The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-14

tAAS Aal9t tWO HsGhS py lilG IlllO1 Iud- ton and Education Service of the U. s. Department of Labor. Many building authorities blame Congress. others charge the financial interests Of the country with responsibility. In the central west freight rates are said to be exerting an injurious in fiuence. In the main, high costs of materials are held to be the chief ob stacle.
 Don't expect private capital to build merely for the sake of furnish ing jobs for workmen," writes we'll known architect from Buffalo. That Is the obligation of the government, be 1t local, state or national. Le. public works be started at once for the benefit of the public. The cost will be high and the public will have to pay the price, but the public will reap the benefit in the reduction of unemployment, the absorption of the products of many industries and the use of many works of which there is great need"
 From Passaic, N. J., comes the fol- lowing statement: q am greatly hin 
 not being able to procure loans by way of mortgage, in large amounts, say, in the neighborhood of $780, 000. The banking institutions and ulortgage companies are making only small loans around here and, even where there is ample security, will not consider investing a large amount of money in one place."
 Labor conditions and demands are held to be unfavorable to immediate building operations by many of the authorities writing to the Information and Education Service. An architect, writing from Lincoln, Neb., makes the following statement, typical of the complaints along this line:
 "Construction work in these parts Is now and has been impeded not a little, due to the unreasonable de- mands of labor not only for exor- bitant wages, but more by the fact certain very undesirable trade rules are being enforced by labor organ izations, which run up the cost of doing work enormously"
 Many of the contractors and build CTS in the central west assert freight rates are the chief trouble. Typical of these arguments is the following from Greenville, Ohio:
 ''we have no complaint to make in the matter of securing credits, building materials, and labor. It Is true that wages are quite high and yet not prohibitive. The greatest de- trirnent to our industry through the {- vNr0b{h{fiun rates on sand and gravel. It is not only threatening to destroy our in dustry but at the same time 1t is i'm peding highway construction and other building projects which demand a high grade of these basic ma terials.'
 Lack of cooperation on the part Of financial interests seems to be the outstanding obstacle in New York One of the best authorities on the building industry in New York city sums up the situation there in this fashion: ...
 We have in the United States se- rious difficulty owing, principally, to the unwil1ingness of financial inter ests to cooperate in building projects with the material end labor market in it's present condition. We are working on a total of nine industrial projects involving approximately G. 900, workmen's homes, to be carried out by private interests in various i'm portant industrial centers, but in each case we are hampered by the build ing loan situation. The only definite work we expect to carry out with out delay is located outside of the United States"
 From St. Louis, Mo-, a well-knowr architect writes: T am firmly con vinced that the one thing the build ing public wants to know is the cost of building today as compared to the next three to five years. If they could be assured that the cost will not droT , within that time, there would be z tendency to proceed with the needed work"
 As for the last question the In formation and Education Service o1 the Department of Labor, through the Division of Public Works an( Construction Development now i: seeking, authoritative information a! to what can be expected in materia prices for the next five years. While the investigation lacks completeness at this time, no definite conclusions may be stated. Many eminent build ing and material authorities, how ever. insist that no marked decreas in material prices may be expected for the next five years. They asser with some positiveness that prewal Tor -i-o1e be re-established for several years, 1 ever. These assert that persons wht delay building in the hope of marke( reductions in building costs probabll will be disappointed and will hay; denied themselves the use of needed property and the revenues whict would be derived therefrom.
 In response to the Department 0 Labor's inquiry as to future rates oI building and construction materials the U, s. Railroad Administration as serts there is to be no general thirt! per cent advance on freight rate for sand. gravel, crushed stone anC slag. The rumor that such advances were contemplated was arousin! anxiety in the central west. Undel 0dte or January AO Ine TdlITOdu au nlinistration put out a circular whicl says: There is no foundation for tht report that the Railroad Administra ton has given or is giving any con sideration to any increase in presen basis of rates"
 The Department of Labor point out that building, being basic in dustry, will stimulate general busi eess and is, therefore, very vital t