New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-01-06
TO AID Uh[MP[ DYED
Labor Council viii Plan Free Ma
tionaI Labor Exchange.
At WASHINGTON THIS MONTH";

With Branches Ia All Large Cities.
Great Country Wide Bureau Would
Assist Employer as Well as EN-
PIoyee-shoutd Relieve Laborers,
Distress, Says Secretary straus.
great nationals labor exchange.
free alike to employer and employee.
with branches in all the large cities of
the country, is one of the results to be-
sought by the council of labor that
will meet in Washington this month at
the suggestion of Secretary Straus of
the department Of commerce and la
Dor. Mr.. Strauss. is now In correspond
ence with q. 81. Gary of the United
States. Steel corporation and other
large employers Of labor throughout
the country, and plans for the conven-
ton are rapidly being formed. The
date has not been set for the meeting.
but it will probably be held In the last
week of the month.
''The most important Of the subjects
to be taken up, says Secretary Strauss,
rs perhaps that Of the unemployed
How to give work to men out Of work
when there is no work in sight is Sc
rious problem, but by no means an un--
solyable one
Suppose we take the case of a tin.
ner III New York." Mr.. Straus contin--
ued, who has just lost his job be-,
cause work in his particular line has.
given out. He tramps the streets for
several days and finds other timers
in the same predicament. After he.
has convinced himself that there is:
nothing for him to do in the big city
he applies to the bureau Of information
Of the department. of commerce and
labor-which in the meantime has
been perfected and enlarged to the
proportions to which we hope to see.
1t grow-and makes his wants known
there. The man in charge of the in
formation Of wOrkmen wanted takes
down his big book and looks over the
pages. He finds that 1000 timers are
wanted in Seattle to work on the build
ings Of the Alaska and Yukon exposf-
ton, that four or five hundred sheet
metal workers are needed in Chicago,
st. Louis and Denver and that 1900
men can find employment in the great
fruit orchards and vineyards Of Cali
fornia, all at first class wages. I'd
like to take a job out in Seattle the
timer says, but how am to get
there?' we can send you out there
for $12.50, and the fare will be taken
out Of your first weeks wages the
man at the bureau tells him. So the
thing is done. The voorhees, man goes
west and finds his work, and the help
less employer in Seattle finds his help
We hope to be able to make such ar
engagements with the railroads that re-
duced rates may be obtained for men
who are going after work, and by the
establishment Of Offices in the various
big cities Of the country the scope Of
the work may be extended to prac-
tically cover the whole United States.
"When the wants of the employer.
and the employee can be made thor
oughly known to each other" Mr..
Straus continued, "as soon as their
wants occur a great share Of the dis
tress among the laboring classes will
disappear. Judge Gary of the Steel
corporation has written me letter
setting forth his views on the matter.
and have written him. I am also III
correspondence with other prominent
men OH the same subject. Messrs.
POwderly and Keefe Of the immigra-
ton service and Donnelly of the gov
eminent printing Office are in CORE
spondence with the principal labor.
representatives of the country and
the views of all men interested in the
good Of the workingman's cause will
be given opportunity for expression at
the convention.
Since July l, when the bureau Of in
formation of the department of COM
merce and labor was esta blished, work
for 2,512 men has been found. This
record, brought up to Dec. 10, is con-
sidered very gratifying when the fact
is taken into consideration that the.
scope Of the bureau is still extremely
limited and it's operations are practi-
cally unknown to the great mass of
workingmen and only partly under
stood by the employers.