The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-20

nature and see it in all of its va
rious forms cannot find a better
IE4lkSI place than in the Office of an en-
S11xssO ployment agency. The best time to
get there is shortly after o'clock in the
morning, when the person hunting work is
there and the person who wants some one
TO work for him is also likely TO be pres
ent. The two types, when they get into an
employment office, look very similar and ii
is a hard matter to tell which is which
They both have somewhat haunted look
about them and appear ashamed TO be seen
there. Just why this is no one is able TO
tell. Every person who is hunting work no
doubt feels Inundated to a certain extent
at not being able to get employment, and
when he seeks it by the means of an agency
he seems afraid that his friends will see
him there. When people go up into the
office they will walk by the door two or
three times and look in and then if the
way is clear they will enter and try to put
up a bold front but it is all false pretense,
for every one of them is exceedingly nerv-
ous as he plainly shows. especially if il is
his first time there.
The person hunting help acts very much
in the same way. Why he should feel any
hesitation in going in is inexplainable, but
nevertheless he does. And he Will behave
exactly like the person hunting work. This
is especially true of women, when they are
endeavoring to solve the servant-girl ques-
ton by finding a first-class girl who will
work in one family more than three weeks.
Employment agencies, like everything
else of to-day, have become specialized, that
is each one has its own class of positions.
which it furnishes people for. For Instance
| one place is called a railway employment
| agency, meaning that the majority of places
| ii has open are on railroads. They will, of
| course, take applicants for other kinds of
positions, but the railroad work is what
| they depend on. Another is devoted to hunt
ing places for servant girls, and at this
| agency, while they will get all kinds of
places for girls. the servant comes first
| and has the greatest amount of considera-
ton. Such an agency as this is known as
the servant girls employment agency and
is, of course, conducted by a woman. There
| are two or three such places in Indianap-
| oils.
| The offices of employment agencies-and
| they can be taken as a whole, for there
| will be found no exceptions-have an ex-
| tremely official appearance about Them yet
|
of the agencies. They are, for the most
part, located in office buildings in obscure
| rooms, dimly lighted, and in fact seem a.
/ trifie weird. In the majority of these
| places there is large blackboard at one
| side of the wall, on which is written a list
of all the places that are open to those
| seeking employment. On the high desks,
| which are in one corner of the room, is
| strewn number of large official-looking
blank books, with other books containing
Mt vhs. raly h.
| offered by the agency are required to sign
! There is always a number of poorly clad
people coming in and out of these offices
| locking for work, and altogether the scene
| in an employment agency is worth seeing
OF MUCH IMPORTANCE.
Such agencies, however, when all things
| are taken into consideration, are important
factors in bringing the unemployed and the
| employers together. They are, in fact be-
coming more important each year, and all
of the large business concerns mostly de-
pend on them for the help they get. Not
only is this true of the common help that is
required but also the better class. such
as the bookkeepers, stenographers and
clerks of all kinds. The railroads depend
largely on the employment agencies to get
men for them in all departments of the
road, but the majority of the kind which
| ohinists. With one of the large employment mt
| agencies here in the city not long ago a
railroad placed an order for thirty-one ma
| chinists, and ii was filled within a few DAYS
| An agency of this kind generally knows
| where il can get men who can do all kinds
of work, so when an order of this sort
comes in they know where they get
the men.
Men who manage employment agencies
in this city claim that their trouble is 10
get people TO put any dependence i'm them
| there haafa
concerns here that were not honest i'm their
dealings with the people that a great many
doubt all OF them. As a fact. however
while there have been a few concerns of
this kind. the majority of them that now
exist are managed on a purely business
principle, and they all assert that any one
who wishes to investigate their methods
of working is at liberty to do so at any
time. and that whoever takes the trouble
will find that the whole conduct OF the
| agencies is above reproach. Once i'm a
while some one will open an employmen,
agency, and when he has got enough money
in the way of fees will close up some night
| and leave town.
| The remedy for this existing evil will have
to be brought about by changing the laws
| and there are no more earnest adyocat ties
of this than the managers OF the emnlov-
ment agencies themselves. Those who CON
| duct such "A business not required &c
pay any license, and for this reason any
one can open an agency and conduct 1t AS
| long as he wants to and then close up. Ii
| Is said If they were compelled 10 buy a Ii.
cense this would be done away with and /,
would put the business more legiti-
mate basis and would keep the swinders
| from operating. 1t is easy field fol
swindlers to work in, for person out OF
work and who has some one besides him.
| self TO support becomes almost desperat Il
from want of employment and il is thi:
| class who are most always caught by the
bogus concerns. They generally hold the
most tempting offers up to these unfortu-
| mates by telling them ii they will invest 2
small amount of money they will secure
them a very lucrative position. which. after
| the man invests, is never forthcoming
| The employment agencies are great
| source of convenience 10 people without
| positions. and last year one agency found
| places for over 5000 men. Another one Sc
| cured places for almost that many One OF
| these agencies had quite amusing occur
renee the last day of the year i'm connec
! ton with securing place for a coloree
man. The agency needed to I'LL just ON,