The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, December 5, 1928, Page 10

Editor's Note: This is the seeund of a series of three ar- ti¢les on Prosperity, as reflected in the annual report of the De- partment of Commerce. Washington, Dec. 4—Every work- er in the United States is producing far more nowadays than his prede- cessor of a quarter of a century ago did; and this is one of the chief teasons for American prosperity. This is brought out in the annual report of the Department of Com- merce, which is a sort of guide-book | to American prosperity as a whol The report sets forth some inte esting figures. For instance: since the beginning of the present century, the population of the country has increased about 55 per cent. But during that same period, the output of minerals has increased 280 per cent, factory output has increased 180 per cent, and the volume of rail transportation has increased 200 per cent. Agricultural products have just about kept pace with population increase, going up 55 per cent. ‘oe “In the case of every one of these four major branches of industry,” says the report, “the increase in out- put since 1900 has been far greater than that in the number of workers. In_ agriculture, manufactures and railways the product of goods or services per worker engaged has in- creased from 50 to 60 per cent. For | mining the increase per worker has been much higher, the difference however, being due to the fact that the production of petroleum has multiplied several times.” Another change brought by the past three decades is noted. Al- though the total population has in- creased 55. per cent, the aggregate number of workers in these four branches of industry—mining, agri- culture, transportation and manu- facturing—has gone up only about 32 per cent. In other words, the number of Americans engaged in such pursuits is actually smaller, in Proportion to the total population, than it was 30 years ago. What does this mean? so “Just as there has been through- out American history a relative shift from the oldest of all industries— agriculture—into mining, manufac- tures and rail transportation,” says the report, “so since 1900 there has been a shift, especially during recent years, both from agriculture and from these other three branches into the mercantile, professional, and per- sonal service pursuits. The numbers employed in these have increased much more rapidly than the total population.” The “white collar” class, in other | words, is on the increase. | The explanation becomes clearer! as the report continues. It points out that, in the first place, the new jautomobile industry has given jobs ‘other than manufacturing jobs to at least 3,000,000 people—salesmen, truck and bus drivers, taxicab drivers | and the like. And there is another important factor. Many thousands people are in high colleges and universities than was formerly the case. Even in the short period from 1920 to 26 the number of students in such stitutions rose from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000. Returning to the matter of in- creased output per worker, the re- port points out that since the war there has been an actual decrease in |the number of men employed in | these four basic industries, Conse- |quently, the increase in production amounts to a gain in production per man which is far greater than the | averages show. On top of this there \is the fact that the average working week has been shortened by at least 15 per cent since the beginning of the century. | Then the report takes up the most discussed question of all—why is the United States prosperous? Here it indulges in some plain speaking. “The present high prosperity of | the United States is in no sense due to the World war,” it declares. “At | its foundation lie the rich resources jof the country, not taxed by an | excessive population, and the ener- | &y, intelligence, industry and thrift of the the people. During the past quarter century the increase of pro- ductivity has been only in small part due to the opening up of new natural resources, but has been chiefly at- tributable to what may be called human factors. “The underlying causes of advanc- ing efficiency of American industry translate themselves into a number of more specific and direct factors. Among these the most noteworthy are the advance in education, scien- tific research and invention; the rapidly increasing use of capital re- flected in the greater employment of mechanical power and of automatic and semi-automatic machinery; the larger scale of production permitting greater application of mass methods and lowering of unit costs; the con- sciousness and concerted effort to eliminate waste and improve meth- ods of production and distribution; the high scale of wages resulting in general large buying power, and the comparative stability of prices and of credit.” TOMORROW: Standardization and Efficiency. a I IN NEW YORK Peewee eg, New York, Dec. 5—It’s the “sight- seeing airplane” now in Manhattan. Those who have crawled along the ground in busses, straining eyes from canyon floors toward the tur- ets of steel and stone, now may skim the tips of those turrets look- ing down into the city’s gaping ra- vines, As one of the pioneer sight-seeing air riders, I suggest New York on a day when a fog-mist diffuses the scene below, never seen it when the sun was bright and all the towers of the magic land stood out in clear relief. But Central Park, with i cling sky line apartment: made of dream stuff when seen through a mist. Lower Manhattan is a bit dis- appointing. It is not much different than when seen from the top of the Woolworth building or some other point of vantage. New York’s low- er sky line is at its best when seen from an incoming, liner. The average tourist, who cares to take an aerial sight-seeing tour, needs merely to walk to Times Square and board a special bus which runs to the flying field. Fourteen Persons can be accommodated. Gotham’s latest architectural show place holds the unique distinction of being the one costly structure to be buillt by means of gay and colorful pageants. It is the Beaux Arts Institute—a new temple to the arts. For many a year the Beaux Arts ball has been the season’s most glit- tering and exotic function. Here came the leading artists and writers of the land, the most prominent and exclusive of the society folk and the brilliant beauties of the younger set. The leaders of fashion become more than passingly extravagant on these occasions in their efforts to appear in the richest and most colorful cos- tumes. And the money thus secured has been tucked away toward the build- ing of an art shrine. zh It is said of that vast new sky- line which has risen in the midtown belt that it was “built upon needles ins.” Wad this. in’ almost: literally true. For here is the heart of America’s To be sure, I have| encir- | cloak and suit trade. Within the past few years, it has grown from a scattered group of small buildings to one of the most impressive can- lyons in New York—and all on the needle trades, i se 8 Czar of this belt is A. E. Lefcourt, a man who owns a skyline all his own. T have long since lost count of the number of skyscrapers which bear his name. But they constitute a monument such as no other man who ever lived could boast. Yet he w a lad who came out jof the New York slums—who began his career by selling fans to passen- gers of passing street cars when he s a boy of the East Side streets, His home then was the second floor of a house in the tenement belt. But his young son can point to a | reat skyscraper as his own par- ticular plaything—a Christmas gift |from his father a couple of years | ago. | see | The second “building czar” of | Manhattan was also an East Side boy—Benjamin Winter, whose people migrated from Europe and who lived to buy the homes of some of New | York’s most aristocratic families— | and tear them down to put up giants | of steel. Q " GILBERT SWAN, (Copyright, 1928, NEA Service, Inc.) ANKLE CONTEST WON BY OC- TOGENARIAN | ,_ London, Dec. 5.— Ankles jWhat they used to be. Take, for instance, the set pro- ipelled by the 80-year-old postmis- tress of Alystine, a little village near Leicester. They are the most beautiful ankles of ‘the whole vil- lage as proved by a contest in which they were awarded first prize against all comers, particularly 30 flappers who sought the honor, ‘Old, young or middle-aged—let them come. I will show my ankles against anybody,” commented the octogenarian when the award was made. “I don’t feel my age and I believe in having a bit of fun when I can get it, whether it’s ankles or anything else.” ain't FLAPPER FANNY SAy;- i, Vl 1S i THE LOUNGERS AT THE VILLAGE TAVERN WERE PROVIDED A SENSATION] WHEN A MAN wits AN EAGLE EYE SUDDENLY APPEARED IN THEIR MIDST — HE REGISTERED — REQUESTED & CHEAP ROOM = LIT A CIGARS AND RETIRED ne : NW THE MORNING HE ti PAID WIS BILL = Rd was FORE THE TOWN besa WAS AWAKE=} | AM GOING To REAO 17'S CONTENTS To MR.AUSSTINN 1T WILL PROBABLY BE NO - GREAT SURPRISE ToOHIM- * THE PROPER AUTHORITIES SWALL BE NOTIFIED AT ONCE = MARY~ WHILE LOOKING FOR A BOOK IN YOUR ROOM A MOMENT AGO — - : 1 CAME ACROSS THIS LETTER SHAT TOM CARR ‘ HAS WRITTEN YOU= \TOLD YOU THE SORT OF MAN RE WAS TP ! WE SWALL KEEP THIS \ FOR Daa EVIDENCE (+ 4 IT'S POST MARKED= TOMBSTONE ARIZ, a IT READS— * MARY= : { \ WAVE DECEIVED YOU LONG | ENOUGH = 1} STOLE HAT coe AND THEY'LL NEVER FINO ME= DO NOT EXPECT TO SEE OR HEAR FROM ME AGAIN] AS MY SIGNATURE) INTERESTS = 60 ME * \T'S. SIGNED — ‘Tom CARB= He’s Off? OF BEPPO GETTIN LOOSE I ALMOST FORGOT ALL ABOUT OSSIE AND WIS AIRPLANE=ILL HUSTLE ONER TO HIS HOUSE AN' SEE IF KELL LET ME TAKE A RIDE IN IT"! COME ON (NER TO OSCARS ITH ME, WILLIE“- L WANT (T AUST BE SO! IT MUST i Y BESO! AT FIRST Z Y COULON'T BELIEVE NY we Bur iT WWST ta Bi HEAVEN KNOWS! ‘ “TELLING POP ALL FALL THAT SOONER OR LATER TW'S VERY THING WOULD HAPPEN, LAST NIGHT WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH WELL, IF T CouLD OUST SWEAR. TD FEEL Better § TAWISH SoKNEW SOMETHNG ABOUT A CAR ~IF WE COULD LOCATE THE TROUBLE CAN 3 BE OF. ANY ASSISTANCE, LADIES 2 UM, NO) TM AFRAID NOT, RENEREND. i A SALESMAN SAM POPENED PELICANS, OUT I'VE \WELL,1 GOTTA )(GUT I THINK (TS ABOUT AomiT Sree ee | @ CLEVER STUNT-|| 0! LETTERS ON-t' ‘ONLY Hace TH CeTTeRsS oF / You've HAD ON-('M } JUST FINISHED EVERY BO0Y TH BuMmes GUESSIN' = BEEN HAWIN' A LOTTA FUN {ELYIN’ AROUND TOWN WITH “TH BUMPS NAME on SOME REASON =\T | vst GETS METH WAY THEY FALL FOR WER ? ('A ONE JUMP CERTAINGY NOT! TIME Ye PUT TH’ REST | AHEAD’ OF YA,6U22- THOSE ARE THe OTHER Hace o'"TH’ CeTTERs- ( Merecy PUT ‘Em On Sartt are “OU GOIN’ cuckoo ? GUT THEY OON'T Mean @ THING , THAT wen! ™H ecuimet ORE MISSING ON J e Ms— Sie les