Evening Star Newspaper, September 18, 1928, Page 10

PROSPERITY PLEA MADE BY HOOVER Change in Party Rule Would Peril Industry, Jersey Workers Told. sound this call to the workers of the country, a secondary purpose, the pur- pose of the Republican leaders of ihe State, was to have the voters of New Jersey actually see, as well as hear, the Republican nominee. In consequence, Mr. Hoover is swinging in a big circle today through certain cities and towns in north Jersey, including Jersey City, where the Smith sentiment is strong. And no sooner had he lef* his special | procession, which carried him for 40 miles or more. through Belleville, Mon clair, Caldwell, West Orange, Orange and East Orange, back to Newark. Factions Represented. A hundred automobiles were in the parade, gayly decorated. carrying Hoover tags and banners. Immediately bchind the police guard on motor cycles came the automobile occupied by Mr. Hoover and Mrs. Hoover, and their son, Alan, 2 senior at Leland Stanford Uni y. And, of course, a committee of distin- guished Republican leaders of the S all factions represented, made the swin around, too. In the party were Senator Walter Edge, Hamilton Kean, nominee for the Senate and Republican national committeeman; former Gov. Stokes, former Senator Frelinghuys the nominee for governor, and Repre- sentative Fort, secretary of the Re- publican national committee, and one of Mr. Hoover's right-hand meh in tae conduct of the campaign. “T've scen Herb” was the comment of an overall-clad mechanic, as he waved a hand to the departing parade. Right in that sentence he epitomized the whole psychology of the Hoover sight- seeing trip in New Jersey. Mr. Hoover himself was the “sight” in this case. Anywhere from a quarter of a million | to a half a million men, women and children had a glimpse, if only a brief one, of the Republican candidate. Fur- thermore, if the Republican leaders can get Mr. Hoover close to the voters and hear more of them refer to him as “Herb,” the better they will be pleased. “Al” against “Herbert” doesn’t go so well in these industrial centers, but “Al” against “Herb” is another matter. Mr. Hoover’s swing through the cities and towns of Jersey has left be- hind him a pleasant impression in thou- sands of homes. Outside of his set speech last night, the candidate did not make any addresses. Merely words here and there and a handclasp. But he smiled, and the Hoover smile is a warm. kindly smile, a little shy per- haps, but genuine, and it was notice- able that when he smiled the crowds smiled back and gave him a “hand” all along the roads he traversed. Here nd there he stopped for a special demonstration, as in Montclair, Cald- well, where he visited with Mrs. Hoover the ancestral home of Grover Cleveland and did homage to the memory of that Democratic President, and Orange, | where the Edison works are located. Smithites Present. The parade of automobiles was met here and there with catcalls and cries of “Al Smith,” “Take that sign off”— but these were expected, as Jersey has' many Smith adherents. | The stage for the Hoover parade had | been well set by the committee in | charge. Not a doubt of that. It ran| off without a hitch, and cities and towns through which the candidate | passed were gayly decorated with flags | and bunting. In many places aerial | bombs were exploded and carried aloft | small American flags. There was no band accompanying the automobile cavalcade. In that it probably differed | from a Democratic demonstration. But | here and there bands were stationed which played as the candidate passed | through. i Thousands of women were on hand to wave—not only to greet Mr. Hoover but to see Mrs. Hoover, in whom the greatest interest was evinced. Whole | flocks of school children carrying flags turned out on the line of march, and Girl Scouts, Veterans of the World World and other organizations' lined the route. Firg engines tooted their sirens. Gray-haired old ladies sat on the porches of their homes and waved flags. A large sign outside of East Caldwell proclaimed the fact that “Wil- liam Harris lives here. I voted for Abraham Lincoln and I will vote for Herbert Hoover.” Mr. Harris himrelf sat on the lawn to see his favorite can- didate go by. But the biggest demonstration of all came at night, when 10,000 men and women, crowding the armory to its capacity, yelled themselves hoarse in welcome of the Republican nominee. There was no doubt about the en- thusiasm. It was with difficulty that the police kept back the crowds so that Mr. Hoover. accompanied by Mrs. Hoover, could gain éntrance to and exit from the hall. While the candi- date was speaking thousands of Re- publicans paraded in at torchlight pro- cession and still other thousands list- ened to the Hoover speech, coming to them over. amplifiers arranged for the , Larson, | a few ! Text of Hoover’s NEWARK, N. J, September 18— The text of the address delivered here last evening by Herbert Hoover, Repub- lican candidate for President, s as follows: Real wages and standards of living of our labor have improved more dur- ing the past seven and a half years of Rejublican rule than during any sim- ilar period in the history of this or any other country. When I speak of wages I refer both | to those who work at the bench and those who work at the desk. Nor is this addressed to men alone. More than 10,000,000 women march to work | every morning side by side with the men. Steadily the importance of wom- | en is gaining not only in the routine tasks of industry but in executive re- ponsibility. I include also the woman who siays at home as the guardian of the welfare of the family. She is a partner in the job and the wages. Women constitute a part of our indus- trial achfevement. I wish to lay down the proposition | that the verv prerequisite, the very foundation, of economic progress to our industrial and business employes is full and stable employment. A con- tinued surpius of unemployed workers means decreasing wages, increasing + hours and fear for the future. To pro- tect labor, to maintain its prosperity, to abollsh poverty, we must so organize our economic system as to provide a job for all who have the will to work. | Full employment depends ‘not only | upon a strong a2nd progressive economic system but upon the sound policies of and the vigorous co-operation by the | Government to promote economic wel- fare. Labor in its collective efforts has contributed greatly to the maintenance of proper wages and to improved con- ditions of labor. But collective bar- gaining cannot overcome the forces that make for unemployment. I, for one, am willing to trust the proved ability of employes to take care of their rights if there is employment to be had. And our workers as citizens at the ballot box have a large part in the determination of these economic policies. Problem of National Concern. { _The problem of insuring full work all | the time is a problem of national con- | cern. It is one to which government must give its attention. It is one which | government may contribute to solve. Behind every job is a vast, intricate and delicately adjusted system of inter- | locked industries dependent upon skilled | leadership and upon finding a market | for their products at home or in for- .eign lands. The forces of credit, com- | munications, transportation, power, for- | eign relations and what not, must all | be kept in tune if steady employment is | to be assured. A failure in any part imposes a penalty upon labor through unemployment. Break this chain of relationship at any point and the whole machine is thrown out of order. Close down a New Jersey factory because of | Inadequate transportation or inadequate tariff and its effect is felt by the New Jersey truck farmer. automobiles to South America or| Europe, and automobile workers are thrown out of employment in Michigan. The suffering does not stop there. It | only begins. The steel mills slacken in Pennsylvania and Indiana. The mines employ fewer workers at Lake Superior. And every farmer in the United States Cense_exporting of the Federal Government, in 1920 and 1921. He said: “When we assumed direction of the Government in 1921 there were five to six million unemployed upon our streets. Wages and salaries were falling and hours of labor increasing. Anxiety for daily bread haunted nearly one-quarter of our 23,000,000 families. The Repub- lican administration at once undertook to find relief from this situation.” The relief was found, Mr. Hoover said, although it was not through the dole or charity or inflation. He men- tioned the fact that he himself had been chairman of the nation-wide con- ference on unemployment which had been called and that a program for sys- tematic organization of the whole bus ness community had been set up to re-, store employment, including the insti~ tution of public works and the exten- sion of financial aid to industry during the critical period of readjustment. “Within a year,” he continued, “we restored these 5,000,000 workers to em- ployment. But we did more.! We pro- duced a fundamental program which made this restored employment secure on the foundations of prosperity. As a result wages and standards of living have during the past six and a half years risen to steadily higher levels. ‘This recovery and this stability areno accident. It has not been achieved by luck. Were it not for sound govern mental policies and wise leadership, ei ployment conditions in America today would be similar to those existing in many other parts of the world.” Two Need Assistance. Mr. Hoover admitted there are two industries which need assistance to- day—the textile industry and the bitu- minous coal industry. He called atten- tion to the duplication of these indus- {tries in the Southern States, whereas | formerly they existed mainly in the i North and the Middle West. They have jalso been affected by changes in the use of textiles on the one hand and by the increase of electricity on the other, he said. “We have a duty,” he said, “to con- tinue effort to their full recovery by every assistance that the Government can afford. This,” he promised, “will be carried forward diligently.” Mr. Hoover took occasion to reply to benefit of those who could not gain admission to the armory. Effective Argument. Don't let any one tell you that the | Republican argument of -prosperity and | high wages, under Republican rule, is | not effective in the industrial States of | the Eest! When Mr. Hoover referred to | the prosperous conditions in this coun- | Ary. as compared with conditions abroad | and conditions in America before the | World War. there were howls of ap- | proval. And prosperity and high wages is the Republican antidote for the ! Smith—and Edwards in New Jersey— plea for modification of the prohibition laws. New Jersey is reckoned a wet | State. But it is also a State in which the protective tariff has done much for | industry. . Over and over Mr. Hoover warned the | voters against changing horses, particn- | larly when the country is going al a | good gait. | “At such a time as this,” he sai ehange in national policies involves not, 85 some may lightly think, only a choice between different roads by either | of which we may go forward. but a -question also as to whether we may not Be taking the wrong road and movine | backward. The measure of our national | - prosperity, of our stability, of our hope of future progress at this time is the measure of what we may risk through a change in present policies. More than once in our national history a change in policies in a time of advancement “a has been quickly followed by a turn; toward disaster. Mr. Hoover was talking last night par- ticularly to labor, and he Sed the Improved conditions in the relations to- day between employe and employer. He ranged himself firmly a friend of or-| ganized labor, and predicted th workers of America would al able to take care of themselves. Bt he added that the Government must give its attention to the problem of insuring full work all the time for the workers, He pictured the Republican-controlled government as not only a friend of Jabor and industry, but an effective friend, to whom both conld look for further aid. He told his listeners that “real wages and standards of living of our labor have improved more during the past seven and a half years of Re- publican rule than during any simil period in the history of this or ar other country.” and drew a burst of ap- plause from his auditors. Raps Democrats. {to | assertions that there is wide unemploy- | { ment in this country today. | “There was a temporary dip of em- ployment last Winter,” he said. *“From this we are now rapidly recovering. Its causes were local and temporary. They were the combined effect of the Missis- sippi flood, a great shift in the motor industry and the collapse of real estate speculation. An accurate survey by the Department of Labor showed that even inclnding the usual Winter seasonal un- employment about 1,800,000 employes were out of work as contrasted with fit six million in 1921. During the past fwo months there has been a higher record of production and consumption of goods than during the corresponding months of any previous year. There | could not be such a record unless em- ployment was steadily recovering.” Labor Protected. “American labor,” Mr. Hoover said, “hus been protected also by the impos tion of restrictive immigration laws dur- ing Republican control. This restric- tion.” he said, “was a boon not only to native-born Americans, but to those | who have come from the old countries, for every one would suffer equally by the lowering of our wazes and stand- ards of living.” Even though he gave attention to the needs of labor, Mr. Hoover did not forget the farm prob- lem. saying: “One of the large opportunities for the further improvement of labor lies in the further improvement of agricul- |ture. Some of ils most important branches have lagged behind industry {in its advance since the war. This is {not an cccasion to enter upon this | question, but by sympathetic polic we should materially further increase |the farmers' buving power and thus add to the security of employment in the industr Mr. Hoover grows more accustomed to public speaking and to addressing big audiences as the campaisn pro- gresses. He handled himself with com- plete assurance last night. He would be the last to lay claim to oratory. But {none who heard him would doubt his sincerity. He was listened to with the keenest interest, and he made a favor- able impression upon those to whom he talked. He speaks practically with- out gesture. But he drives home his arguments emphatically and clearly. He follows rather closely the written text of his speeches, but he does not hesitate to digress from the text if he ‘Mr. Hoover went back several years to the last days of Democratic control - t desires and wishes to make more point- ed his arguments, THE EVENING » STAR,” WASHINGTON,” D.” € TUESDAY,” SEPTEMBER 18, 1928." Newark Address suffers from the diminished purchasing power and enforced stringency in thou- sands of homes, ‘The modern relationships of govern- ment and industry are a tangled mass of economic and social problems. They are neither abstract propositions nor statistics. They are very human things. They can make for the happiness of every home in our country. The Republican party has performed unparallelled service to the employees in our commerce and industry through- out its history and notably during the past seven and a half years. Continu- ous employment and prosperity of labor depend upon the continuance of those policies. It is these wider issues of gov- ernmental responsibility in laying broad | and deep foundations of employment that T wish to discuss tonight. The R¢ publican party recognizes this responsi- bility. Proof of this rests upon its actual record of accomplishment. That tecord can be tested by examination of the situation of labor in the country today. Unemployment in 1921. ‘When we assumed direction of the Government in 1921 there were five to six million unemployed upon our streets. Wages and salaries were falling and hours of labor increasing. Anxiety for daily bread haunted nearly one-quarter of our 23,000,000 families. The Reupblican administration at once undertook to find relief for this situation. At once Nation-wide em- ployment conference was called. It was made up of representatives of both employers and employes. I had the honor to be chairman of that confer- ence. We set up a program for the systematic - organization of the whole business community to restore employ- ment. By means of immedate institu- tion of public works, the extension of financial aid to industry during the critical period of readjustment by co- operation of employers, and by a score of other devices, we started the wheels of industry turning again. We did not resort to the expedients of some foreign countries, of doles, subsidies, charity or inflation—all of which in the end are borne by the people. Within a year we restored these 5.000.000 workers to employment. Bnt we did more, we produced a funda- mental program which made this re- | stored employment secure on founda- tions of prosperity; as a result, wages and standards of living have during the past six and a half years risen to steadily higher levels. This recovery | and this stability are no accident. It has not been achieved by luck. Were it not for sound governmental policies and wise leadership employment condi- tions in America today would be similar to those existing in many other parts | of the world. None of the larger coun- tries engaged in the great war have as vet restored full employment. Doles to the idle and other devices of despera- tion still exist abroad. There have been assertions of wide | unemployment at the present time. | There was a temporary dip of employ- ment last Winter. From this we are now rapidly recovering. Its causes were local and temporary. They were the combined effect of the Mississippi flood, a great shift in the motor indus- try and the collapse of real estate spec- ulation. An accurate survey of the Department of Labor showed that even including the usual Winter seasonal unemployment, about 1,800,000 empioyes were out of work, as contrasted with 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 in 1921. During the past two months there has been a higher record of production and con- sumption of goods than during corre- sponding months of any previous year. ‘There could not be such a record unless employment was steadily recovering. There are two industries which have only partially recovered to our general industrial prosperity. They are the bituminous coal and textile industries. Here the difficulties of recovery from overexpansion during the war have been increased by a duplication of part of both industries in the Southern | States. They have also been affected by changes in use of textiles on one hand and by the increase of electricity on the other. We have a duty to con- tinue effort to their full recovery by every assistance that the Government can afford. This will be carried for- ward diligently. Higher Average of Wages. Despite these rare exceptions, the average of real wages are higher today than ever before. And the arduous hours of labor have decreased. We can easily prove this. As a standard of comparison, let us take the purchas- ing power of wages in 1913, or before the war. In purchasing power we con- sider both the dollars and the cost of living. Taking this standard we shall find that real wages at.the height of the war inflation were about 30 per cent over 1913, Despite the great after- war slump they have risen until today they are over 50 per cent greater than before the war. Viewed in another way, while the cost of living today is about 60 points on the index above pre- war, wages are 127 \above. Parallel with this ‘increase in real wages the average hours of labor have steadily decreased. Moreover, our real wages and our | standards of living are the highest in the world. And I am again speaking ! of the real buying power of wages. To compare ours with foreign wages we must find a common denominator, be- cause translation of foreign currencies means but little, If we say that 5 per cent of butter and 95 per cent of flour form the basis of that useful mixture called “bread and butter,” then the weckly earnings in each country would buy at retail in those countries the fol- lowing total of this useful compound. | ate a horde of job hunters around every which will maintain effective competi- tion of foreign against American goods. That s not protection. That this is the meaning is borne out by references to the Underwood tariff of the last Demccratic administration as the ideal. The re-enactment of that tariff would let in a flood of foreign goods, destroy employment and lower wages and de- moralize our farmers all over the United States. I would suggest that the em- ployes of industries in New Jersey and the country should directly investi- gate as to what would happen to their employr®:nt with lowered tariffs. Immigration Restriction. The Republican administration im- posed restrictions upon _immigration fargely to protect the American work- man. With the bars of immigration down the flow of those seeking relief from the poverty of Europe would cre- ment office and every industrial gate in the United States. ‘The pressure of this flood wm;l% break our wages to- v levels of Europe. “a;l?; lzr),r:e places a higher worth upon the foreign-born citizen than I do. He brings many elements of great va'lue in our cultural development. We \l\rl-' come his help in building our new civilization. The immigration laws should be amended to remedy the hardships to families. I have urged before that this be done. In my ac- coptance specch I stated my opposition to any increase in immigration. ‘The Testriction upon immigration is a boon not only to those of my hearers who were born on American soil, but to those who have come from the old | countries. for every one would suffer equally by the lowering of our wages and standards of living. The enactment of this law was op- posed on economic grounds. I do not here propose to enter into the argu- ments which were advanced in perfect good faith that production in America would shrink because we would have too few workers, that the cost of liv- ing would thus increase, or that it would destroy America’s ability to com- pete in the shipment of her goods into foreign markets. I did not agree with these arguments. I believe that the maintenance of the higher standards of living stimulate the development of labor-saving devices, increase skill in our workmen, and in our managers, and that in this way we'compensate for higher wages. It is proving itself so today. We are exporting more goods abroad than ever in our history. We are gradually lowering the cost of liv- ing by greater efficiency. There is no measure on our statute books today that represents a more fundamental, sound and important step in true progress than does this new charter of American labor. It is the necessary and natural companion piece of a protective tariff. In the one instance we protect the American work- er from the goods of foreign factories, made under their lower standards of living. In the other case, we pre- vent the excess labor flcoding through our doors to reduce the American wage. Foreign Trade, | When, at the beginning of the Re- publican administration, we were de- | termining those measures which would restore and increase employment, one of our first decisions was vigorously to build up our foreign trade. We deter- mined that we must sell more products abroad if we would have steady and assured employment for labor in our industries. We realized that we must energetically promote the sale of our farmers’ surplus abroad both in their interest -and in the interest of labor. By so doing we increase the farmer’s buying power and in turn his demand for the products of labor. When we came into office we were confronted with a total disorganization of the world trade, due to the war. We had been exporting great quantities of munitions. This business was fin- ished. World trade was demoralized to such an extent that the actual move- ment of commodities between all na- tions was some 20 per cent less than before the war. We set out upon a definitely organ- ized campaign to build up the export of the products of American labor and of the American farm. We reorganized the Department of Commerce for the promotion of American trade abroad on a greater scale than had ever been achieved or ever attempted by any gov- ernment anywhere in the world. We mobilized our manufacturers and ex- porters; co-operated with them in lay- ing out and executing stragetic plans to expand our foreign trade in all di- rections, employ! Official Records. That this great part played by the Government is no hypothetical asser- tion is amply evidenced by the fact | that the daily applicatipns for assist- | ance by exporters to the department have steadily increased from 500 daily in 1922 to an average of 10.000 a day in 1928. In the last year before the | war our total exports were a little un- der $2.500,000,000. In 1922, the first| year of the Republican administration, they were $3,750,000,000. The dollar | since the war has not been as valuable @ dollar as in 1913. 1f we make a cor- | rection so as to estimate them on a| uentity basis we find that our exports for 1922 were in prewar dollars about 2,730,000,000. During the year 1927 our exports were $4,750,000,000, and if for | comparison we convert this figure fo the prewar value of the dollar, they were $3,840,000,000. Thus on any cal- | culation cur exports have increased by | over $1,000,000,000 during . the past seven years. This is an increase of 41 per cent since 1922 and an increasé of 58 per cent over prewar. Now I want to clearly show what this means. It was not due to world recovery. If we make a survey of the world’s trade today we shall find that the export trade of all countries is| only 10 per cent above prewar, while ours is 58 per cent. Also, if we make Please note these figures carefully: WEEKLY WAGES IF APPLIED T T Railway en- United States ... United Kingdom . Germany . France Belgium Italy .. Sweden . Japan . Of course, the American employe does not use his higher income to buy un- necessary pounds of bread and butter, He uses it to diversify and expand his consumption of all things. It spells better homes, automobiles, radio and a thousand things for the family that were utterly unknown a generation ago, and are utlerly unknown to the average citizen in most countries of the world. Fear of poverty has been reduced. Fear of loss of employment has been lessened by stability. Fear of old age and for the future of the family has been les- sened through increased payments to the savings banks and to the insurance companies and to our labor benefit so- cieties, Before I discuss the policies by which this has been brought about let me say that the Republican administration makes no claim to credit which belongs lo the cnterprise, energy and character of a great people. Education, prohibi- tion, invention, scientific discovery, in- e in skill in managers ployes have contributed to magnificent progress. But all of these efforts would ployment would have been less had it not been for the co-operative actions taken by the Government. And it is this margin of employment which makes for the safety or the danger of labor, Protective Tariff Policy. The first of our policies which have given security and expansion of em- ployment has been the enactment of the protective tariff. The protective tarift has been a fundamental policy of the Republican party ever since the party was - founded. Against it the Demo- cratic party has battled for these same 70 years. Two months ago their plat- form hinted that they thought we might be right. However, they declared for » tariff that would maintain effective HE PURCHASE OF “COMPOSITE POUNDS OF EAD AND BUTTER." (Each pound 95 per cent wheat flour and 5 per cent butter.) Carpen- ters and em. | bloyment. be incomplete and the margin of em- | a survey of what has happened to the Dav labor. 160 112 68 65 110 162 66 Elec- Coal tricians. miners. T8 358 267 267 158 133 123 136 6 94 152 925 kb 224 180 155 96 60 83 other great trading nations who were engaged in the war, we find that their foreign trade for the year 1927, when it 1s similarly adjusted for the deprecia- tion of money, shows only a bare re- covery to prewar bas It is no acci- dent which has brought about this unique situation in the United States. 1t is not chance that has brought this added employment for American work- amen and added markets for American farmers. Things like that don't happen. More than 2,000,000 families in the United States carn their living today producing goods for export, and an- other million families earn their living in the manufacture of raw materials which we import in exchange for our exports. This increase in exports has brought a living to 500000 families. This means more than statistics. It means higher standards of living— more jobs make more wages. Foreign trade is no artificial stimulant td em- Its development is a vilal ibution to the welfare of (he American workman and the American merchant ‘and.the American farmer. I pose that we shall continue this service to our people. Agricultural Improvement. One of the large opportunitics for the further improvement of labor lies in the further improvement of agriculture. Some of its most important branc! have lagged behind industry in its ad- vance since the war. This is not an occasion to enter upon that question, but by sympathetic policies we should materially further increase the farmers’ buying power and thus add to the se- curity of employment in the industri This becomes one of our first duties in common interest. American labor has been the fyst Weavers, 323 136 106 73 24 conl wages and salaries must in the long run be based upon a sharing of labor in the savings made through industrial and commercial efficiency. Within the past few months British labor has fol- lowed this lead of American labor. That is, if we are able by labor-saving ma- chinery and reduction of the wastes in -industry to decrease the cost of production of an article, we know by long experience that a train of con- sequences of the highest importance follow. Wages in that industry will rise, prices decrease, consumption in- crease at home and in our foreign mar- kets, the demand for labor is enlarged and our standards of living improve. The ancient bitter opposition to im- proved. methods on the ancient theory that it more than temporarily deprives men of employment which is still main- tained in some parts of the world has, no place in the gospel of American | progress. Waste in Industry. Eight years ago I caused a Nation- wide investigation to_be undertaken of the whole subject. I felt that it was in the interest of our country to know what opportunities we had to improve our methods. It developed that there were great opportunities for increased efficiency in our whole in- dustrial machine. We have the high- est ingenuity and efficiency, in the operation of our individual industries, of any nation. Yet there were great wastes which were not the fault of | individuals, employers or employes. These wastes were due to seasonal unemployment and to unemployment during depressions; to speculation and overproduction during booms: to labor turnover and labor conflicts: to intermittent failure of transportation. of supplies, of fuel. of power and credit to synchronize with demand: to lack of simplification and standardization in many of our commonly used commodi- to losses in our processes and materials and scores of other direc- tions. They all combined to represent a huge deduction from the goods and services and employment we might ail enjov if we could but eliminate these wastes, We adopted a new policy in Govern- ment. That was, that the Secretary of Commerce should co-operate with in- dustry in organization against such waste, not by law or regulation, but by purely voluntary action in which the joint service of the associations representing the managers of a given industry, its employes, its distributors and ils consumers were -all enlisted in a common purpose. We have had magnificent co-operation from the lead- ers and the employes of American busi- ness. 1 will not take your time to r cite the literally thousands of co-opera- tive actions undertaken and carried threugh with beneficent results, but I will give an illustration. In Building Industry. From time immemorial the building industry has been a seasonal business. It was idle a large part of the Winter. The first conference upon reducing its seasonal character was called under my chairmanship in 1923. It was partici- pated in by manufacturers of build- ing material, by contractors, by engi- neers, by real estate men, by representa- tives ‘of the employes. 'An exhaustive | examination by this body resulted in the conclusion that the average sea- sonal unemployment in the building trades was about 100 days out of the year. A number of specific remedies | were Initiated by organized co-operation in different centers. By this co-opera- tive action and by improved methods the average days of unemployment have been decreased by nearly one-half. ‘There has been no decrease in daily | wages. In fact, there has been increase in wages, but, far more important, the annual income of workers in the build- ing trades has been substantially in- creased by the decrease in idle days. It has enabled us to increase the total annual volume of building with the same complement of labor and equip- ment. It has decreased the unit cost of building and contributed to the ex- pansion of building generally. Nor are the benefits confined to the construc- tion industries. They give greater sta- bility to all the manufacturers of build- ing material and to transportation, Booms and Slumps. As another instance of an action of fundamental importance to labor I might mention the organization of measures in the Government to mitigate the violence of the so-called business cycle. That is the recurrent periods of boom and false hope, waste and ex- travagance followed by hard times with their hideous unemployment, decreas- ing wages, bankruptey in business and ruinous prices to the farmer. These booms and slumps have occurred period- ically for 75 years, although less than half as often under Republican as un- der Democratic administrations. The great unemployment period of 1921 was the direct result of war inflation and the boom of 1920. No one has suffered more from these movements than our salary and wage earners. ‘Time forbids a discussion of the intri- cate problems involved or the remedies which we have inaugurated. They in- clude better organization of credit, ad- vance information as to demand for industrial products, as to volume of their production, as to the use of public con- | information for further attack upon | have been transferred to our filling sta- struction in slack times and many other methods. As a result of co-operation | with industry and banking and public | officials we have greatly mitigated th most dangerous of all disasters to our bread winners. The proof lies in the ! * act—cathartics that wracked the Feen-a-mint It’s just like a bit of delicious chewing gum. You don’t swallow it—you chew it! Its magic laxative principle is released slowly, the way science meant it to be released. It actually be- comes part of the digestive fluids—does not disturb digestion. It works with the body—not against it! It won’t torture you with griping pains. It won't poison or weaken the system. to laxative pills. Get Feen-a-mint at your druggist’s. Correct constipation—now! Feen-a-mint labor body in the world that has had the intelligence and courage to realize competition. That must mean a tariff and express the fact that increased Chew it like Gum fact that we have had a far longer period of stability in industry and com- merce and the far greater security of employment than ever before in our history. Public Works Programs. In my speech of acceptance I out- lined our national programs of pros- pective public works, including the de- velopment of water resources, public roads, and the constructfon of public buildings. In that speech I pointed out that these projects would require up- wards of one billion dollars within the next four years. I there recommended that, so far as practicable, this work should be carried on in such a way as to take up the slack of occasional un- employment. While the judicious ar- rangement of government construction work can aid in wiping out the unem- ployment caused by seasonal variations in business activity, the Federal Gov- ernment can do more. The Department of Labor should be authorized to under- take the collection of regular statistics upon seasonal and other unemploy- ment. We must have this fundamental this problem. from the further solution | of which will come still greater sta- bility and prosperity in the world of employer and employe. We have gained enormously in ef- ficiency in our whole economic ma- chinery in the past seven vears. I- cannot take the time to recite to you the extraordinary evidence of this. I hesitate to express it statistically lest I appear to exaggerate. Taken as a whole we have swelled our production on a quantity basis by nearly 30 per cent. Parallel with it wages have risen and the prices of manufactured goods have_fallen. I have heard voices raised in pro- test that the effect of these activities is to destroy employment. This is a re-echo of a century ago. As a mat-} ter of fact we have gone through an extraordinary industrial revolution in seven years and we do not find any | such unemployment as would be im- plied by these protests. There are indi- vidual cases of unemployment in these shifts, but wise policies and co-opera- tion with industry have rendered them but momentary. The reasons why no dangers lie in store are simple enough. As we transfer the burden from the back of men to machines we increase the wages of workers. We increase their buying power. We create a de- mand for new commodities and new services. By the energies and capital which we have released through in- creased efficiency of the older industries we have been able to expand other industries, and to create new ones to further employment, and to supply new additions to the comfort of every home. From here and other causes we see a great expansion in the automobile in- dustry, in telephones and electric lights. In seven years we have seen the radio industry emerge from a few hundred thousand to hundreds of millions in its product. We have seen the aeroplane industry develop from almost nothing seven years ago, to a most potent in- dustry today. Due to increased effi- ciency hundreds of thousands of men and women have been transferred from the factories to our expanding insurance and banking to take care of enlarged savings, other hundreds of thousands tions, our garages, our hotels and our restaurants. We have in this period seen half a million families find occupation in increased export of goods, and, above all, we have seen an increase of nearly two million youths taken largely from the potential ranks of labor and placed in institutions of education. This is proof of real progress. It is the road to further progress. It is the road to abolition of poverty. T have already stated the positian of the Republican party in positive sup- port of free collective bargaining. I have stated that it is necessary to im- pose restrictions on 'the excessive use of injunctions.; It is my desire and the desire of every good citizen to amelio- rate the cause of industrial conflict, to build toward that true co-operation which must be the foundation of com- mon action for the common welfare. The first requisite to less conflict is full employment. By full employment we are steadily reducing conflict gnd loss. Employer and Employe. The whole relationship between em- ployer and employe has shown great improvement in these past seven years. During these years there has been a revolution ~ through shifting of ~basic ideas on the part of both business and labor. The large majority of both | sides today willingly accept the funda- | mental principle that the highest pos- sible wages are the road to increased consumption of goods and thereby to prosperity. Both accept the funda- mental fact that greater eficiency, larger application of mechanical de- vices, and full personal effort are the road to cheaper costs, lower prices and thus again to wider consumption and larger production of goods. Both dis- card the ancient contention that labor is an economic commodity. Both realize that labor is entitled to partici- pation in the benefits of increased effi- clency by increased wage, either directly or through the decrease in living costs. Both have joined in repelling socialism, and other subversive- movements. He would be a rash man who would state that we are finally entering the industrial millennium, but there is a great ray of hope that America is find- ing herself on the road to a solution of the greatest of all her problems. ‘That problem is to adjust our economic ystem to our social ideals. We are making progress towards social peace Blaine—nastiest man’ in_the company to work for—or with!” Somehow Blaine learned that that was his reputation around the office. He'd had six secre- taries already, and all of them left of their own accord. Yet he'd tried to be more con- siderates—to get over his chronic irritability and inefficiency; with health foods that took weeks to system ..o is different! t won't enslave you and contentment with- the preservation of private industry, of initiative, and | full development "of the individual. Working out of this ideal cannot be attained by compulsory settlement of employe and employer conflicts by the | hand of the Government. It cannot| be attained by placing the Government in business and reducing our people to bureaucracies. 1t is idle to argue that there are no | longer any conflicts of interest between | employe and employer. But there are} wide areas of activity in which their in- | terest should coincide, and it is the part | of statesmanship to organize and in-| crease this identity of interest in order | to limit the area of conflict. Conflict | diminishes and common purpose flour- | ishes only in prosperity and in an en- couraging atmosphere of sound gov- ernmental policies. Danger in New Policies. At such a time as this a change in | national policies involves not—as some may lightly think—only a choice be- | tween different roads by either of which we may go forward, but a ques- tion also as to whether we may not be | taking the wrong road and moving | backward. The measure of our national prosverity, of our stability, of our hope of further progress at this time, is the measure of what we may risk through a change in present policles. More than once in our national history a change in policies in a time of advance- ment_ has been quickly followed by a | turn toward disaster. Our econcmic system has abuses; it has grave faults in its operation. But | we can build toward perfection only upon a foundation of prosperity. Pov- | erty is not the cause of progress. En- | during national life cannot be builded upon the bowed and sweating backs of oppressed and embittered men and women. It must be uplifted and upheld by the willing and eager hands of the whole people. They will uphold it if | our economic life be built for the whole | people, not for any special group. L To assure this sort of progress our first necessity is to assure the ability and character of our leadership. It re- quires that we secure into its ranks all of the intelligence and character of our ace—that it be sympathetic with the life and aims of the whole of our 23,000,000 homes. Eccpomic Leadership. At no time have we had more able leaders in economic life than today. At no time have we been more certain that the fiber and intelligence of our peo- ple furnishes a vgst reservoir of such leadership adequate to the future, But able administrators, skilled workers, professional and moral leaders cannot be made by birth or money. They can- not be selected by divine right or through bureaucracy. Nor can their ranks be filled from a limited class. Our leadership can be found and it will be sympathetic to our ideals if we main- tain the decency and dignity of family ife through a stable economic svstem: if we maintain free and universal edu- cation and thus provide them the open stair to leadership; if'we maintain for very individual an equality of oppor- unity to attain that position in the community to which his character and his ability entitle him. Then our sup- ply of leadership will stream forward of its own impulse. It is in this in- stance upon an equal chance and a free road to rise in leadership that our great American experiment has departed from those of history. It is our sure guarantee of the future. In its vast possibilities is the hope of every mother or her boys and her girls. Under such leadership replenished constantly from the great mass of our people we can aspire to a democracy which will express a common purpose for the common good. We can build & civilization where national conscience is alert to protect the rights of all, cur- tail selfish economic power and hold to the ideal of distributed contentment among the whole people. Canada is using more American agri- cultural implements this season than ever before. The sign of a Complete Cement Service REVER you see the Lone Star sign you are assured of a complete cement service. Building material dealers who display this sign sell both Lone Star Cement and “INCOR?”, the Perfected High-Early-Strength Portland Cement. Lone Star for the job where time is not the most important factor — “INCOR?” for the job where timeis every thing. . “INCOR” Cement, like Lone Star, exceeds U. S. Government stan dards. Both “INCOR” and Lone Star are uniform to an unusual de- gree; both are covered of quality. by a written guaran‘:ee “INCOR” Cement contains no admixtures of any kind—is used exactly like any other Portland cement—has all the advantages of other Portland cements—and, in addition, &ives you concrete of assuredpermanence‘ that is ready to use in 24 hours. “INCOR” has been used with conspicuous success in all classes of construction, including the Moffat Tunnel, the new Fox Theatre, New York, etc. For “rush” jobs, “INCOR” is the only answer. “INCOR” is also the answer for jobs where the saving in time and earlier use of the structure offset the slight extra cost. Let the Lone Star dealer help you decide whether “INCOR” or Lone Star is the cement for your particular job. He will do so gladly. That is part of the Lone Star service, VIRGINIA PORTLAND CEMENT CORP. National Bank of Commerce Building Norfolk, Va. Subsidiary of the International Cement Corpora- tion, one of the worid’s largest cement producers —13 mills—anaual capacity 20,000,000 barrels.