the farm loan banks.
News has reached Washington of many
building projects, which will not only
give employment to large number Of
returned soldiers and enable the transi-
ton of industry from a war to a peace
basis TO be made with minimum of
friction but will also increase the wealth
of the country and its resources for the
foreign trade campaign that win soon
begin. The housing projects begun dur.
ing war time are likely to be completed,
where their condition of progress is such
as to make it advisable and where the
housing problem is still acute.
The readiness of states and municipal
tiles to do their part in construction de.
velopment is illustrated by the attitude
of Maine and New Hampshire, which
stand ready to contribute a large sum
for the building of bridge from Kittery
to Portsmouth. Secretary Daniels, it is |
favors federal appropria- !
ton to aid these states, on the grounds |
that the project is rather too large for |
their resources and that the federal gov
eminent through the Portsmouth navy
yard. will benefit greatly from the work.