The Tomahawk., 1919-08-14

house the same principles Of Standardization.
machine. factory and quantity production that
are employed by all other great industries.
Most experts agree that the real crux OF the
industrial housing problem lies not In land COST
taxes interest rates, but In the house 1tsen-
the cost Of construction. The Investment IN
building is anywhere from three to ten times the
cost of the land, and is therefore the dominant
item and the most potent factor in the entire
problem. It is all very well to eliminate the
waste in the other factors-waste OF time, LABOR
material-but If the productivity OF human
the result would be a real step toward the solu-
tion Of the difficulty and the benefits OF such an
economy would accrue to all parties involved
'"That the 'ready-made' house will come event.
ually is evident from the progress made. The
first experimental building designed to demon
strate the principle Of Standardization and fac-
tory production was successfully erected In 10O0.
Since then the work Of demonstration and de-
velopment has proceeded, with the general result
always pointing. in my judgment. to the sound
ness of the principles and their ultimate success.
The help we need ought to come from gov
ernment research department established for that
purpose. This department would have to bear
the same relation to housing. which Is commodity,
that the department Of agriculture bears to wheat
or the bureau Of mines to minerals. In other
words the housing Of the industrial army IL a.
important in peace AZ that Of the munition work
ers In war times or the fighting units themselves.
And for these purposes the government spent
hundreds of millions Of doars-and established
a special department. 1t Is q fair question wheth-
er the importance Of the problem today does not
Justify the establishment Of q permanent bureau
of housing"
'What effect will this increased activity Of the
lumberjack have on our lumber supplyT Is an i'm
portant question.
The expectation Of American lumber on the
scale likely to result from the European demand
for material will. unless accompanied by provi-
sion for regrowth, seriously deplete the supplies
needed by home industries and Impose hardships
on the consuming public here Is the view Of Henry
8 Graves. chief Of the United States forest serv-
ice.
The department Of agriculture has issued
pamphlet BY Colonel Graves warning the wood
using industries the lumbermen and all interested
IN home supplies Of forest products or foreign
trade In them, that the question Of lumber ex
ports cannot safely be left to the care Of itself
The situation IL especially critical, he points out
with certain Of our highest grade woods, such a.
ash oak, hickory, yellow poplar and black walnut
which are the support Of important industries,
and With southern yellow pine, Of which the
and which Is likely to b exported In large 0nan-
titles to meet after-the-war demanda
The situation, Colonel Graves holds, 10 one OF
luminous possibilities. Most Of the leading In
dustrisl nations Of the world" he says. whether
Nshtly wooded and depeadent upon imports or
heavily wooded and exporters are taking steps to
safeguard and develop their timber resources The
United States alone appears to be content to
build up . great export trade without Considering
tha ultimate effect upon domestic timber re
SOURCES and their capacity In tie future to supply
the home market. =.a ===E-..
Sound public policy does not. however. neces-
sarily demand the discouragenent of exports.