New Britain herald., 1919-03-11
FIELD AGENT SAYS BUILDING IMPROVES
Reports From Majority ol States
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washiprton. March 11.-HaVinS travaled in the last SIX weeks a,ll states in the Union except those Of thes southeast Henry N. Teague, field agent for the United States depart rent of labor, reports to the intor~ nation and education service that industrial and labor conditions show q marked improvement during the last 50 days. This results in MT. TcagueS opinion, from the fact that state and municipal authorities have come to appreciate the necessity for buffer employment for labor and the possibilities of stimulating business through extensive public improve nlentS.
 Mir 1eague has travelled, during the last six weeks, from Boston to San Francisco, and from Seattle to New Orleans, calling on all the governors end on the mayors of the principal cities and carrying a personal mes aAge to them from Secretary of Labor Wilson. When asked to state his out sta ndtuE impression from his trips, Afr. Teague said:
 There is tU be d great deal or public building during the next six months. l am convinced the pubiic improvements program for 19l9 WILL equal that Of any five years in the country's history and the road build ing activities from the Atlantic to the Pacific, once under way. arc to tremendous
 "I have hecn much surprised to find tEe scope of improvement work in the west larger than in the east Per hapS this may he accounted 'or in tho Tact that the west needs more inn provemcnts than the cast. It is new CT country. The governors and may CTS of the west almost without eN- Ssption realize the prudence of going SSn for public Improvements as source of buffer employment for labor and q means of stimulating general business. The west. too, is much interested in reclamation and is anxious to make land. heretofore arid and waste. available and suit able for farming by such former sol diors as wish to go back to the soil.' t"Nost of the governors of the agri- cultural states,' MT. Teague said, "nre anxious to get men from the army to settle in their states This Is because they believe the army represents the best manhood and brains of the country and if their re- spcctiyc states can absorb soldiers, t1ae governors believe the state will get the highest type of citizens and the best blood of the natiou.''
 Mir. Teague says there is much criticism in the west of the fedora l government's failure to go ahead with it's own building operations. In many localities federal buildings. for which sites. plans and appropriations were had before the war, are now held up because the original appro- briations will not cover present con- etruction costs on the buildings de- sired. MT. Teague says, in such To- Calities there is resentment over the fact that the government has not been granted additional money to carry on those building activities and the fact that this has not been done is eX- erting harmful jnf1ueno on many private interests which feel that If it is. prudent for the government to refrain from building at this time, it also is prudent for the private in terests to follow the samo course.
 There are more building activities in New Orleans than in any other citv visited" MT. Teague said. New orleans is spending s14,ooo,ooo on the municipal docks More than 1o,- 900 men are employed in this under &aking.
 "I anticipate no labor crlsls throuerout the country for the com n1unities arc awake to the situation There is just as much unem ployment today as thirty days ago, and yet the situa ation Is much improved because local initiative is being brought to sbear on local problems and as soon as the cities and states get under way with their improvement programs for the time being at least, our un-