New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-16
LABOR EXCHANGE OPENS
Nearly 1000 Skilled Workmen
Appear at New Bureau.
MANY GET JOBS FIRST DAY
Plan Is to Bring Employers and
Workmen Face to Face
in Market.

1t works Just like the Stock Exchange.
or a matrimonial bureau. Here come men
who have something 10 sell and they meet
men who want to buy that something.
Again. the men who come to buy can see
Just what kind Of bargain they are get
ting for their money, as we'll, at least, as
they could at a marriage agency So the
new department Of the National Employ
ment Exchange. opened yesterday on the
second floor Of No IS Cooper Square.
pleases everybody.
This new department handles only skilled
labor. The old department for unsklled
labor runs the same as before on the
ground floor Of the national agency's new
building. into which It moved last April
The great object OF the new department is
to bring the man out Of work and the man
out OF workmen face TO face. 1t Is based
on the principle that no one knows just
what kind Of employee Is needed 70 I'll
. place as we'll as the employer who has
that place to fill.
The whole OF the second floor OF the
large building on Cooper Square IN given
over to this department. In it are placed
row on row Of benches guarded by the
men who are sincere in wanting work. No
loungers allowed" Along the benches sit
men Of every conceivable trade The en-
ployer enters. walks up TO Secretary Cole
man. seated at a desk in the corner. and
states his needs. The SECRETARY announces
these needs TO the floor and the men who
think they can fill them step forward.
II the employer finds the man ne wants
at the price he wants among the ap-
picants. that Is all there is TO it, except
the payment of the g fee required from
every man who obtains place through
the agency. II the employer is not suited.
the secretary fills out a paper covering
every detail of the kind Of work offered
and the kind of man wanted and files II
away in case a promising candidate ap-
pears at a later date.
Nearly a thousand men drifted in and
out Of the agency yesterday. much 20 the
satisfaction of Edward W. Carpenter, man
ager Of the exchange THAT is pretty
good for the first day" he said. When
this thing gets we'll advertised we expect
10 do so much business that we shall be
able to cut down our fee by half. This
- no charitable institution. though. Of
course, we started out with an endowment
fund Of $4,000 two years ago last May.
We have spent about $4,000 Of that now,
but we hope soon to he sef-supporting
Employers appeared at the exchange as
early as o'clock IN the morning. There
were not as many naturally. as are eX-
pected later. but four or FIVE looked over
the men in person and number of others
called up asking that men be sent to their
establishments. Altogether about a dozen
men were placed I'm jobs before the day
was out
There we're trades OF every description
represented here" said Mr. Coleman, but,
of course. we couldn't fill all the orders for
one reason or another. For instance, there
was a man who wanted four union car
penters They had 10 be union carpenters,
nut he wouldn't pay union wages. He
didn't get them. Then there was German
carpenter wanted. We had carpenter all
right but he was Dane. so he didn't get
the job
The system is said to benefit the laborer
because of the number Of employers with
whom he can come in contact in a day
without the necessity of paying carfare.
which is often beyond his financial ability.
The employer in turn gets men who are
ready TO work without the bother Of ad-
vertising and he gets them as rule, at
once The out-of-town employer benefits
especially by being able TO pick his men
from the centre Of the labor market, so to
speak.