Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-04
LABOR RIREPORT
DETAILED. ACCOUNT OF THE { CONNECTICUT BUREAU OF
 LABOR STATISTICS.

llnued With improvements and greater detail, and several new features have been added. The report deals with in- uuStrial statistics, new construction, articles manufactured in Connecticut, free public employment agencies, strikes and lockouts, Italian difficulty at Bridgeport, labor organizations, and the labor laws.
 The most prominent feature of the report Is the further investigation of free public employment agencies and the recommendation of legislation for the benefit of the unemployed classes in Connecticut. Upon this matter the commissioner says: Tt was the in- tentlon Of the founders of this com monWealth that the state should pro- tect it's citizens. There is no class to- day. perhaps that needs much more protection than the unemployed. They do not know. in many cases, where to LOOK for employment, or have not the means with which to go and seek it. The private intelligence offices hold out q hope of assistance. These institu- tons pretend to be able, for the re- nuneratlon of about one dollar, to se- cure work for the unemployed. Rela- | lively. the pretension is seldom proved truthful. What the private agency usually does accomplish is to secure and hold fast to the last dollar the un- employed possesses and destroy the hopes it has given him, leaving him without money, discoura ged. and more Wretched than ever.''
 With the rapid changing of meth ods of production to-day, many are | constantly thrown out of employment, | even by the invention of ] single ma | chine. A state department in touch i with employers and employees can bring together those needing workers and those wanting situations, and so help to regulate the unhappy results that may follow inventions. shut downs, etc, preserve the self respect of any. poor laborer without employ 1 ment, and keep him from the unhappy experience he may have by registering with these rapacious, so-called intelli- gence agencies
 The report continues: "Whethar or not state needs free public employ ment offices may be determined by it's support Of the private offices. If there are sufficient unemployed in a state So | that private offices flourish, then there is class of unfortunates which needs the assistance and protection from i'm 1 position Which q public office would 1 give. To ascertain the needs of Con- netcicut. this bureau has collected such data as it could upon private intelli- gence offices in Connecticut II was impossible to learn more than the names and locations of the offices Those conducting them were unwilling 1 in most instances, to dirNlge the meth Ods of doing business ur the receipts i from registration.
 There are forty-four private en- ployment agencies in this state They are located as follows: One in An 1 sonia. eight in Bridgeport two ill New i Britain, ten in New Haven, one in New London. one in Norwich. five in Stam- ford, and live in Waterbury. The pro- prietors refusing to divulge the amount of business transacted, it is legitimate to estimate the amount of business | done by such agencies and. indeed necessary in order to determine the needs of the state. In many of these forty four cases, the only business and means of support of the proprietor was the employment bureau. The fees charged were from fifty cents to one dollar for each person registering. If ! Is obvious, then. that to yield sufficient revenue to make the business. at all profitable to these forty-fve concerns that at least there must be an average ! registration of five hundred each per ; average yearly gross income, at the above rates. of only from S25O to $50O. This estimate would give the total number of applications annually in I Connecticut as twenty-five thousand. Probably the actual amount is nearly twice that number. If, then, from twenty to forty thousand persons pay from fifty cents to one dollar each. an- nually, into xhe tribute gathering of vV-l,,+ h. ,J. for the unemployed of this state by the free public employment office:"
 "The work of free public employment offices in Ohio, Washington, Califor- nia, Montana, New York, Missouri and
 Illinois is set forth to Illustrate the benefits to the laboring classes. and
 also to employers, in the plan advo- cated. Out Of 272,91O applications of
 males and females for situations in l Ohio during the first ten years of op- aration. 136,67O men and women were
 given employment. In other words, over fifty per cent of applicants for
 situations were secured positions. \
 coItplete account Of the operations of
 the free intelligence office, established
 and maintained by the city of Seattle.
 Wash. furnishes q large and useful | fund of information for all who are | interested ill this sociological problem.
 AS indicating the abuses existing in
 private employment offices, the report
 states that an intelligence officer com
 nunicated with the agent of q large
 cotton manufacturing concern and de
 sired to furnish the company with all
 it's Swedish employees. Upon the de
 clination of the offer, the intelligence
 office proprietor threatened to stir up
 discomfort among the employees and
 cause them to leave the mill. On the
 other hand, 1t is matter of common
 knowledge that the private intelligence | offices take the last dollar q poor un
 employed person has, send the party to some place which is in collusior
 with the office, the employment hunt
 CT is told that the vacancy has just been filled and help no longer is need ed. and the victim has lost his money aud his pains."
 < Tn conclusion, the commissione1
 says: Legislation placing private in telligence offices under state or muni cipal control. compelling the return o1
 the registration fee in cases where em
 ployment is not secured, and making it q separate crime, apart from tht ? general laws, to practice deception 3 false advertising false pretenSe false