The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-29
By ]. c. ROfL.

Consolidated Press CORRESPONDENT.
New York, April 29.-"Men want
ed signs are being plastered on
factory gates all over the United
STATES Industrial plants are add
Ing TO their forces in a score of To-
calities and in some trades there is
positive shortage of skilled and
semi-skilIed labor Nor is unskill-
ed labor drug on the market. I'm
employment is decreasing rapidly
except in the coal mines and in the
cotton mills, which are affected by
labor troubles, and in some local.,
ties American Legion officials have
declared that there is a job at a
living wage for every ex-seryice
man who wants one.
However marked as the revival
IN business and industry has. been,
It has not kept pace with liquida-
ton. The payments of debts, the
sale of long-held commodities, the
cleaning up of old stocks OF goods,
the writing OF OF high priced in
ventories and similar liquidation
incident to return of business sta,
bility has released food of CAPT.
tai, the greater part of which has
not yet turned back into the chan
nels of commerce, trade and manu-
facture.
Having taken their losses, paid
their debts and got back to a sound
basis, merchants, manufacturers,
business men and farmers are pro-
ceeding cautiously They are ex-
banding only when demand makes
1t both safe and necessary Then,
too, the lowering of prices and
costs makes it possible to finance
operations on less capital than in
the boom years.
Capital at Low Interest.
AS consequence, we'll informed
bankers, fnanciers and business
men in widely separated sections
OF the country predict at least two
years more of easy money" Cap
ital will be available at low interest
rate to finance legitimate enter
prises for at least two years to
come, they say. The present bus
mess situation has passed the dan
ger point. Business, they are con-
fdent. will continue its steady.
healthy improvement, but it is run
ming into an era of conservative
opinion and small but certain prof
its rather than into period of
frenzied ACTIVITY with its invaria-
BILE reaction to follow.
In the meantime. until commerce
and industry shall require it. hold
ers of capital will continue to turn
to the investment security field to
keep their money working. Invest
men. bankers expect the demand
for sound bond issues to be sus-
tanned for many months. The sole
fear of the thoughtful fnalcier is
that the desire to get money to
working and possibly to recoup
past losses, will turn their idle
money into speculation rather than
investment There already is a
tendency in that direction, as is
shown by business dispatches from
all sections of the country received
within the last "a hours.
Such speculation is not confined
to stocks alone. but may involve
basic commodities as well.
The railroads are preparing for
a rush of business, both passenger
and freight, before the summer is
over. They are buying thousands
of new cars and locomotives and
other equipment. Steel production
is growing with demand and plants
are running at what would have
been above capacity in ~pre-war
years. This added production has
been accompanied by increases in
price.
Iron Ore is Moving.
Iron ore is commencing to move
in larger quantities and the copper
properties in the north and west
are rapidly getting back to prcduc-
ton after long months OF lnactlon.
Sales of motor cars and trucks are
increasing everywhere and there is
promise of a shortage of bodies and
parts before the summer is half
over. Rubber and tire plants are
gaining their share OF this new
business and are steadily charging
production. The lumber orders
have not slackened in spite of bad
weather which has delayed build
ing operations in many sections
and prices are strong and with
higher tendency.
The aarIv crOnS are coming on