Reports

In the early part of each December the annual reports of Cabinet officers are published. Last week the following reports were made:

Interior. One pleasing fact, (a savings of $82,635,930 in operating the Department during the past two years) and several disturbing ones were reported by Secretary Hubert Work. He declared that the timber on public lands was being dissipated, and recommended that no Government timber be sold for ten years. He asserted that Government reclamation projects planned to pay back their cost in ten years, had not done so in 20 years; that on many projects it is impossible to secure sufficient settlers; and that on parts of many the soil is too poor to enable settlers to pay their dues to the Government, so that the Government is facing a loss of many millions of dollars. He recommended a revamping of the Government's reclamation policy since, although eventually all available land must be irrigated, for the time being-there is likely to be overproduction and more difficulties ahead. He said that Alaska is rapidly becoming a "lost province" because its administration is controlled by nine departments of the Government; he recommended that one department be placed in charge. He recommended further that the education of Indians should be taken over by the states from the Federal Government.

Labor. Secretary James J. Davis condemned the overdevelopment in many industries, which results in their being shut down much of the time. He declared that 14.5% of the shoe factories, employing 60.4% of the labor in that trade, could if they worked 300 days a year produce 95% of the shoes needed in this country. He showed similar conditions in flour milling and bituminous coal mining, and declared that some legislative remedy should be found without creating monopolies. He recommended that measures be taken for the enrollment of all resident aliens as a means of check-up on those not having a right to reside in the country, and suggested that the President be given the power to suspend immigration at times of unemployment.

Commerce. Secretary Herbert C. Hoover called attention to "one of the most astonishing transformations in economic history," which he declared has taken place in the last five years--increase of wage levels accompanied by a decrease in commodity prices. He gave sta- tistics in index numbers based on pre-War conditions as "100."

YEAR WAGE LEVEL WHOLESALE PRICES

1920 199 26

1921 205 147

1922 193 149

1923 211 154

1924 228 150

Greater efficiency and less waste he believes responsible, especially in railroading and the generation of electric power. He listed as factors in this improved condition: prohibition, use of business statistics, reduction of speculation, increased industrial research, etc.

War. Secretary of War Dwight F. Davis held that the preservation of national safety demands the carrying out of the major projects covered by the National Defense Act of 1920. A ten-year program of military expansion should include: 1) strengthening-the defenses of Panama and

Hawaii by increasing the forces maintained there by 33%; 2) in- creasing the National Guard; 3) expanding the facilities for training new men for the army to train 50,000 per year; 4) 27,000 officers to be trained each year and organized into reserve groups; 5) barrack facilities to be increased and improved; 6) the air service to be maintained on a par with the best European practice.