The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-11-03

quickly and easily detected
Such Information would have to
be, very much up-to-the-minute," I
ventured. The statistical machin-
cry moves slowly, and"
IT doesn't move slowly in the
reports Of the wheat and cotton
crops, does it7 Don't you newspaper
men get those reports by telegraph,
and right MP to date?'
Yes We do. Men wait on tip
toe, and try to steal the informa-
ton In advance"
well. would have this intorma
ton gathered and made public not
later than the 18th of each month
fo- the preceding month. That, be-,
lteve would be often and prompt
enough for the planning Of indus
try and general trading based upon
an accurate knowledge Of the true
cqnditions in each industry and In
all industries COMMUNICATION the in
dustries are intsrrAlated to a very
great extent One. should know as
well the general background of in
dustry as q whole
"Timeliness IL as essential as are
the facts themselves"
SoNSEuhcuI u Ino only agency
that can get such Information" J
suggested.
II think so. Certain people have
favored the gathering of this in
formation directly by or with the
assistance OF the trade associations;
but I personally foresee reluctance
on the part of individual concerns
70 expose the 1nnards' of their
business TO their competitors. I
could give you some particulars of
experience to support that idea,
but"
Scope Of the Information Needed.
what sort Of questions would
you have asked-whoever IL was
that asked them!"
The monthly report that I
would request from each concern
would cover these points:
III Principal and secondary prod
ucts. respectively.
t7) Number OF employees, male,
female, children under sixteen, and
grand total Proportion of these,
male and female, who are com
mon laborers."
(3)At what percentage of total
maximum capacity Is the plant now
operating? CThis should be estimat-
ed on the normal production Of the
plant, assuming all conditions fav-
orable to production.)
go II production is not ma ximum
capacity, what are the principal
e. causes or limiting factors7
80 Principal raw material con-
sumed week ending last pay day"
name, unit, quantity.
(sD Principal raw material on
hand last pay day"-auantity.
90 Second principal raw ma
terial consumed, week ending last
pay day" name unit, quantity.
oLs) Second principal raw ma
tsrial on hand, last pay day."
quantity.
(sl Principal finished product
produced week ending last pay
day unit, quantity.
,u0) Principal finished product
on hand last pay day" quantity.
(1D Second principal finished
product produced. week ending
last pay day." name, unit, guam
(12) Principal products sold last
calendar month, quantity.
(13D Second principal products
sold last calendar month, quantity.
90 What percentage Of produc-
ton last month was on principal
product?
THE answers to these questions
would be reasonably accurate right
away: but one of the effects Of
such reports would be to acquaint
some industrial arrangements more
closely with our own conditions
Accuracy would steadily increase
Business men would quickly learn
anything they are not minutely
acquainted with now.
1t Would Disclose, Unemployment.
The number OF employees on the
factory payroll! is the most Access
sfble record in any plant. Suppose
there were but three plants in
given industry. and that their an
month showed-(Mr. Lamson quick
~ sketched a tablet:
Christianity you would see that
the'4ndustry at full OPACITY would
employ 1000 persons; that the 1900
represented an average of As per
ccRt Of the normal. And you would
SEE $500 as the number Of unem-
Of0yed at that moment in that in
dpstry.
Cost Of ~LabOr Turnover
we figure that every new en-
piOS9 brought into our industry
costs US $50 to train. That's one of
lhe Things lndl running DelOW ca
pacity and unemployment means
f9r the industry: it points straight
"a the very great loss to industry
% the labor turnover / don know
what the education-cost of new
employees is in other Industries,
bit there can be no question of its
f9roee as an argument for reducing
'sfasonal unemployment
,"Snd the grand total Of these
figures for all industries would tell
US about total unemployment in in
dhstries-what we now guess at.
!"Such a plan as l have outlined
would % make available planning
statistics sufficiently complete,
Comprehensive. and authoritative;
DIT would put producers. sellers,
buyers and the public ali in possess
sion of the same fundamental facts.
subsequently placing each interest
III the same relative position for
tSading. And '(3) 1t would establish
al confidence that would contribute
td a generous support on the part
OF producers in securing. dissent
ntttns.. and continuing permanently
-,.A F1Forp,affon