The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-17
CITIES ASKED TO AID:
EMPLOYMENT QUEST.
Mayors Requested to Help Fed
eral Commission Get
Data for Remedy.
MRS. HARRIMAN's VIEWS
II. r. Hopkins Declares New
York City's Unemployed Num-
Der $4,000, Not $4,000.

WARRINGTON, Feb 16.-lnteresting sug-
gestions for the relief Of the unemployed
have already been received by the United
States Commission on Industrial Relar
tons, which announced yesterday It's In
tention OF investig ating this problem.
The commission Is hopeful Of confirm
ing the value Of the suggestions by the
work Of It's investigators during tho next
few weeks. according to Mrs. J. Borden
Hartman, resident Commissioner and
spokesman for the commission In the
absence from Washington OF Chairman
Frank p. Walsh.
Mayors Of the principal cities OF the
Omitted States are being asked to cooperate
with the commission In gathering data on
unemployment The commission says II
- studying conditions this year as typical
Of the situation that exists every winter.
$50 far as the problem Ii one OF proper
distribution. many practical methods sug-
gest themselves for improving conditions
In the future" said Mrs. Hartman. For
Instance, cooperation among State and
private employment agencies through q
national clearing house Is one suggestion
Very promising is the movement In
which Louis ID. Brandeis and others are
now engaged to do away so far AZ pos
sible with slack and rush seasons In the
various trades. In New York some Of the
manufacturers have already made prog
ress toward continuous, all the year
around operation. where before their
plants were idle during certain months
For Continuous Work.
"rhe commission will endeavor to de.
terrnine how many OF the large industries
that now lay on thousands of men each
year at certain season could perhaps CO.
operate TO bring about approximately con-
tinuous operation. 50 that the time VIII
come when II will no longer be necessary
10 employ many men Tor only part OF
the year.
"A simple illustration Of what We mean
Is the step taken by many large coal
dealers OF establishing an ice business In
the summer so that their men are provided
with employment throughout the whole
twelve months.
There will always remain industries,
such as agriculture. numbering and con-
etruction work, In which thousands Of the
men must be laid OH each winter. The
task Of learning where these laborers can
be employed during the winter season
and OF distributing this Information is
one that a Federal bureau might well
undertake"
commissions First Opportunity.
Mrs. Hartman added:
AS the commission on industrial re-
iations was only appointed last summer
and organ last autumn. this Is its first
opportunity to study the employment prob
lem, which becomes acute each year al
this time and is one of the most serious
with which II has to deal
1.-THE commission hopes to have more
practical answer to the question. What
Is to be done about the unemployed? than
the now famous one made by one OF OUT
public men. God knows.
The unskilled laborers. who are the
cnief sufferers from these annual periods
Of unemployment. are for the most part
migratory and belong to the class known
as floating labor. This makes the prob
lem an Interstate one which can only b.
adequately. studied by a Federal body"
II Is apparent that Democratic Leaders
do not relish the investigation at this time
and their views are believed to have haf
something to do with the supplemental
statements issued to-day emphasizing tn
fact that the commission Is undertaking Al
investigation into a long standing prob
lem and not one caused by any unusua
business depression.