davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Ci;jfts Shop zIeo
Result Of Aim
For Home Beauty

TE%HE establishment Of gift
B shops and gift departments in
the big retail stores within
the last ten years IS development
of the natural desire of people to
beautify their homes, according to
Miss F. Morse, manager of the gift
and art division of the Bush Ter
minal Sales Building. The increased
wages of many workers also have
enabled them to express their desire
for more beauty by the purchase Of
Industrial art objects, and a higher
appreciation of such things has
been brought back by our soldiers
who went to Europe.
because the fundamental idea un-
derlying the purchase of gift articles
is to decorate the home," says Miss
Morse, at follows that the gift shop
does not perform it's full function in
selling the purchaser single object
of a decorative nature. The possession
of priced decoration should be the
incentive for the purchase of another
to match it. The purchase of con-
sole table may lead to the buying of
set of candlesticks to match; a floor
lamp may lead to the buying of a
screen in harmony with it, The pur-
chase OF objects of art should be en-
couraged until the customer has COM
pletely furnished the home"
Miss Morse believes that not only
is the home owner thus able to exer-
else a more discriminating selection in
making her choice, but that the grad
ual acquisition of attractive art OBJ
Jects enables many of limited means
TO look forward to completely equip
ping the home with beautiful and use
ful works Of industrial art. 1t is the
most natural thing in the world, she
SAID. for customer to respond to the
salesman's suggestion that on her next
trip to the store she purchase an
article IN harmony with one which she
has just bought. The thought of har-
mony, OF matching one priced object
wltn another, 4ies at the very founda-
tion n, OF the success of the gift shop.
wv nlle the trend of gift articles is
oeautltui,- she continued. "yet there
IS also an extensive demand for the
purely ornamental. The average per
son Will not feel able to spend money
Tor an article that is merely beautiful
since the demand for items of practi
cal use IS usually more urgent The
purely ornamental articles, therefore.
make desirable gifts since they reore
sent a higher satisfaction to the re-
clpIent who does not feel able to mr.
chase them for herself"
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Fordney Sees No Reason Why u. S.
Expenditure Should Not BE Reduced

(Senator Penosc chairman the Finance Committee Of The Sen
a recently quoted Washington dpatches losing hope of
reducing either expenditures
Representatives Fordmcy hs regarding
His reply IN the letter presented IN the subjoimcd
articlo.-Fnnncjal Editor.)
By Joseph w. Fordney
Chair7rom Of the Ways Repre-
Replying o.
he
tho public debt twenty-five
debt the to
in
that time population govern
ordinary running expenses
government employees the
of were num-
TO a Bile eXte
Before the $250O00 annually
ard understand
these
in favor Of aboshng
into
aAa
In opinion the management
the Shipping Board should greatly
well established merchant will
taxes for it, and will
under and operation
pendture and thus burden upon people,
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Old Average Family Dwinntlling
Economists Who Gave Three Theoretical Children
to Each Wage Garner and Wife Revis-
ing Figures Downward Now

the contentious of the Philadelphia
committee, although the census fig
ures bear out their contention 1t is
sand, for instance, that these figures
therefore, indicate that each worker
OF the country need only earn an aver
age of about three fths of the
amounts estimated as minimum basis
IN order that every group Of five may
have the support called for on oasis
of reasonable living standards.'
This contention is questioned for the
reason that the removal of two per-
sons from a family of five does not re-
duce the expense by two-hfths. Ger
tain fixed charges remain the same for
the smaller family as for a larger one
This is obvious to any one familiar
with overhead either in business or
household economy
The underlying problem seems to be
whether an attempt should be made to
establish an ideal minimum wage
which, according to the committee
quoted, industry is unable to pay, or
whether those families having more
than the average number of depend
ents must subsist on an inadequate
income.
A decision of an arbitration board in
Kansas City in dealing with Il building
ufaOeS dispute, accepting the theoretl-
cal family of five for the AVERAGE, in
the opinion of many, opens the ques-
tion as to whether it is practicable to
base q vase scale on the cost of living
level necessary to support family of
five regardless Of prevailing wages
paid. 1t is possible that abnormally
high wages. particularly in non-essen-
tial industry, would react against the
best interests Of the workers by in
creasing unemployment.
According to the contention of the
Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
committee strict adherence to the
family Of five theory in wage decisions,
if carried out extensively, would lead
to general wage scales which industry
as at present organized cannot afford
to pay.
Some Of the estimates Of family bud
gets based on the average family of
five are interesting. The New York
Factory Investigating Commission's S
1914 figures revised to May, 1920, the
peak of the price rise, put the minimum
at $1.76425. against $S76.43 in 1914.
The Philadelphia Municipal Bureau of
Research put the minimum at 81 ,992.47
in May, 1920, while Professor Osburn's s
budget for the War Labor Board, SIM
ilarly revised, places the minimum at
S2,329.14.
All these estimates were based on
the family of five theory as established
by the United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31

Euntan Nature Stronger

Tpman nature proved far stronger
than common sense. The desire TO
make good showing had been ground
into railroad men too long for them
to be able to disregard it, whatever
common sense might say. No railroad
was willing to have its maintenance of
equipment account swollen in order to
put any other roads equipment in good
shape. This fact, taken in connection
with the fact that cars could be loaded
In any direction and therefore became
wanderers over the entire continent
resulted in an equipment situation not
comparable to anything that railroad
history had to show. In the months
just prior to and just succeeding the
end of government operation American
freight car equipment showed the sad
dest picture imaginable. Without ex-
aggeration, in a 60-car train, it was not
unusual to find 90 cars that were held
together by some temporary expediert
as makeshift in character il not quite
as obvious as two chains tied PACKAGE
wise around the car would have been.
This is not matter of past history
alone. 1t is q fact that has an i'm
portant effect on the present railroad
equipment situation. For time dur
ing the guarantee period there were
many railroads which. assured of a
net income made up if necessary by the
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Italy Increases
Cotton Spinning
Deer 1918 LeveE

The Confederazione Generate dell
Industria Italiana states that before
the war the number of spindles en-
ployed in the cotton industry in Italy
was 4,650.000, while at the present time
the number is estimated to be 4.71O0O0.
including those now being installed in
the devastated regions and the re-
claimed provinces. This number rep
resents one thirty-second of the total
number OF spindles in operation in
the world.
In 1913 the number Of mechanica!
cotton looms in use in the country was
5000, of which 115 900 were emDloyed
IN turning out common cotton cloths
and other low grade textiles, while the
remaining number were devoted To the
manufacture of special or finer grades
OF cotton textiles, such as ribbons and
tUllc. This number OF mechanical
looms, with the addition of about 90.
GOO hand looms, may be considered the
present capacity OF the Italian cotton
spinning industry
The number of workmen and en-
ployees at present engaged in the in
dustry is estimated to be 200 600. In
the last few years the national cor
sumption OF cotton manufactures has
increased considerably, while the adop-
ton OF the eight-hour day diminished
production by 16 to Is per cent. the
resulting consequence being that the
amount of cotton fabrics available for
export under normal conditions of in
custrlal activity has decreased Before
lhe war 80 per cent of 1talys produc-
tlon was exported, but at present not
more than Is per cent can be exported
1he economic world crisis began to
make itself felt in the Italian cotton
industry only in the first two months
OF the current year, since which time
practically no new orders have been
received, but the industry has been kept
going during the last several months
on old orders received prior to 1921, as
well as building up its own stocks with
the hope of a change for the better at
some future time.
IN February reduction of activities
IN the spinning branch of the industry
took place which became more pro
nounced in the succeeding months. In
the weaving branch reduction in work
took place in April, but only as regards
colored materl>ls. 1t may be said that
IN both these branches OF the industry
a decreased output will continue for the
next seN erai months In the first two
weeks of spril approximately 10 per
cent OF the total number of spindlos
were lcie, as Well as per cent of the
looms Tor raT9 materials and 10 per cent
OF the looms 'or dyed materials, while
IN the hrst cTo weeks of January the
splnd!es and looms Idle approximated.
respectively, 6, and per cent of the
total number.
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Auto Show for Calcutta

1t is learned through Trade Com
missioner c. c. Batchelder that the
Eastern India section of the Motor
Trade Association will hold an ex-
hibition in Calcutta during the coming
winter, the exact date to be an,
nounced later. This will be the first
exhibition of its kind in Calcutta since
1905. Only members of the associa
tlon end affiliated organizations will be
perm ltted to exhibit, but as these com
accessory houses it is expected that n
large number of automobiles, trucks.
tractors and motor boats of the latest
models and accessories of all kinds
will be shown.
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
II CONOMIsTs who for years

III CONOMISTS who for years
EN have accepted the estimate
~ Of five persons il the average
wage-earner's family-the husband,
wife and three children under four
teen years Of age-are beginning to
revise their figures. The question
has immediate and practical bear
ings when it is attempted to esti-
mate the budget Of a workingman's
family for purposes Of determining
& fair wage.
"The fallacy of using figures Cor the
cost of living for a family of five as
specific basis for the determination
OF a minimum or average wage says
the Philadelphia Chamber of Com
tlons, sis apparent for the following
reasons:
ut is difficult to determine the basis
of living which may be considered
suitable and satisfactory for the
family of an American worker. This
is evidenced by the difference in
various estimates.
The average person engaged in a
gainful occupation in this country does
not support family of five, and those
persons who have three or more chill
dren are, as rule, only required for
limited period OF their lives to sup
port that number.
at is impossible under existing CON
dltions for all workers. skilled and
unskllled, to receive q minimum an
nual pay equal to the living cost for
family of five"
Census figures are quoted to substan-
tate the contention that the average
workers family consists of less than
five persons. The population in 1910
was placed at 90 55e ,521. of whom 3S.-
1926 were gainfully employed These
figures show that one out of an average
OF 2'3f persons was wage Garner of
some sort.
Although totals for the industrial
population have not been prepared by
the Census Bureau of 1920, an esti-
mate has been made for 1917. In this
year there were 43,282 oil persons en-
gagged in some gainful occupation. If
this figure is applied to the total pop
ulation in 1920 of 106,298 coo, it is
found that the average number of per-
sons supported by one wage Garner il
246. This is probably an overcstimate.
as there was an undoubted growth of
industrial population between 1917 and
1920.
There are certain mod'Hcations to
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31

government, went ole-heartedly to
work to put their equipment in good
shape. There were, however, two I'M
portant conditions which acted as a
deterrent to the carrying out of the
work. One was the national agree
ments which worked for great inef-
ficiency in railroad car and locomotive
repair shops, and the other was the
provision in the transportation act,
which prevented railroads from charg-
ing against the government main
tenance work in excess of the average
during the test period: that is, the
three wears prior to 1917.
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Z hroav Open wi WiBadows

But the question that was raised in
Toxic at about the time OF the armis-
tice, and that | want to canvass ho"~, is
quite another question. The discus
sions in Baron Shibusawa's summer
house and at the Waseda home of Mar
quir Okuma in October, 1918. did not
turn upon the question whether the
pending Chinese consortium could be
made to work. They inquired rather
whether that sort of thing was not at
the best utterly inadequate. 1t is all
that no outsider gets the better of
another. But who shall watch the
watchers? How about China herself?
Is it not possible to throw open the
windows and let in light and air?
Is there not such thing in the
world as spirit of science and the
arts? Has finance no reckoning to
make with this spirit? Granted that
little business can succeed by intense
application of q cash register mentality
is it practicable for big business to
operate On that basis? In short, Japan,
as represented by some of the ablest
men In its capital, was ready at the end
of the war to consider whether mag
unanimous solicitude for the raising of
the general standard of living in Chi
nese provinces might not be good bust
ness.
MARQUIS Okuma, for example. He
was Prime Minister of Japan in the
days of the ruthless twenty one
points" At that time he had been
bent upon taking from China "all that
the traffic would bear" He had thus
conceived his patriotic duty. The
world for the moment was preoccu-
pied with the great war-and the TAX
inc seemed tn he ornnd
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
NotionaL Conference

Would it not be possible to call in
the British, French and Japanese am
nassadors any day and tell them that
America for her own part had decided
that there is need of scientific and
technical consortium to supervise the
consortlum OF money lending? Might
not the four money-lendino nations
consent to the creation at PeIing. With
branches in shantung, Manchuria, and
SO on, Of an international institution
OF engineering intelligence?
Might not such an institution in
ciude the best minds of China? MIGHT
1t not operate in the spirit Of the
university, applying technical science to
the business of deciding what enter
PRISE ought TO be undertaken first in
a particular province, and Whit Soc.
ond? Would not the published sur
Continued next pagel
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31

1t happened just before the armis-
tice The long drawn efforts toward
the creation OF Chinese financial con-
softlum were for the moment in abey-
ance. There was chance to consider
whether the proposals looking toward
that end were we'll conceived--whether
John Hays idea is really the last word
Of wisdom.
That idea was good in it's time.
There can be no question about that
The classification of foreign interests
lii China was a natural and reasonable
accompaniment of the general process
OF financial consolidat tion that, in John
hays time, was in full career in
America, in Europe and in Japan. The
policy OF the open door, if consistently
carried out, could have put an end to
cut-thrcat competition among the for
elgn nations having financial interests
In China 1t was possible to stabilize
conditions in that way and to gain the
kind OF advantages for all concerned
that came with the rise of the indus
trial trust. The nations of awakened
initiative, ringed about the inert
masses of China, could pool their in
teresta.
l say it was possible to do So But
such a thin never really happened.
There was always somebody behind the
open door. The new financial con-
sortium@for which Gr Lamont is
principal spokesman undertakes
TO give reality to the open door policy.
It's success in that endeavor seems to
be dubious.
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
As for Profits

SO much for the matter of securitv
As tor the getting OF great profits. the
case Is the same. 1t appears chat the
easy way to get rich is to see to IT
that the people YOU deal with get rien
too. The resources of nature md
human art may not be infinite. but t,hv
are practically inexhaustible. Every
iHIell1gent BUSINESS man knows that
Ihe 'Eplcaf act OF good business is not
DHylhg cheap and selling dear, but the
iIahRig Oh new human combination
that increases The sum of extant
values, to the advantage cf all CON
cerned. Business is the art Of CO.
ordlnating the powers of many people
II such manner that the co6rdinato~
commands the combination by common
Applying these homely truths to The
solution of our Chinese puzzle. il an
pears that the wrestlers for the open
oocf and the international financial
cohsortlum have hardly touched solid
ground. SO the program called thn
.poilcy OF the open windows" reaches
Tor terra firma. The matter was mt
som eWhat IS follows TO the former
Secretary Of State:
"Mr Lansing, the State Denart,no,t
IN giving its approval to the nroncsad
financial consortiun in China, has re.
served served to itself the right to veto. on
penalf Of the United States, any mar
slcular ALLEGATION OF a loan. Tbis
reservation implies that the state De-.
paftment admits or asserts the prin-
clple mat particular loan may be
good or bad for China, and that the
su9aness or badness can be determined
only by study of the complex l5cai
circumstances of each case E,9t NJ
Lansing, the proposed plan of the CON
sortlum includes no agency competent
10 answer questions that require a
survey of the current facts of life in
chlnese province. Why do you not
create such an agency?
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31

sordid and unenlightened. It is a re-
lief to think in terms of science and
civilization"
The proposed "pohcy of the open
windows" rests upon the natural phi
losophy OF finance. Its scientific basis
is the incontestable fact that all fnan-
cial values are derived from produc-
tive power, and the fact that .hese
values can be kept in existence only
by keeping up the current of produc-
tivity.
1t follows that the true basis of
credit is not the physical plant, but
the working organization. Conse-
quently the real interest OF he foreign
investor in China, or in any other un-
developed country, comedies absolutely
with the general interest of the reople
that live there. For both parties the
desirable thing is high industrial
Il orale-a business organization that
holds evcrybody's allegiance because
everybody gains by it.
1t is an illusion, derived no doubt
from the experience of small business
men and small money y-lenders-this
notion that a dead factory, farm or
mine Is u solid security Indeed it is
astonishing tAat such an illrsion
should persist as a hold-over in this
age Of great affairs. The only sub
stantial security for large, longtime
loans, is grand scale WORKING orran
lzatlon with the momentum of a multi
tude of urgent personal interests to
keep it going.
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
9rcoit Freight Cus

Sales Of standard basic have been
reported as low as $18 and substan-
tai tonnaCes are known TO have moved
at $l9 and lower. The Statement.
tnat steel manufacturing costs have
unless freight charges are pared
would indicate that inc Industry is
planning no further price recessions
at THIS time. Predictions are made,
however, that the day labor in tn
district win decline to 25 cents an
hour. as compared with 80 cents now
being. Paid, before the wage liquida-
ton IS completed
Certain sIcet producers say that d
demand which ordinarily manifes.s
itself at tais time OF the year IS fer
galvanized for bins for the storage OF
grain in the West and Northwest.
Such demand has failed to SHOW
strength this year, they state
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Gas: Iron Research Association

1t is announced that the British Cast
Iron Research Association has been
formed. It's object is to conduct sci
entific and experimental work in con
nection with the cast iron trade. The
directors, twenty-eight in number. in
clGde Lord Weir, Sir George Goodwin
Goodwin, Sir James Mckechnie and
Douglas Vickers. The capital is not
ixed, but every member must contrib
ute sum not exceeding IS, il neces-
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Others to Benefit

Equipment, however, is only one of
the great number Of classes of mate
rial that the roads have been putting
off buying Railroads are consumers
OF cotton waste, for instance, on a
great scale. They are consumers of
lubricants, of sulphuric acid and Of
any number OF other commodities. Pri-
marily, the renewal of railroad buving
Will affect corporations and large pro
ducers OF raw materials, but renewed
activity on the part OF these COM
panles means increase demand for
labor and an upward turn all through
industrial life. AS an example of how
Widespread is the dependence on rail
road buying is, the case of the Ten
nessee mountaineers might be cited
lhere are large number Of Tennessee
backwoods families who depend prin-
cipally for the liquidation of their
railroad ties, The Industrious and
clever head of the family will cut out
four or five ties in a day and haul
them down by mule to the country
store, where they are credited at SO
cents apiece to his account. The
industrious mountaineer probably only
works four days a week and his less
industrious neighbor only three days
and only gets out two or three ties a
u@S, put lnlS means the dlterence We
tween actual want and comparatively
full stomach
The railroads haven't been buying
ties. The mountaineers' credit has
been stretched thinner and thinner
and his belt pulled tighter and tighter.
Now railroads have begun again to buy
ties. Word has gone out from the
store that 'you-all' can begin bring
ing IN ties once more. The store
keeper is again getting railroad cash
with which to pay his jobbers bills.
The jobber is ordering from the
wholesaler and the wholesaler is
beginning to cut down his over swollen
inventories
New-York tribune., 1921-07-31
Japan Aauaits Leadership
Of q. S. in Aiding For Eost
Ready to Pledge Her Support in Framing
New Financial and Commercial Policy for
Asiatic Development If America Shows WAY

(Chdrles Ferguson,
and other foreign parts IN 1918 special
gorernnen Forthcoming
dea1ng oit the
summary Of s conversations regarding relations leading
Of Japan becomes timely This
been mode public-Financa Edtor)
By Charles Ferguson
HAVE the personal word of several of high Japan
pedgng their financial policy
the development the
was given condionay The condition emphatic America must
Take the initiative, else Japan could