Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-05

zone famine will be shortag
of railroad cars because Of the treme
and the third will be famine of loc
This is the optimistic view Of
Baldwin Locomotive Works, and Mr.
The locomotive builder has rav
suit Of his observations is simply tn
Il already here"
Mr.. Vauclain sat in the inner room
Of his Office suite at the Baldwin Lo-
eomotive Works, Broad and Spring
Garden streets, and gazed out Of the
window at the ceaseless stream OF
automobiles going past.
The office building itself Is Of an
other day, and seems more like the
substantial parish house Of some
prosperous church than a modern
business office. Mr.. Vauclain himself,
IN his gray frock coat and silver hair
locks more like a clergyman than
he live-wire modern business exec
utive that he is.
It is when he begins to talk, how
ever, that the business chief comes
% the fore, and the dynamic per-
sonality of the man expresses itself
IN sharp sentences uttered with all
the emphasis Of absolute conviction.
It was a hot day, so Mr.. Vauclain
took of that coat, and sat in his
shirt sleeves.
"Everywhere I CO." he said, "peo-
pie ask me the same question. They
want to know when they will be
busy again.
"Why, man, we are busy now"
Prosperity Really Here.
Not Coming, He Asserts
He slammed his fist down upon
the table.
"We're busy now. There ia no
country in the whole world that Is
enjoying such prosperity as these
United States of America. That IS
q fact, and it would be realized II
people would only look at the mat
tsr IN the proper light.
''There is only one thing to do
20 ahead and be busy, forge ahead.
nnd way to do business; why there
vas never so much to be done In tho
country as there Is right now. That
d IN absolute fact.
"Of course, there have been things
that have initiated against more
rapid increase in business-several
insane ideas partly put into opera
ton, resulting in general business
debility and retarded confidence. One
Of these was the clamor for lower
steel prices. The other was the de-
termination Of people not to buy
until prices became lower.
1.-THE result was that there was a
panic among the steel n,snufae-
turers. They were afraid Of losing
their organizations. They did not
want to see the fabric built up
through the years dissipated. Sc
they lost money rather than lose
their organizations, hoping to hang
on until the business revival came.
"Well, they miscalculated the dis
tsncs they had to travel, for the perio'
Of defaticn extended over too long
period and this resulted in an sbsolut
los in the operation Of their plants
Thsrs is not one of them today tina
u able to make ends meet
M. vauclain paused to give dirsc
tlpns to one Of his executives.
''You sse," he resumed, "ths stu
elton was simply this-the steel com
panies cut prices, but railroad rate
were not cut. labor's wages RENAME
high and raw material prices were nc
any lower. Then came the clamor #
fswsr working hours in the steal IN
dustry; in fact, everything was dor
to increase cost Of production instes
OF lowering IT.
"Then came the coal strike, decreas
ing the available supply of high vols
tile coal for gas. with an added co
nj the product of tho mills in cons,
/4usnce. Because, you see, for evel
kf11ls1- dsllas~ n ths -Sess of staa 4