A serious problem grew early in the war out of the immense expansion in size and man-power of plants engaged in war industry and the creation of many others--the problem of the housing or transportation of their employees. Almost overnight the population of the vicinity of an industrial plant would increase so greatly that transportation facilities would be swamped and housing accommodations become utterly inadequate. Appropriations amounting to $100,000,000 were provided for the solving of this problem, half of which was to be devoted to industrial housing. At the end of September, 1918, houses, apartment houses and flats capable of accommodating 9,000 families had been built or were under construction and financial allotments had been made for as many more projects which were under consideration and about to be developed. To relieve situations where it was possible for the incoming workers to be absorbed by surrounding or nearby communities there had been built up in more than fifty cities organizations in which councils of defense, chambers of commerce, housing associations, Y. W. C. A. and other local bodies coöperated with this division of the War Labor Administration. Such an organization would investigate living conditions and list vacant houses, flats and rooms, frequently showing the existence of sufficient housing facilities to make construction unnecessary. Among the most important of the agencies developed by the War Labor Administration was that of the National War Labor Board, created for the purpose of adjusting difficulties between wage workers and employers in industries directly or indirectly concerned with production for the war. It was appointed by the Secretary of Labor at the end of our first year of participation in the war and consisted of five representatives each of employers and wage-earners and two joint chairmen acceptable to both sides. It served as a sort of court of appeal, only such cases of disagreement being considered by it as the Conciliation Service of the Labor Department failed to adjust.