The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1920-08-06

yield in abundance. .Ot course there
is the dreaded apprehension of lack
in transportation facilities; and the
car shortage has had a tendency to
make farmers as we'll as manufactur-
ers conservative. But while, every
where there has been a tendency for
manufacturers and farmers to slow
down, the striking reason has been
that there has not been enough labor
to carry on the ordinary game of life.
At the same time, in the cities as
well as in the towns and countries,
there has been a house shortage. In
New York 1t is not uncommon for a
single office room to rent for as high
as a thousand dollars a year. In
Washington offices are double what
they were before the war. This con-
dition holds good in most of the large
cities. Apparently there are not
enough people to man the industries,
to take care of farm production and
to build new houses and building
structures within the Nation. The
United States Census now being TAX
en-, shows that the population is in
creasing, but it does not indicate
what has become of the laboring peo-
pie, who evidently are becoming
scarcer and scarcer as the years roll
| by. If America could analyze her
true economic condition she would
likely find out that the country is
several years behind in the affairs of
it's shops and households.
Whatever the idealists and theo-
rists could figure out from the above
facts is uncertain. In any event con-
ditions all show that the people who
predict panics are sadly misguided, as
there are of necessity, continued
good times ahead-and these likely
will improve as more people are COM
PEELED to turn to the ranks of indus
try after dissipating the small for
tunes that they accumulated during
war times. Doubtless prices are
slowly coming down, due to the fact
that business profiteers and labor
profiteers are being forced to sub
scribe to saner business conditions
demanded by country at peace with
the world. -,..r- - 49,,
The railroad problem which holds
public attention, and is of constant
moment at Washington. does not
stand by itself. 1t is a part of the
entire industrial problem of the coun-
try and is tied up with it in every de-
itself. Any disturbance affecting any
industry reacts upon railroad trans
portation. 1t may keep cars empty
and idle that should be full and
running. Then upon the abatement
of such disturbance the demand for
products delayed by it becomes alb
normally strong for the time being.
There is, so to speak, a rush" hour
demand, creating a temporary need
for more than a normal supply of
cars.
The coal strike of last fall had
,ong extended effects. All produc-
lion in which iron and steel enter
vas complicated by the steel strike
Building has been hampered by nu-
merous local strikes of craftsmen and
Tho IonnchoraD ap,c o+ril-ac bovo NON
dered it difficult to get many mater
ials. Traffic for export has been COM
plicated by maritime strikes, both of |
longshoremen and tugmen. Teams |
ters' and truckmen's strikes have ad-
ded to these difficulties. Capital has |
faced uncertainties and particularly !
has been unable to make stable con-
tracts at known prices. Commodities |
have neither been produced nor
with the foreseeable and |
dependable regularity of normal
times, and this has interfered with
the normal flow of commodities
The exigencies of the war period |
has resulted-unavoidab il is true
in deterio; alton of equipment and
facilities which takes time to over
The competition for labor has
lost to the railroads many skilled
men. The lowered efficiency of la
Dor has affected the railroads. just
as it has other industries. This. to-
gether with the shortened workday
basis, has made it impossible to get
the same transportation results with
the same number of employees as be-