Omaha daily bee., 1920-09-21
Big Parties
DodgeH.C.L..
Lane Says.
Biggest Issue Before People
Completely Ignored by Both
Candidates, Former Cab.
met Member Says.
Cause for Optimism


New York, Sept. 20-Franklin X.
Lane, former secretary of the inte-
rior, today issued statement max
ing public, "a summary of what he
call "the first comprehensive, care
iully-made and approximately accu-
rate picture of industrial, agricul-'
ttural, financial and political cond-
lions throughout the United States"
1t discovers in the foreground, Ne
says, that both major political par
les have overlooked the greatest is
Sue in the public mind, which is the
cost of living, 1t also shows, he
states, that the country is on a sound
economic basis, with the wave of ex-
,ravagance subsiding, saving increas-
ing, wholesalers and retailers opti-
nistic over the winter outlook and
growing disposition for hard work,
although the individual productivity
of labor is not yet showing much
evidence of increase.
Mr.. Lanes statement summarizes
survey made through 900 field rep
resentatives of the Fidelity and De-,
post company OF Maryland and COW
ers@ every section of the country.
Manufacturers, merchants, chambers
of commerce, bankers, lawyers,
business men and farmers were ques-
toned in the, effort to mirror the inn
mediate econpmic ard political situ-
alton and obtain consensus of rep
resentative opinion as to the future.
The replies from all localities were
made simultaneously by telegraph.
Uncertainty Is Felt.
In preface to his analysis of the
survey Mr.. Lane says:
with the presidential election but
six weeks away and the winter rap
idly approaching, many thoughtful
people stand hesitant and undecided,
having difficulty because of the gem
erai faek of knowledge of business
conditions outside their own locality
Or interests. The general tendency.
has been to see what the next maj
thinks. with the uncomfortable feel
ing that his guess is no better than
another's. / believe for-this reason
the picture presented in the tabu-
lated analysis made bJ the Fidelity
and Deposit company is of interest
to every business map and other
voter. While it is not, of course,
perfect in detail and exact in proph-
ecy, it, is as clear and valuable con-
spectus of present conditions as can
be gathered"
Under the heading of industrial
conditions, Mr.. Lane says: ECO
Ironically, the United States is
shown to be better off than-any
other country in the world. There
is no evidence of idleness. Our peo-
pie have the opportunity to work
and are at work.
Plenty of Raw Material.
"There is no shortage of raw ma
terial sufficient to curtail production
reported from any of the nine geo.
graphical districts into which the
country was divided for the purpose
of the survey. Only in the district
includ1ng Minnesota, the Dakotas,
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Wis
coIsin is There evidence of lack of
orders. New England industries
report number of cancellations, but
there, as elsewhere, manufacturers
are we'll filed with calls for their
products.
Transportation conditions are in-
proving everywhere and a substan-
tial reduction i'll the freight car
shortage is reported in every district
except in the Rocky mountain states,
ii, the southwest and in the district
including Kentucky, Tennessee,
Alabama and Mississippi. although
an Improvement is noted in the lat
ter district.
"A shortage of coal and the failure
of labor to increase individual pro-
ductivity appear to be the only two
unisvorable aspects in the impfediate
industrial situation. The Rocky
mountain and Pacific states report a
sufficient supply of fuel.r All, other
sections of the country are feeling
the shortage, but-it is apparently
least felt by south Atlantic states.
Wages Show Increase.
although labor is costing still
more than it did last year, it appar-
emily is producing nc more. Wages
have advanced from 10 to 50 Per
cent in the last II months and yet
nowhere is. there renorted increase
in productivity per man. | am not
expecting that the, cost of labor will
fall off even in the worst of times to
its prewar stage. for / believe that
the real differential between direct
ing labor and manual labor will
never again be as great as it has
been.
$50 far as the distribution of Ia
Dor is concerned, the situation ma
tionally appears to be we'll equal
lied. A shortage Of labor is found
only in the middle and south Allan
tic states. and this is largely of un-
skilled workers. In the rest of the
country the demand and supply ap-
pea, balanced. Only in some sec
tions of the middle Atlantic states is
any unemployment reported, and
this is in certain of the skilled trades,
chiefly the building and shipbuilding
trades.
AN important disclosure of the
survey is the seriousness of he
housing situation. In many of the
larger industrial eenters where the
shortage has been most acute, the
investigation of the Fidelity and De-
,posit company has disclosed build
Hp.p1au~fn - rnse Hvs. Celvun ysur.)