Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-01
BR|TONS WELCOME
LABOR EXCHANGES
Even Distribution of Employ
ment One of Their Greatest
Advantages in Kingdom.

No more efficient instrument than
the government labor exchange per-
haps has ever been devised in the
United Kingdom to relieve the con-
gestion of labor by securing it's more
even distribution, writes Consul-Gen-
eral Griffiths from London. The ex-
change provides a medium of COM
munieation between employees, Sits
out the incompetent workingmen, and
furnishes to factory and shop men
and women both anxious and able to
work The hostility which was mani
tested toward the government labor
exchanges in their early history has
almost entirely disappeared. They
are approved where they were at first
condemned. because their function
was misunderstood, and are now fully
established in the public confidence,
and, what is more important in the
confidence of the employers and the
working people.
On February /, 1910, which marked
the Inauguration of the government
labor exchanges, some eighty were es-
tablished in London and throughout
the country. In three years they
have increased to 400, with more than
LOO local agents. The applications
for employment received at the ex-
changes in 1912 aggregated 2,234, 1852,
while the number of vacancies noti-
fled was 97S, 437, and the number filled
745, 500.
In addition to the work primarily
designed for the labor exchanges, fur
ther duties have devolved upon them
since the passage of the insurance
act Through the labor exchanges
and the local agents unemployment
benefits are claimed and paid. The
unemployment benefits began to ac-
crue on January 10, 1918, and the first
payment was made on January "a,
when $4,000 people were paid at the
labor exchanges in the London divi-
sion. On January 8, the first day
when applications for benefits might
be filed, $4,000 claims were presented
at the labor exchanges: in the follow
ing week nearly $4,000 presentations
took place, and in the succeeding
week claims in excess of 10000. Up
to and including January % the
total number of claims under the re-
cent insurance act for unemployment
benefit was 1873, 222. and they are com
ing in, it is stated, at the rate of
10000 to 10000 a week.
Under the insurance act the unem-
ployed workmen receive payment be-
ginning with the second week, and
even after their claims are filed many
secure employment. The great ma
jority of those in receipt of unem-
ployment benefit In London, 1t is
stated in the London Times, are en-
gagged in the building trade, painters
being specially numerous. A great
advantage attaching to payment of
benefit through the labor exchanges
is that when the unemployed men go
to the labor exchanges to get benefit,
the exchanges are often in a position
to offer them work instead, and bene-
fit is not paid if a man refuses a suit
able job.
In addition to the benefit paid out
by the exchanges and local agents,
benefits are also paid through assoc
Citations of worlSmen which make ar
rangements with about one hundred
associations and 5000 branches The
State benefit is $40 a week for a
maximuma of fifteen weeks in any
twelve months.