Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-17
BUSINESS MEN TRY
TO REVIVE TRADE
Progressive Merchants Ignore
Differences of Opinion Be-
tween Capital and Labor.
by J. C. ROYLE.

The bankers and labor leaders of the
country are standing on the same plat
form, but neither of them realizes it,
according to expressions from business
men visiting here today. Labor has
over 100000 workers unemployed or
earning only a part of their regular
wages. The bankers have several bill
lion dollars unemployed or earning only
a ptttance. They want jobs for their
men and their dollars, but they stand
side by side in the drizzle Of business
inactivity, each under a moral UNI
brella striving to shed the blame on
the other fellow.
In the meantime, the sane business
man OF the country, ignoring each, has
jumped into his rubber boots, his OIL
skins and sou'wester and Is digging in
and getting the results and the profits.
Were 1t not for him the other two
would be In sad case.
Too Many Miners.
Each day the Presidents Commission
on Unemployment issues highly opti-
lniStlc reports from certain industries,
but the men who have made a real
study Of labor problems assert that
employment cannot be general and will
not be general until many workers are
diverted into other industries than
those now being followed.
There are 100000 too many coal
miners in the country. This group is
suffering severely and will continue to
do so until 100000 of them seek other
fields OF endeavor. There are far too
many textile workers in the country,
and the same thing applies to them
Inere are too many cement workers,
TOO many brick makers, too many
lumber men, too many miners and,
above all, to many farmers. It is esti-
mated conservatively here that there
are 100000 more people dependent
directly on farms for a livelihood than
there should be. Despite the fact that
Government authorities know this, the
departments have not ceased to view
with alarm the move from the farms
to the cities.
The bankers desire to loan their dol
lars and the rates, therefore. are low,
out those to whom they wish to loan
90 not wish to borrow and those who
wish 70 borrow are often refused the
loans. Each request Is viewed with a cold
ana cautious eye by the bankers and
closely investigated. Many a business
man felt that the bankers leaned so
lar backward in the direction of cau-
ton that they could not focus their
eyes on legitimate business PROPOSE
ton. Therefore they ceased to apply for
loans.
Business Mems Position.
TITS all right" said one manufacturer
today, FOR banker to shove his nose
deep into the depths of any proposal
submitted to him, but what good does
1t do II he cannot see beyond the end
OF his nose" He went on to declare
that the entire business structure was
changing, owing to new discoveries and
methods, and that If the bankers did
not and could not see this, the advance
OF general business undoubtedly would
be delayed
In the meantime the bankers are
saying to labor: You should make your
own men work for less, because COM
modify prices are cheaper and they
can buy more for q dollar than they
could IN 1926" Labor is replying: you
should make your dollars work for less
and harder, since they are worth more
now than when you got them"
The normal business man may agree
IN part with one side or the other, but
ne ct least realizes that the dispute
can lead to nothing but misfortune. and
In consequence Is saying, with Mer-
curtio in Romeo and Juliet" "a pest
on both your houses
tCopyright. 1912