Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1909-01-09
TO AID UNEMPLOYED
Labor Council Will Plan Fres Ma
tionaI Labor Exchange.
AT WASHINGTON THIS MONTH.


Great Country Wide Bureau Would
Assist Employer as We'll az En-
ployOO-Should Relieve LaborsrS'
Distress, Says Secretary strauS.
A great national 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. Straus is now in correspond
ence with u. H. Gary Of the United
States Steel corporation and other
large employers Of labor throughout
the country, and plans for the conven-
tion are rapidly being formed. The
date has not been set for the meeting,
but 1t will probably be held In the last
week of the month.
"The most important OF the subjects
to be taken up" says Secretary Straus,
"is perhaps that Of the unemployed.
LIOW " BINO WOkh " ALCl Oug VA WAN
when there is no work in sight IL Sc
rlous problem, but by no means an un-
solvable one.
Suppose we take the case Of tin
ner in 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
It grow-and makes his wants known
there. The man in charge Of the m
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 exposi-
tion, that four or five hundred sheet
metal workers are needed In Chicago,
st. Louis and Denver and that 5000
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
thereT We can send you out there
for $3.50, 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 workless 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
rangements 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-
tlcally 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 a letter
setting forth his views ON the matter,
and have written him. I am also in
correspondence with other prominent |
men on the same subject Messrs.
Powderly and Keefe Of the immigra-
tion service and Donnelly of the gov
ernInent 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 viii
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 established, 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.