The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-07-19
BURTON |. FRENCH
in HOME CITY
CONGRESSMAN TELLS OF GOVERN
MENT AFFAIRS-SEES CON-
DITIONS IMPROVED

reached home last evening to spenC
the time for which the house of rep
resentatives has adjourned Il am
just back for few weeks" said Mr.
French, "but l am mighty glad OF
even brief opportunity to be at home
again. The congress has been in al
most constant session for eighteen
months and the session has been an
exceedingly busy one. The house will
convene again on August 18th by
which time it is expected the senate
will have completed its consideration
of the tariff bill and the house can
then take it up for consideration of
the senate amendments. We expect
final adjournment in September or
October"
"On coming home l am greatly
pleased to find so much building ac-
tivity, and this in spite of the unusual
shortage of rainfall in this part of
the country and the consequent short
age of crops. And | am delighted
with the constant growth and expan-
sion of the university Your enroll
ment, 1 understand, was more than
fourteen hundred for the year that has
just closed and from short trip
through the southern part OF the
state l find unusual interest in the
university and it's welfare
Conditions Nearing Normal
Mr.. French believes the condition
~of the country is swinging back to
normal and that the situation in the
eastern and coast states is even bet
ter than in the mountain states which
are farther removed from markets.
"The world cannot go through such
an upheaval as the world war entail
ed without finding itself in desperate
straits, and it must take longer than
we like to think for matters to ap-
prOach normal. Our former chief GUS
toners are poor, they are desperately
poor, and they are not buying as they
formerly did nor as they would like.
But they are buying more than they
were buying last year and then again
we are finding new markets. Busi-
ness matters within the United States
generally are far better than they
were only year ago. Take, for in
stance, United States bonds They
were way below par year ago, some
of them selling for less than 80 cents
on the dollar. Today they are all ap
Treasury certificates that are now Of
tered from time to time are over
subscribed, and they bear only 31a
per cent interest. Foreign securities
are finding a ready market, at, of
course, heavier rates OF interest and
within the year more than S6OO,OOO,-
900 worth Of such securities have
been absorbed in our markets and
the demand is increasing. These Sc
curities are largely South American
''Take the steel industry. I'm vol
ume of business comparing month by
month year ago, here is line OF
activity that has increased more than
100 per cent This, of course, means
new building of all kinds where struc-
tural steel constitutes an important
part. But take building figures
themselves. The last figures | have
are for a 80 day period ending less
than 60 days ago when building per-
mits were issued in 156 cities Of the
country amounting to $22S,875, ,l88,
compared with $133,066,970 for the
corresponding period year ago, an
increase of " per cent The depart
ment of labor for year and a half
has been assembling month by month
figures showing number of persons
employed in 1,428 concerns through
out the United States employing 5O1
persons or more each. The last
month for which 1 have the figures
is May, last, and that month there
were 1,668,9SS persons employed, the
largest number at any time since such
records have been assembled. Or,
again, probably the best measuring
stick Of business conditions is found
in the number of freight cars loaded
for shipment. 1920 there were loaded
for shipment 16,966,46O freight cars
throughout the United States; in 1921
there were loaded 14,945,540 cars,
while for the first six months alone Of
1922 there have been loaded $685.
221 cars-a total for six months
greater than the total for last year
and nearly equal to the total for the
year before. No, conditions are be-
coming better, not apparent day by |
day, but strikingly apparent when we
compare today with a year ago"
A Busy Session
"The congress has been an exceed
ingly busy one," said Mr.. French,
sand this is apparent from brief
up of the work. The most
Important measures passed are the
following: The Budget Act, Emerg-
sncy Tariff, Peace Resolution, Grain
Future Act, Tin part declared uncon-
but the corrective meas
Ire through the house,, Packers Act,
Marketing Act, Increase
If Interest on Farm Loan Bonds, Ex-
ension War Finance Corporation, In
,rease Farm Loan Fund by $25,O0O,-
100, Immigration Restriction Act, Fed
,ral Highway Act, Maternity and In
'ancy Act, Veterans Bureau Act, Hos
,itals for Veterans, and appropriation
,ills that have scaled down the an
lual budget more than s1,500,000. The
ariff bill was passed by the house
lbout eleven months ago and has
,een before the senate since for hear
ngs and consideration and will prob
lb1y be passed by the senate before
he middle of August and be ready for
"But the most important event of
he last year" Mr.. French believes,
was the Peace Conference. This is
most important from the standpoint