The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-03

- y tAN >ht~<EOa IN INC
and one-half years found work Tor
only 5000 out OF about $4,000 appli-
cants; the National Employment Ex-
change in 1910 for ouls $500 our ~
2i.6o0 applicants. the Division Of In
formation. United states Bureau II
immigration only S.S12 out of s4.0oo
Their" may have been = time when
New York statistics for unemployment
We're not accurately suggestive As
gauge for the country a i whole But
the investigator. As a preliminary
step. might prontaDly inquire in No
vember at the Atlanta convention a.
TO whether the delegates can give exi-
dence that New York conditions in
this respect are typical or not for the
industrial centerS in general OF tho
United states today. What would ne
ceSsa-ily be the reply Of the miners.
the steel workers. the building trades
laborers. the freight handlers. the
railroad maintenance Of way mploy
ees. the N the Ia borers for road
way and similar c~ontractorsH What
the reply Of the indoor occupations
the needle workers, the mill opera
tlEeS. the light metal shop hands. the
factory workers in a score OF nation
al industries The answer is 10 be
found in the long contested strikes Of
the last few years. The mere men
ton Of geographical names calls up
heartrendlng OF the suffer
lnSS OF w~age-earnerS who have had
their bitter choice between uncom-
planning insulfciency while at work
ana desperate straits While on strike
Westmoreland ounty and Bethlehem.
Pennsylvania, Grand Rapids. Michi-
gan. Every Year New York and Chi
caEo and other large cities show the
possibilities Of labor disputes involving
men and women by the tens Of thous-
andS. With the successive inVestiga-
tons o. labor conditions h\ the nm
ions. by labor bureaus. by social work
er the industrial and mining centers
Of the country are seen to present the
same general features OF masses Of
immigrant workmen, employed and
unemployed, at times weakening
trade unions through competition. at
times, whether organized or unor-
ganiZed, breaking out in strikes. and
astonishing the public with their
reCkIessness, by their stubborn re-
sistance or their patient, logged suf-
fering.
The rapidly with which the new
immigrant is penetrating classes OF
workmcn other than those RAM ing
lowest in skill. INTO which he usually
enters on arriving in America. is be
coming noticeable. The youth five
years in this country. learning With
his English some OF the q Of young
| America. makes for a better paving
x GtiC vi ~ u ~ Imam IL "(il1I y IL
little boy or girl Of ten years OF age
on arrival is in four years legally a
factory hand. The control Of the mar
ket for rough labor by the new immi-
grafton is thus followed by a pressure
upon higher forms OF work that
Americans or the older immigrants
and their sons have assumed must re-
main their own. Elevator and hotel
boys, street car conductors. musicians.
skilled building trades workrnen.
statesmen. senli-skilled benchmen in
workshops - the physiognomies or
these classes OF work people no long
err invariably suggest American or
northern Europe birthplaces. h
possibilities of the competition en-
bodied in the unparalleled migration
of the European masses to America 10
beginning to be keenly felt in tho
ranks Of the lesser commercial men
and even in the professions in parts
of the country which a few years ago
had not been made aware Of an irnmi-
grafton Question. The self contained
established small gentry who Compos-
edly moved along In fancied Security
in their several genteel occupations.
are awakening TO economic troubles
of their own. they are finding out
what competition for opportunity 10
gain a livelihood for small capitalists
and properties men Of liberal edu-
cation means and are learning thai
all social problems are not TO be SET
tied by shrewdness or Sinking In
dealing with questions Of marriage
! and the family.
While the movement Of the new i'm
migrant and his quickly assimilated
children upward in the hierarchy or
occupations is thus proceeding apace.
his spread in masses over the area OF
the country in the last few years has
been marvellous. A recent study in
labor circles Of this phase Of the i'm
migration problem has brought before
the public the picture Of a network
OF v~ariouSly named agencies having in
view fnding work for immigrants and
assisting them 10 any point in the
United states where il is to be hal.
No similar aid exists for American
The headquarters Of these
agencies invariably connect with
points close u the landing place or
the immigrants in New York Blind