Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-07-22
HALF BILLION LOST
A YEAR TO BUILDING
BY PL0YMENT
Hoover's Engineering Council
Reports Industry in a Criti-
cal Condition.
STRIKES THE WORST EVIL

I
New York. July 22e--Ifa1f a billion
dollars n year In wages is being lost
in the building industry through un-
employment. declared a report made
public today by the committee on
elimination of waste in industry Of
the American Engineering Council.
The committee, appointed BY Her
| bsrt Hoover, when he was president
of the council. asserted lack of work
waH the outstanding fact in this in
dustry. the critical condition Of which
is attributed primarily to high costs
of construction.
The report said that waste was
causing huge losses in building which,
including all trades and common la
Dor. ranked second among industries
and contributed more than SO 600 .000.-
900 yearly in the wealth of the nation
Sources of Waste.
The chief sources Of waste in the
industry were. according to the report,
Irregular employment, inefficient man
agement and wasteful labor regula-
tons Customs or conditions prevail
ing throughout the industry, and poor
~ designed equipment are given as
/ secondary causes.
The annual economic loss due to ac-
cidents was estimated as high as
| ST 20 900 900. Application OF safety
methods. it was stated, would save
the industry 10000 900 days work a
year. Loss through duplication of es-
Inmates and designs. and duplica-
tion in bidding, was said 10 run into
millions.
Employees and Employers Blamed.
Many union rules were condemned
as absolutely wrong" and both ern-
nloyers and employees were blamed
for restriction of output.
Union regulations in the past have
produced enormous losses" said the
report, through direct or indirect
restriction of output. Workmen and
contractors however. are beginning 70
appreciate that reduced output reacts
| IN tremendous fashion upon them
selves. Greater cooperation between
workmen and employers Is an alb
solute essential"
Must Lengthen Work Season.
The report 1eplored the irreGularity
OF employment for building trade
vorkmen, declaring that they were
busy only on an average of about
| 100 days in year. It recommended
/ the following means Of reducing
| seasonal Unemployment:
Allowance of a small margin OF
profit for both labor and capital dur
| ing winter months. development Of
methods of conducting the work in
cold weather, arrangement Of work TO
provide indoor operations in cold and
/ stormy weather, organization Of a
clearing house for coordination Of ac-
tivities, increasing the usefulness Of
employment bureaus and educating
the public.
"Idleness, however, is not due en-
| tirely To seasonal demands; strikes
and lockouts are appreciable causes, :
the report added.
| The strike was declared 10 be one
of the great economic wastes in the
/ building industry
/ Wage Increase Demand Considered.
| IF the greatest cause, the demand
| for an increase in wages. could be
eliminated. strikes as a factor of waste
would shrink into insignificance, il
was asserted
I lhE nAEIICAHliA4 Eidtt - EtiAQA SEAS
by the report as one of the means Of
adjusting labor difficulties and elm
/ mating waste. This plan. it was
stated. provides for a tribunal or
council of the building industry COM
posed of an equal number of repre-
sentatives Of employer and employed.
| 1t also proposes establishment of a
central bureau through which vol
unfairly all construction programs in
| the territory should be cleared. in
Guiding national, state, municipal and
| private work.
Others Than Union Blamed.
| Unions are not alone blamed for
restricting output by the report. which
/ said that contractors ana builders
supplies dealers affect the situation
To as great degree indirectly by
maintenance of high prices, collusioI.
| in bidding. and unfair practices"
Haphazard management in plan
ming and controlling work and lack of
standards in the industry has often
doubled the labor cost, stated the re-
port.
! Trade unionists are urged to make
their services more valuable TO the
employer by developing and training
the men in their organizations and as
sisting in the development Of stan
ldardization Of time. method and ma
terial.