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Show I GREEDY MATERIAL COMBINES HALT PROGRESS, BUILDERS SAY Contractors Plan Determined Action toj Force Prices Down to Reasonable Levels ICLBVELt&ND, in IS Charges that general construction Is being held up by collusive prlce-fUlmc In building materials were made by V L. Cran-ford, Cran-ford, former director of the nitrate plant at Muscle Should, at Tuesday's session of tho Associated General Constructors Con-structors of America During a jo, ooo-mile trip around America, Investigating construction conditions Mr. Crunford said, labor in nil but two localltltl WU fiuind to bo bark at pro-war efficiency "On the other hand, 98 per cent of our inquiries in-quiries brought the answer that building build-ing material were ton hl;h." tie said "The mom abusive high prices are in lines where there nru naUunal associations associa-tions that moot behind closed doors There is no economic reason, general-ly general-ly speaking, why prices should not COmc down." "MK1KKS" 1DVOOATED. It was the opinion of RIOSl of the speakers that the contractors must force down prlooi of building materials mater-ials and bring back competition in the supplies branch of tho Industry. Even "strikes" were advocated by one or two cont ractors ac a :u-ann of correcting cor-recting a situation where- it was ns-t ns-t rt-t government investigations and prosecution! had tailed. The discussions followed the read-1 lnir of a letter from Secretary Hooer ''DUO to some small minority of the' members of the building trades, con-, Tractors, material and labor men." tho letter said, "the whole of this great' and vital branch of industry i under a great cloud and the moral ethlru of, the business are challenged dally I throughout tho country. JAM i NOT BFFJSCm I "You are aware of the successful fforts of other associations by which I I they have over many years raised the thlcs of their profession high standards by drastic actions toward members who have not held up the standards of American life. "I am convinced that these things an never be cured by legislation or by Jails. They can be cured by the resolute action of the vast majority of honest men who form these professions profes-sions and it has now become vital In the country's Interests that this Hhould bo undertaken in the branch of which you comprise so large part." REMI.DV OFFERED Unemployment may be eliminated' and business booms and depressions ontrollod by a consideration of management man-agement in Industry. J Park i hati-nlng, hati-nlng, of Now York, told member to- 1 day. Mr. Channing Is chairman of the American engineering council's coin-, mttv.ee on elimination of waste In in-( dustry. ' The way in which the owners In industry may be of value in the ellmln-J ellmln-J atlon of waste," ho said, "la in stabilising stabilis-ing production. They ar the people,! more than any one else. who an prevent pre-vent or at least i educe the peaks and valleys of booma and depressions" minim; inefficiency He cited sofc' ooal mining as an example ex-ample of poorly organised industry. "It is over equipped," lie :-.lld. ' both H3 regards plant and personnel, and the soft coal miner Instead Of being abie to get 30o days of work as he should gets. I - believe, about 1!0. and this: means that there are altogether too "WW mf n ready to mine coal, and that' part of them should be diverted to Oth-j er industries ;:nd the remainder ai-- isured regular and continuous work." Asserting thnr in i oriaolldation of management lay the true solution of ' unemployment and other wastes, he ald i believe that the one thing the ; congress of the L'nltod S ates can do to reduce waste In industry Is to modify mod-ify the anti-trust laws so h to permit consolidations now prohibited. TO AVOID WASTE Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoovei Is planning a confercm e ui architects, contractors and building material manufacturers and dealers to devise a plan for simplifying the varieties va-rieties of materials which go into building build-ing construction, according to K V McCulluugh of the chamber of com merco of the United States, who ad-droased ad-droased the convent ion The saving that is possible through eliminating endless varieties In building build-ing materials Is beyond computation, Mr McCullough declared rtrt |
