The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-09-21
~ NRANKIlN I. LxNK

with the pro1odo0o0 eloc000
Ut six weeks awsy apd< the' winter
taStdly approaching, many Thought
I'll people stand hsattant and un-
lecided. having din<nlty bScAaSsCf
~ general lack . knOulsdge of
tuslnoso conditio03 outside th1ir
own locality or intefests. Tho Sen-
oeal tendency has beea to sse what
tbs next man thinks, with thu un-
-Vumfoftabis feeling that his guess
~ no bettsf than anotheF's.
~ Economically. the United States
Abown tolbe better OF than any
6khee country in the world. There
- mo svidsnce Of idleness. Our
2Npte have the opportunity to
ef1 and are 1t work.
There 10 no shortage Of raw ma
t461k Sufficient 10 curtail .produc-
= reported from any OF the nine
geographical districts into which
the country was divided for the
purpose Of the survey. Only in the
district Including Minnesota, the
Dakotas. Iewa. Kansas. Nebraska
and Wisconsin ID there evidence Of
. lack o. orders. New England in
dustries report Z number Of can
cellations, but there, as elsewhere.
manufacturers are well filled with
Gals for their products,
A4,N- TfaASp0rtatloA Better.
Transportation conditions are
Improving everywhere and q sub
VtNnt1al reduction in the freight car
brtage is reported in every dis
1gbet except in the Rocky mountain
states. in the southwest and in the
district including Kentucky, Ten
Aessee, Alabama and Mississippi,
Although an Improvement Is noted
2111fe latter district.
~ shortage Of coal and the fail
5 Of Labor to increase individual
pdnctivity appear to be the only
Two dnfavofable aspects IN the i'm
.1Aediate Industrial situation. The
Rocky mountain and Pacific states
report . sufficient supply Of fuel.
All other sections Of the country
are feeling the shortage, but 1t is
apparently least felt by the South
Atlantic states.
Although labor Ia costing still
more than It did last year, 1t ap-
parently is producing no more.
Wages have advanced from 10 to 50
per cent In the last II months and
yet nowhere is there reported IN
creese In productivity per man.
am not expecting that the cost d
labdrwillSfalI on eten IN the worst
Of times to its prewar stage, for
believe that the real differential be.
tween directing labor and manual
ssbor will never again be as great
g It has been.
so far - the distribution Of Ia
Dor II concerned. the situation ma
'NHpnAlly appears to be we'll equal
Mlped."A shortage Of labor is found
only In the middle ard South At
3antic states and this is largely OF
fnskilled workers. In the rest OF
me country the demand and supply
appear balanced. Only in some
:6ections Of the middle Atlantic
Bates IL any unemployment report.
ID and this ID in certain Of the skill.
I'd trades, chiefly the building and
hipbuilding trades.
= Housing Problem Acute.
IAN important disclosure OF the
survey Is the seriousness Of TIL
housing situation. In many OF tn,
larger Industrial centers where thu
portage has been most acute, tn,
1nvestigation has disclosed building
operations to be decreasing insteaf
~ jncreasing.
- "The call for buildings comes
1eudest from the most Essential
laces Of manufacture, rather thar
HON the retail centers, and Is fol
3ow-priced dwellings. Building
obstruction Is increasing in New
-3lnkland. but the bulk Of the con
s2eruction 10 Of factories. ware
3Duses and stores. New York
ennsylvania and most Of the othel
fsat industrial states Of the eas,