Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-08-18

tends to buy after the war in the line
of home furnishings, and what the
family plans are for remodeling or
repairing the house, purchasing an
automobile, travelling, and SO on.
actual operation in one of the small
cities, as described by Mr.. Hermann
c. Wehmann, CED's regional man.
ager for the Ninth Federal Reserve
district, embracing the Northwest.
In helping to organize town, Mr..
Wehmann said, CED representatives
contact some representative men,
Der of the community, who then as
sembles other active citizens to dis
cuss the program. Expenses are
negligible, since the local cham
Der of commerce, etc., furnish the
headquarters, and financial outlay is
limited to stationery and postage
stamps.
To get an idea of the possible post
war conditions in the community,
various surveys are conducted, Mr..
Weymann continued, with local in
dustries canvassed as to the num-
Der of employees they expect they
will be able to hire, and residents
polled as to the different kinds of
merchandise they plan to purchase.
Businessmen then figure on how
many people they will need to serv
ice the demand. Surveys also es-
tablish plans for postwar public
works to take up any employment
slack
To provide a solid basis for the
business community to figure on,
residents polled also are asked to
reveal whether they intend to pur-
chase goods out of current income,
installment credit, savings or bank
deposits, or war bonds.
Through banks, building and loan
associations, postal savings and war
bond sales, financial assets of the
community are tabulated, to de-
termine the extent to which post
war activities might be supported.
Albert Lea, Mimi, Survey.
Typical of the consumer surveys
upon which businessmen can pro-
ject their potential needs, Mr.. Web
mann said, was the one conducted
in the town of Albert Lea with its
population of 12,200, in Freedom
county with over $1,000 people, in
Minnesota.
The survey showed that residents
of the town expected to buy 1,156
automobiles at S1,217 1858, and farm
ers of the county LAO cars at ST.
los, 300.
People in the town hoped to buy
442 new houses at an average cost
of $4,068, while farmers looked for
ward to the construction of $50
homes at $3.50 each.
Repairs averaging $514 were
planned for TIA houses in Albert
Lea, while similar work averaging
5000 was anticipated on $40 farm
homes in the county. In addition,
farmers indicated they would build
800 barns at an average cost of
81 Alb, and 800 silos at an average
price of $3.50.
Farmers also expected to pur-
chase 780 tractors averaging 1926
each; $40 prefabricated small build
ingS averaging $685., and 80 electric
services averaging 1925.
With businessmen thus able to fig
ure upon their possible employment
needs, and with surveys of local in
dustries determining their future op-
Grating prospects, communities can
partly visualize their postwar con-
dition.
New Industries Encouraged.
Towns that may be faced with
surplus of employables can be en-
couraged to explore the possibility of
developing new industry after con-
sultation with economic experts at
their state universities. In cases
where such development may be de-
sirable, consideration may be given
to some industry which might be
based upon local agricultural crop.
After extensive field work, Mr..
Wehmann has set up chart of the
employment prospects of towns
| which have undertaken communal