Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1922-06-09
RABSUN, statistician iisdicI ID on Business Conditions

Wellesley Hills, Mass, June B. Roger w. Babson, the statistician, to- day indicated several of the factors which are responsible for the slow ness of business recovery. 5.
 "The floods still continue to trouble the Southwest" said MT. Babson. Nearly four million acres of land are said to be submerged. This tends to delay planting as we'll as to interfere with transportation and general buy ing. With the exception of this flood situation and the lateness of spring, the crops are coming along 7ery well. A little scare in the case Of cotton will do no harm. Scares do not affect crops but only straighten prices and make for business activity.
 "The four industries which are the most active at the present time are the building industries, railroad equip ment, public works, and automobile manufacturing. They are all indus tries of a fundamental nature. Not only is development of these indus tries giving temporary employment, but they provide permanent and pro- ductive capital for the country. This is especially true in the first three in- stances; building, railroad equipment, and public works.
 "Very hopeful reports come from the Michigan district. Mines which have not been opened for a year or two are now running on full time. Thousands of men in the mining sec tions are now going back to work, and the whole Michigan district, looks more prosperous. Altho the copper situation is still very flat, it is like a man flat on his back. There is only one way he can look and that is up- ward. Michigan during the next two years is apt to be very busy state.
 "The mill situation in New England is upset. Thousands of people are still out on strikes. Altho both sides claim decided advantages, statistics are rather in favor of the employers. It is believed that cut is inevitable, and it is onl,' question of what the cut will be. When the mills are open ed, wage reductions will run from 10 to 20 per cent; altho these reductions will do little good unless the workers feel right and are happy. As some mills reopen, they will reopen on an open shop plan, altho believe that in many instances these manufacturers will go back again and deal with the union as soon as business becomes good and help scarce.
 Wage reductions apply not only to the textile industries but to the shoe industries and in some cases to the building industries. The Structural Iron and Steel Workers Union in Sy- racuse, N. r., have recently accepted a wage scale of a dollar an hour for all work. emphasize that these labor conflicts-whichever side may be to blame-are the one important fac tor preventing business from coming back to normal. Both profits and wages must be cut and all connected with industry from the president of the concern to the office boy must give more service per dollar received.
 "The Babsonchart index now stands at l per cent below normal as against minus 22 per cent as it was this time in 1921. This chart is really a chart of Eroductlon and values. T. have prosperity people must be at work; to have people at work, there must be a demand for goods; and to have a demand for goods, people must be Hence the soundness of the Golden Rule and why we all whether employers or wage workers should be interested in having the oth- CT fellow prosperous. "Yes," conclud- ed the statistician," there is a real connection between religion and bus mess. The sooner we realize it the sooner we'll be back to normal"