18 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



March 10. 1919 



concerted effort toward putting into practice the lessons which the 

 exposition will teach. They do not seem to be encouraging, advis- 

 ing, and assisting prospective home builders to get houses. It would 

 seem that the people back of the building movement in the dis- 

 trict under consideration will fail to rise to meet the whole situa- 

 tion unless they take steps to assist those who want houses but 

 who lack the ready money to buy or build them. Many an honest 

 man of industrious habits, but of moderate means, has heard of 

 plans of owning homes by "paying like rent." Moneyed men 

 who own vacant lots might do well to consider whether it would 

 not pay to evolve some scheme by which such an offer could be 

 made. It would fit in well with the exposition which advertises 

 materials and distributes specifications. Prospective home owners 

 will have their desires whetted by the exposition, and it would 

 be the psychological time to show them how to own a home, if 

 property owners have any practical scheme to offer. 



The man with enough money to buy or build such a home as he 

 wants is not in much need of propaganda in the form of expositions; 

 but it is the man who has an equally strong desire but who cannot 

 quite figure out how he can make ends meet. Some foreign gov- 

 ernments, Canada among them, loan money to home builders at 

 low interest and on long time. They pay it back "like paying 

 rent." Our government has not yet decided to do that on a large 

 scale; but while expositions are being held, it might be well to see 

 if some practical plan could not be included, backed by vacant lot 

 owners who can command the means. The work is only commenced 

 when the desire is created. It can be completed by providing the 

 means of satisfying the home-owning desire. 



The Problem of the Immigrant 



DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, by means of bureaus, commit- 

 tees, or boards, the government is calling attention to the 

 desirability of having foreigners in this country learn the English 

 language. This is being urged upon business men as a matter of 

 business as well as a matter of patriotism. Thirty-five languages 

 are written and spoken in the United States, and the movement 

 now on foot has for its object the substitution of English as far 

 as possible. 



It is not a new problem. It has been present since the first 

 settlement of this country, but in early times only three or four 

 languages were represented here, besides English, they being Ger- 

 man, French, Dutch and Swedish. These all quickly amalgamated 

 with the English, except in parts of Pennsylvania where German 

 is still spoken though the ancestors of the people came across the 

 sea between the years 1720 and 1780. They formed community 

 settlements, remained to themselves, and handed their language 

 down. 



What happened there gives a hint of what is now happening 

 elsewhere. Foreigners who crowd close together retain their lan- 

 guages, while those who scatter will soon drop their native tongues 

 and learn English. During recent years, immigrants have shown a 

 tendency to crowd together in manufacturing districts, and being 

 there able to carry on business in their native languages, they 

 have little desire to learn English. 



The problem would go far toward solving itself if the immigrants 

 could be induced to scatter; but it is easier to say than to do. They 

 congregate where the work is, and the work is found in manufac- 

 turing centers. The public schools, which are conducted in English, 

 will take care of the children, but the adults cannot be reached 

 through that medium. Many of them want to learn English, and 

 will do so; but many others are indifferent, and they constitute 

 the hard part of the problem. Too many of them are here solely 

 to better their financial conditions, and they do not look much be- 

 yond that. 



Government agencies are getting busy vnth the problem of the 

 illiterate and indifferent foreigners in our midst. These people 

 possess the material for good citizenship (most of them do), but 

 something is needed to finish the job, and so long as the job is 

 not finished, this element constitutes a danger and a menace, be- 



cause from that quarter come the recruits which swell the ranks 



of Bolsheviki and other trouble makers. 



The Policy of Purchasing Now 



BUSINESS MEN AND ASSOCIATIONS are almost unanimous in 

 urging the policy of making necessary purchases at once, or as 

 soon as possible. It is pointed out, and with reason, that only by such 

 a course can industry be kept alive and stimulated. The people gener- 

 ally have money ; they need commodities ; they intend to buy these 

 commodities ; but the prospective buyers are waiting for something. 

 Some imagine that prices will fall and buying can be done on more 

 advantageous terms. Some are waiting to see how conditions will 

 turn out. Some are watching the labor situation. 



AU may see what they are waiting to see: prices may fall; condi- 

 tions may change ; wages may rise or fall or remain stationary ; but 

 meantime, what is going to happen to business? It will slacken or 

 stop unless some concerted and general action is taken to keep it 

 going. Every prospective buyer who is waiting, but is not forced by 

 necessity to wait, is assisting to put industry in peril, and to increase 

 trouble. Therefore, it is the patriotic duty of every person to do what 

 he can to keep the wheels turning. If he is able to make a purchase, 

 and is planning to do so, let him do it at once. Let his effort, how- 

 ever small it may be, go in the right direction. 



If a building is in contemplation, begin it as soon as possible. It 

 wUl help along many lines. If the purchase of furniture is contem- 

 plated, or farm machinery, or vehicles, or clothes, buy at once if pos- 

 sible, and thereby keep the wheels turning. One wheel in motion may 

 set others in motion ; but if nobody makes a move, the thing that is 

 liable to happen is not pleasant to anticipate. There may be times 

 when a waiting policy is a good policy, but this is not that kind of a 

 time. Action and confidence were never more needed than they are 

 now. Nobody is being urged to speculate at this time ; but the call 

 has gone out earnestly for all who can do so, to buy necessities now, 

 or as soon as possible, thereby assisting the country during a serious 

 situation. 



Vigilance Necessary 



COMPLAINT HAS COME BACK from foreign countries that 

 harm has been done to the reputation of American lumber, 

 in some localities, by the fact that stuff below the grade it was 

 supposed to be has been shipped. The purchaser of such lumber is 

 disappointed and feels that he has been cheated. He would be more 

 than human if he did not air his grievance and advertise the cause 

 of his disappointment, and this has hurt the reputation of American 

 lumber in some markets. Similar trouble has been reported from 

 both sides of the world — South American and Europe — which leaves 

 the inference that more than one instance might be cited where 

 lumber below grade has been shipped to foreign buyers. 



Complaints of bad grades mixed with good have not been unheard 

 at home; so the practice appears to have been handed around 

 impartially among markets at home as well as abroad. It has done 

 harm, and the sad part of it is, the man who has graded his stock 

 carefully and shipped clean grades has had to suffer along with 

 those who were not so careful or conscientious. The buyer who 

 felt that he had been buncoed, held a grudge against all American 

 lumber. 



Exporters, particularly associations of exporters, should, in self- 

 defense, see to it that the mistake be not repeated, if it is possible 

 to prevent it. It has been suggested that some oversight, a sort 

 of trade censorship, be exercised over lumber exports in order to 

 prevent objectionable stuff reaching foreign markets, where its 

 power for harm is so great. Such safeguard is desirable, but diffi- 

 culties are in the way of making use of it. Rules might be enforced 

 among members of an association as to grades to be exported; but 

 it would not be easy to prevent an outsider from shipping what 

 he pleased and in that way the foreign market might be hurt, as 

 it was hurt in the past, by the receipt of lumber not up to grade 

 or specifications. This is one of the problems now confronting the 

 lumber industry in this country. 



