The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-02-26
GOVERNOR ELY OF MASS. TALKS ON
 OUR DEPRESSION
Industrial States Should Scrutinize Employment Changes in Good Times Just as Keenly as They Are Doing Now
BY HENRY MINOTT United Press Staff Correspondent)

' OOA VII Boston, Feb 26. (UP)-1f the in- dustrial states would scrutinize ern- ployment fluctuations in good times as keenly as in periods of depres- i sion, they might go far toward al- | leviating occurrences of the present slump, Governor Joseph Buell. Ely of Massachusetts believes.
 He expressed this view in an in- terview with the United Press to- day.
 1 Governor Ely, Massachusetts first democratic chief executive in 15 years, is 8 keen student of the un- employment situation. Already he has put forward vigorous and com prehensive program designed to re- lieve the jobless in this common wealth.. His plan, among other things, calls for a $20,0OO,000 bond issue to finance an extensive sched- ule of building construction and 1 highway development.
 1T am not an economist" said the governor when asked to voice his views on the subject of unemploy- ment. 1T am only lawyer doing the best I can to administer the af- fairs of Massachusetts. However, in regard to the unemployment situa- | ton there are certain self-evident principles that operate and which in their operation tend to produce | depressions in business.
 These depressions are not always the result of the same cause. Occa- sionally 8 panic is money panic. Sometimes it is because of the fall !! in commodity prices, but always in a broad sense evidenced by a preced- ing period of speculative extrava- l iv duction.
 "If the premise is right, govern ment and business can greatly assist in curbing the speculative period provided it is in possession of re- l liable information that can be used as the basis of its warning.
 'In order to put the government in this position, a routine process of watching employment is important. l '"The department of labor and | industries of the industrial states should be properly equipped so that it can have at hand constantly as c
 barometer of business reliable em- ployment and unemployment statis- ties"
 Declaring that the construction of public works was the second largest industry in the United States, Gov
 ernor Ely said that "so far as req sonable, as business within gov- ernment control, it should be utilized for expansion as the depression in
 other business begins, and should be contracted as other business inn proves"
 Furthermore, he said, the credit ot
 each state should be kept in the best possible condition during the
 periods of prosperity for use in the
 contemplated expansion of public works as business declines"
 Speaking generally, do not be- lieve there is an panacea for depres.
 sion, but it will help lot if the peo- pie realize that the safety of oul Ieven distribution of the profits o1 Industry, that there is no escape from work if a country is to remain
 successful, and that idleness breeds a careless disregard for principle" | Another current problem in whicf IGovernor Ely is vitally interested lconcerns highway safety. In thi! lconnection he described an experi'
 ment which has been launched by
 his committee on street and high
 way safety. Worcester county, ont
 of the states most populous coun
 ties, has been chosen as the scene
 of the experiment.
 | "In that county" the governor
 said, i've are going to watch the in
 dividual operator, and as slight in fringements of the automobile law lappear on the records, the individua will be given such advice as thu irecords indicates is proper. It hal been discovered from tests. for ex , ample, that certain operators never observe traffic on their left.
 This is an experiment the resulti
 of which may lead to importan changes in the methods of regulat ling safety of the highways"