, 1891-08-23
TAT LABOR AGENCIES.

Labor Commissioner Hall, of Missouri,
FRvors and Discusses Them.
A matter which Commissioner Hall Is
pushing is the enactment of n new law
establishing free employment offices in
the cities of st. Louis and Kansas City.
almost daily there are notices in the
papers of frauds perpetrated by the en-
ployment agents in this city and st.
Louis" said he. ~ have read these no
tees INT nave looked around for a rem
edy. l have made a thorough investi-
CATION of the matter. l nave found a
number Of employment agents in each
city, the number of applications made to
them during a certain period, and the
number they secured positions for dur
ing the same period. l think the rem
edy to prevent these frauds is the enact
ment of a law similar to the one in Ohio.
This law establishes free employment
offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton,
Toledo and Columbus. They are under
the supervision of the state bureau Of
labor statistics. A superintendent on a
salary is in charge of each Office.
THE law provides that he shall not
accept any compensation from any one
doing business through the office under
B hNol HVhhAbl" any PtloOh
looking for employment who wants to
use the office registers his or her name,
occupation, residence, wages desired and
so on. The employer looking for help
registers after the same tanner. In a
given period at all five of these free en-
ployment offices the seekers for work
numbered 90, 1876. The males numbered
1889 and the females 5,807. Employers
l.r,r,-. Ill L
same period desired 11,453 males and
6,7Ol females The offices secured en-
ployment for 5,575 males and 3,407 fe-
males.
"a free employment Office in Kansas
City and another in st. Louis, main
tanned by the state, could be run at an
expense of about s. 900 a year, or s., 500
for each office. They would accomplish
work that would cost the poor and needy
seeking work an enormous sum. There
are twenty-eight employment agencies
in st. Louis and Kansas City. They
charge seekers for work from one to
seven dollars apiece. A fair estimate of
the number who pay them fees during
the year is $4,000. Surprising they aver
age $3.50 a head, and they do, this would
make their total receipts $50 500. The
saving to the poor of this amount is one
reason for the establishment of the free
offices.
But there is another and greater rea-
son, and it is to prevent the frauds car
ried on now by employment agents. or
the twenty-eight there are two offices in
saloons. l AVE found almost dire rob-
berry in these. They advertise for men.
When they appear they are given posi-
tons. They pay over their one dollar or
two dollars and are told they will be
shipped out in the evening. They may
have some money left, and when they
have they usually spend it in the saloons
where the offices are. When evening
rolls around the agent expresses surprise
that he hasn't received the transporta-
ton. He stands off the men until the
next morning, and with some lame ex-
cuse gives them back their fee, but they
are out the money they spent at the bar"
Commissioner Hall will have a bill
creating the fee offices he speaks of be-
fore the next legislature, if not before
the present legislature at its extra ses-
sion in the coming fall.-Kansas City
TimaG