The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-23

every day" stated MT Rogers 'and al
 the present time there is more supply oi abor than there is a demand for it. Tht <, sboring man realizes this and is holdins | en tc his job and giving good service 1 During the war when the contractor and the business man were begging for la. bor they could not be secured in some instances. When a man employed la boring man during the war he did moi ! know what minute he was going to leave him just because of something which would not have been noticed under nor nal conditons.'f
 Eighty per cent of the lumber mills in the state of North Carolina are shut down at the present time" said D. O. Anderson, secretary of the North Caro- lima Pine association. "and the reason for this can be answered in only ons way; labor Is still demanding higher wages when everything else. that goes into the erection of house has de creased nearly 50 per cent
 Lumber, roofing, brick and cement have decreased almost to pre-war prices If it were not for the wartime pay de nanded by labor a building boom would start all over this country that would put an end to the housing situation in three months
 F. R. Gadd, representative of the Amer jean Hardwood Manufacturers associa- T National bank of Birmingham. and John H. Frye. president Of the Traders Ma. 1 tional bank. all testified during the ses- sion.
 LUNCHEON MEETING At o'clock at the Tutwiler hotel Sen ator Calder and his staff attended a luncheon given by prominent business men of the city. Senator Calder made a short address at the opening of the din- fler, in which he stated that if some. thing was not done for the housing sit ation in the United States at once thai the situation would soon be almost as bad as in England and France
 ENGLAND'S MISTAKE
 'l,rhe English government has under taken the construction of 500, 900 houses and the effect of the government con- structing these houses has almost brought business to standstill in that country T stated Senator Calder.
 ''Imagine what 1t would do to business in this country if the government was to announce that in the future it was going to construct all the houses. The lumber business representing millions ol dollars, would be affected; the brick business, plumbing, roofing, and many other concerns would be affected. ant the effect it would have on other busi ness concerns would be so great tha 1 It would take nalr century Tor tht country to recover"
 i Thorton Estes. Fred NJ. Jackson ant I Arthur C. Crowder each made a short ad
 dress during the course of the luncheon
 as to the effects of the readjustmen
 period at the present time in their owi 1 businesses.
 John Sibley. president of the Sible.
 Brick company, stated that his compan.
 was selling all kinds and styles of brick
 at the present time at a price that wa
 a good bit lower than it cost his com pany to manufacture them.
 The government award of higher sai
 aries to the miners has had a demoral l izing effect upon the brick busines@ il l the Birmingham district said MT. Sib ley. The brick yards are only :I,ou 1 two miles away from the mines and VI
 cannot hold laborers at a wage of A {,
 s5.50 per day when they can work il the mines and make from $ to s !;
 day. And we can't sell brick at tn, present prices and pay these men ever
 s a day.
 Senator Calder and his staff left Bir
 mingham at 4:20 o'clock yesterday after
 noon for New York, where the final con
 ferences as the result of the investiga-
 tions will be held.