Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-26
BOTH LABOR AND
MATERIAL VERY
SCARCE; HIGHER
PRICES LIKELY
Fa9ts and Figures Gathered
Show Needs of People
More Than Offset Boy
colts of Some Necessities
BUILDING OPERATIONS
ON EXTENSIVE SCALE
Labor Shortage Is Greatest
Factor, Producing Scar
city in Practically All In
duStrieS of United States.
rsv ,aoas,so JOURNAL spsclAL LEASED w,ssI

tsT looming JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED W'HhI
Chicago, Jan. 25.-The general
volume Of business in the middle
west continues at high level and
building operations and other
activities will be sufficient to sus-
tain the movement for the imme-
diate future, according to q report
of business conditions IN the
seventh federal reserve district
made public tonight.
The report states, however, that
despite this general show OF pros
perity business is in "a peculiar
pocket
con one side" it saws, "there are
forays against high prices: So
ciety women engineering film pro-
paganda and quasi boycotts against
this or that commodity az the pre-
yailing price; or else piedging
themselves to refrain from buying
is.ttil 81 s.es . sf.s 1t,e sr'a1e - i
the other side there is the obstin-
ate fact that demand for commod-
tiles ontruns any possibility of pro-
viding n supply-that production IL
low in volume because labor Is IN
sufficient and because raw materi-
ais are available in quantities much
below necessary requirements
These factors combined with a car
shortage, motive power famine, IN
adequate transportation tacllltie5
and strike rumors constitute To-
tai of risk elements against Whlch
the average business man breads
to pit his capital"
Prices Not To Decline,
Crowding all of the difficulties,
saws the report, is the foreign ex-
change situation, which Is declared
TO be the most unfavorable in its
bearings on American business
hopes.
The wish is father to the thought,
apparently, when it is asserted
that prices are on the point of
breaking, it is declared, lnvesti-
cation had failed to show that oc-
casional announcements of cuts in
prices were representative of the
general market
The American business man,
the report continues, realizes that
increased production is the only
remedy that will right the situa-
ton. SO far, the rank and file of
labor, and those directly interested
in maintaining the high price level,
either have grasped the signifi-
canoe of this idea or are ignoring
it,"
Everything Scarce.
Agricultural conditions In all
parts of the seventh federal re-
serve district were reported to be
favorable. Coal is declared to be
a hand to mouth proposition, steel
almost impossible to obtain, struc-
tural trades running at one-half OF
normal speed, brick extremely
scarce and at a prohibitive price,
cotton and wool of the better
grades scarce and leather stocks
scant.
Contracts awarded in states
north of the Ohio and east of the
Missouri river from December
!, 1919 to January l, 1920, totalled
$2,559,625, 900, an increase of prac-
tically billion dollars in compari-
son with a similar period in 1918.
Contracts awarded in the seventh
federal reserve district, and also
northern Missouri and eastern
Kansas during December, 1919,
totalled $S91.729, 900, against $780,
9l1.00 for December, 1918.