The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-10-16
COMMITTEE ADOPTS
LABOR ORDINANCE
INTERESTING DISCUSSION ON CUES
TON OF CREATING CITY
DEPARTMENT
SALARIES ARE FIXED
COMMISSION OF FIVE CITIZENS TO
HAVE CONTROL OF AFFAIRS
OF EMPLOYMENT
BUREAU.
SALARIES ARE FIXED

After much discussion by interested
persons, and after full consideration
Dy the ordinance committee. that
pooy last night recommended to coun-
Gil Tor adoption an ordinance creating
an employment bureau and providing
Tor the appointment OF Ave commits
sioners of labor, to control the des-
TIMES Of that bureau.
This proposition has been before
council before. The former commit
tee discussed 1t, and sent IT on with
recommendation. 1t was later sent
to the finance committee, and there
died with the old council.
New life was injected into the
measure last nimt by Councilmen
English, Paul and Christian, assisted
by Messrs. Welsh, Ferguson and
Jones
Short speeches were made in favor
OF the ordinance by Councilman Had
don. Labor, Commissioner Doherty.
former Councilman Jacob Umlauf.
James J. Drake and Joseph Mayper
OF New York.
Mr.. Mayper Is general secretary of
the legislative committee of the North
American Civic league for immigrants,
and has wide experience in the mu-
nicipal labor bureau movement. His
remarks proved most valuable TO the
committee, and he clearly demon
Etrated the Importance OF municipal
employment bureau. He showed that
twenty-five leading cities in the coun-
try had municipal bureaus. while
nineteen states operated such bureaus
independent of local commissions
a draft of an ordinance, practically
carrying the points now in use in New
York city. was. with a few changes.
adopted after Mr.. Mayper had ex-
planned every paragraph and offered
suggestions TO the committee.
Irving May, young lawyer. rep
resenting four local employment.
agencies appeared before the COM
mittee IN opposition to the ordinance.
He declared that 1t would place the
city in the position Of taking away the
livelihood of his clients, by operating
Reconstruction against their inter
ests. Several of the owners OF the
agencies, also. opposed the ordinance.
There was not a dissenting vote
when the que stion came up for adop-
tion. As adopted the ordinance Gre
ates the Richmond Public Employ
Tnent Bureau with a commission of
FIVE citizens TO control and supervise
it's affairs, with a manager and clerk.
TO be elected by themselves. The
commissioners are TO he nominated
by the mayor and elected by city
council.
The manager is 10 receive s'.S0c a
year, and the clerk 5000. The running
expenses for the first year are fixed
Mt $500. and that sum was recon-
mended. making the total cost OF OPP
Grafton OF the department for the
first year. $4,000.
On motion of Major Christian. the
Ave commissioners must be ordinary
citizens, not connected with either the
city ar State governments IL coun-
Gil declines to elect any one of the
mayors nominees. he must submit an
other name,
The administrative board Is TO pro-
vide an office for the department; re-
cords must be kept N the appliea-
tions. and files mnst be used In keep
ing tab on the searchers for work
ar wes as those in search of work.
men, and the ordinance becomes eff
fectivc on January /, or rs suon there
after as possible.
In The absence OF Chairman Gunst
Councilman Jones presided. Others
present we're: Messrs. Christian. Paul.
English, Welsh and FERGUSON.