Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-10-02

Labor Plan
Considered
Industrial Conference to Take
Up Lasting Remedy for
Prevention of unem.
ployment in u. 5.
Will Plan For Future
BY ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.
Chicago Tribune Omaha lee I.eased Wire.


Washington. Oct Following
the adoption yesterday OF emer
gency measures TO lessen the yolum'
OF unemployment which fore
shadows widespread suffering mex
winter. President Harding's indus
trial conference began today consid
Grafton OF 4 permanent remedy FOL
the unemployment evil.
No reform OF greater benefit TO The
country could be achieved. in th'
opinion OF the president. than con
struetive public action for the pFeven'
ton OF unemployment.
IF unemployment is to be at
tackled with vigor,' says the report
OF the economic advisory committee
10 the conference. "and with 4 pros.
poet OF lasting success, steps must
be taken now 10 deal with the prob
lem even we'll in advance OF the next
upward trend OF business. When the
next downward phase OF the business
cycle comes il will be too late for the
application OF the most effective
means OF assistance. For intelligent
and farsighted action we believe GER
tain kinds of statistical information
are essential and the gathering oi
such data should be promptly under
taken.
Will Plan Public Works.
1--WE also believe an effort should
now be made to set up machinery
for the long-range planning of public
works to mesh in with the fluctu-
ations OF private demands for labor.
Probably most promising OF all is
the opportunity now offered to bring
home to the public mind the sig
nifcance of the business cycle and to
enlist the individual enterprise OF
business managers singly and
through trade associations-in the
work of regularizing employment
within their own establishments"
Sterilization of business and the
avoidance OF recurring industrial de-
pressions and crises ARE in no small
measure dependent upon a more
complete knowledge of the factors
affecting the business situation" and
the committee recommends shat the
government collect and disseminate
information on inventories, goods ON
order, production and production ca
pacity, construction, weekly earnings
and hours by trades and establish
ments, employment, cost fundamcn-
tails, prices, probable demands for
or consumption OF specific articles
and other significant cycle figures
Would Defer Expenditures.
A municipal. state and federal pub
lie works, the committee holds,
should be contracted in years of in
dustrial activity and expanded i'll
years of depression to revive private
industry and to check industrial de-
preston and unemployment to pre-
vent the demand of public works for
materials and labor from conflicting
with the needs of private industry and
in general to stabilize industry and
employment.
It is suggested that at least 10 per
cent OF the average annual expendi-
lures on public works be deferred
during good times and the deferred
accumulations executed in a year of
hard times, which occurs about every
10 years. Another suggestion is a
federal bond issue as loan in aid
of municipal public works in years
of depression.
Otto T. Mallery Of the industrial
board Of Pennsylvania estimates the
lifting power of public works as one
third OF the dead weight of such de-
preston as the present-that is
81 ,650,00O,OO0 of additional public
works wages contrasted with a de-
crease of $5,O0O,O00,00O in wages in
private industry in year of de.
preston.
"Save Your Overtime" |
The committee makes numerous
to employers to reduce
the fluctuations of seasonable en-
ployment and to exercise such fore
sight in the management of business
as will minimize cyclical unemploy-
ment. "In flush times save your
overtime" should be slogan, says
the committee, which continues:
"On the upwave we are-taking
the country as a whole and especially
the ultimate misunderstanding up. |
On the downward wave we are
drawing from stocks. 1t is at the
speculative froth on the wave Of
prosperity that we want to aim our
strongest efforts.
"The normal sequence is subject to
accidents such as war, natural calam-
ty (crop failure, earthquake) and
evolution in political control, in
technical advice, or in consumers
1emand, and in one part or another
If the business structure, such ac-
,idents are continuous. They cannot
oe specifically guarded against, but
ire best met by building up the re-
'istance of the whole structure by
he avoidance of the strains of over
and prostration.
Safety Lies in Planning.
"For individual enterprises as for
public undertakings safety lies in
planning. If most of them were
planned we'll ahead we could expect
! healthy swing to the cycle, broken
,nly by occasional calam,,y.
1T is just where the screws must
,e put upon initiation that citizen ed
Turn to Page Two, Column Four.)
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