The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-29

IT
 ans should meal still greater savings
 ring the comin&g year,
 How is Ho over protecting our
 Part of the aSnswer is contained in
 e secretary's Annual report.
 In one sentend*e, Hoover is the arch benny of waste and of waste effort.
 We cannot o1hiy maintain the Amer
 an standard& of living-we can raise
 adds:
 We have the highest ingenuity and Rustry and commerce of any nation in
 he world. Yet wastes are legion. There llre wastes which arise from wide $pread unemployment during depres- ions and from speculation and over production in booms; wastes attribut- kble to labor turnover and the stress of
 abor conflicts; wastes, due to inter- |nittent and seasonal production as in +he coal and construction industries;
 'ast wastes from strictures in commerce Hue to inadequate transportation, such As the lack of sufficient terminals; wastes caused by excessive variations 4 Il products; wastes in materials, aris- . ng from lack of efficient processes; wastes by fire and wastes in human ' ife."
 The waste entailed in practically stop ping building operations during winter months can be stopped, declares Hoover
 emphatically. Customs, not climate, has been mainly responsible. For most Types of construction, 1t is now possible Do build the year round in all parts of ! he United States" he states. "The
 Elimination of these wastes would the entire business structure, Tor construction is the balance wheel of sAmerican industry. The value of year fy construction in the United States is more than $5,O0O, 100000"
 Through cooperative efforts set in 'motion by the department of commerce to cut evils in the coal industry, the public has received its. coal during the |last fiscal year at the lowest price of 'hIiy year since before the war. The past kaar has compared to the year 1920, shows a saving to the consumer of about lone billion dollars, which must be re- iHtseted in decreasing costs of pfoduc- 3tfcn in every avenue of industry and 9commerce.
 One of MT. Hoover's pet, and ex- 'tremely sensible, hobbies has been the Stopping of wastes arising from the manufacture of an absurdly large vari- |ety of certain products. For example, Varieties of paving brick are being re- duced, by mutual consent, from 66 to 5. Varieties of files and rasps have been |simplified from 1851 to 49S; range boil CTS from 1S0 to IS; sizes of bed blankets from 7s to 12.
 The American public are now object ing seriously to the excessive cost of distribution, particularly of perishable |foodstuffs, says Hoover.
 "It has been the departments view that the best remedy for these evils lies in the extension of co-oprative market ing and in the better organization of the terminal markets. The department has already proposed a definite plan
 which I believe will mobizile economic
 forces to reduce these wastes with
 minimum of governmental intervention.
 Hoover is getting after the high cost
 of building homes. The scandalous number of traffic accidents-deaths last year numbered 22,600 and 67S,0000 per-
 sons were injured-is also being tackled, and recommendations will be laid be-
 fore a national conference at Washing ton on December 15. Although beset by
 many complications, Hoover Is still
 striving heroically to preserve the good
 and eliminate the evils connected with
 trade associations.
 Unlike many public officials, Hoover
 prefers tape measure to red tape