Arizona republican., 1921-05-21
HOOVER OUTLINES s PROGRAM TO END SHORTAGE
By H, B, HUNT

WASHINGTON, May 2O.-Herbert Hoover sees many ways in which government assistance and co-opera- tion can stimulate renewal of building activity to relieve the hous- ing shortage and high rents situa- tion.
 The appalling anomaly of millions or Idle men, co-existent with suffer- ing as never before from under housing, is Obvious to everybody" says the secretary of commerce.
 Among the obstacles i1 the path Of resumption of home building on the large scale needed are the high prices of building materials, trans portatfon and labor; the reduced in come Tn many occupations, the con- splracies- in restraint of trade; the
 restrictions on effort through the rules of organized labor, strikes fed eral taxation and the wastes in the industry.
 The services the government can properly perform must be entirely in- l dlSect for the government cannot enter into the fixing of prices or the determination of wages The particular direction in which It Is the purpose of the department Of commerce to exert itself is in the reduction of waste and the increase or stability in operations in the in dustry.
 The intermittent operation of the building Industry is where the great est waste finds it's roots and is the largest element of high costs. T believe the average endowment of labor in the building industries is not over 65 per cent of the possible time One reason for the constant orlve for higher hourly wages is to maintain an adequate annual income ande to offset the loss due to inter- mlttent occupation. Labor itself, however. has contributed to inter- mittency by its rules.
 Our equipment capacity for pro- duction of building materials is probably 30 per cent higher than is necessary, if we could secure nearly an average demand. For instance. our lumber mills have a capacity of 50.O00,000,000 to 60.000, 00O, GOO board feet. Yet the annual production is but from 32,00,000, 900 to 40, 900, ,OOe. 900 board feet
 | The annual capacity of our cement 1 mills is above 130, 100000 barrels, but 1 the annual production is only 70.OOO.-
 900 to 00,000.000 barrels. | The annual capacity of our brick
 plants is about 5000, 100000 bricks, but the annual production only from
 3 800 100000 to 1000, 0,0OO 000 i There are periods when the pro- | auction of building material is ac- tually suspended.
 The intermittencies fall into three
 general classes. First, seasonal and l weather interruptions: second. strikes | and jurisdictional quarrels; third. in ability of transportation to meet the peak load.
 "The seasonal and weather prob
 lens are to great degree insur- PYtf L I l community action in establishing a definite repair season out of conflict l with the season of new building. l The lost time from general strikes could be reduced by local adjustment boards The recent declaration by
 organized labor of a plan to establish adjustment boards in various com
 munities is step in the right direc- ton.
 "Jurisdictional strikes have no jus
 t1fication, yet I am informed that of
 the time lost due to all strikes in the building trades over one-half arise
 from this quarter. The abolition of
 such strikes lies entirely within the
 powers of organized labor. Settle ment boards of their own would be a contribution to labor's own income and employment.
 . Labor could also greatly assist in , lifting us from this blockade on , building if it would set sts face : against any restraint on effort that still survives in some trades
 We also need standardization and
 simplification in many materials
 From 10 to 20 per cent of the cost of building lies in the lack of standards
 in a broad sense.
 We have, for instance, some 260- odd building codes to which a large 1 part of the country must couforr,o They vary flagrantly; they hold back
 progress in methods of construction
 and make impossible standardiza-
 ton"