Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-21
THE TIME FOR PUBLIC WORK.

1t would be senseless for a man out of a job to
walk aimlessly up and down the street or to carry
bricks from one end of his lot to the other just to
keep himself busy. He would simply be using up
energy to NO purpose, and at the end he would be
worse off than when he started. In the same way
there is no economic advantage in projects which
merely make work" There may be social and
psychological reasons why it is better to make peo-
pie think they are working to some purpose when
they are not than to omit the laborious effort and
give as direct donations the sums which are paid
out IN the guise Of wages. But from the economic
standpoint all labor that does not produce some
thing of value is waste.
The ideal means of coping with unemployment
is to create conditions which induce the demand for
Labor IN permanently constructive work at remun-
crative pay And the ideal emergency method of
dealing with unemployment is to undertake con-
~s1uctive work in advance of the time when it would
otherwise have been performed.
The man in private business must ordinarily
meet his current expenses out of his current receipts.
But the public body ordinarily operates largely on
longtime credit For this reason public work pro-
vides an excellent means for the balancing of our
economies by providing employment when employ
ment is most needed, and deferring payment until
payment may more easily be made.
All over the country there have been warnings
against the lavish expenditure of public money, and
urgent demands for the curtailment of the expendi-
lures of our public bodies in order that the burden
Of taxation may bear less heavily ON the citizens.
These warnings and demands are timely, and they
should be needed. But there is danger of placing
the emphasis where it does not belong.
Let US suppose that a large district is badly in
need of drainage. Annual foods work great dam
age, and it is recognized everywhere that the con-
s~truction of a big ditch would remedy the trouble.
But bitches cost money, and money is scarce. There
fore it is suggested that the work be deferred until
times are better. That would be proceeding OH ex-
aetly the wrong principle. Because times arc close,
money scarce and employment difficult to obtain,
the work can be done more cheaply now than when
there is greater demand for labor and material
Payment will not be required now. but will be made
IN installrnents extending over several years. Be-
fore any payment is required there are the usual
rformalities to be completed, and the first payment
on account of the improvement will not be called
for until the spring following the work, at the very
earliest.
In such a case, if the improvement is such that
fit would be wise to undertake it when business con-
|ditions are normal, it would be doubly wise to un.
dertake it now. There is the advantage of getting
the work done at the lowest possible figure, the ad.
vantage of having payment begin when, under all
the probabilities, conditions will have improved,
and the advantage Of Fastening the improvement Of
conditions by employing men, otherwise idle, on
constr1ctivc'w work.