The Washington times., 1915-03-30

Aht rs GOlllS W bt run uO"i
and set at work; given chance to be
useful and 'self-rcspecting citizen,
The tramp is distinctly American
character. He was, originally, IL stud
ents of his case are not entirely mis-.
taken, by-product of the business dc.
preston that began in 1873 and LASTED
for several years. He has been involved
gradually into series of types, and no.
body knows how many types there now
are; but there are enough of them tc
have become a real national problem.
Perhaps II is not quite correct to say
that the tramp is going to be reformed
for there is doubt whether he is capa-
BILE of reformation
1t would be more to the point to say
mat the Government employment bu-
reau projects look to perfecting a sys-
TEN under which he will not be propa-
gated in future
The thousands of tramps and hoboes
row on the road may be past reform
but it is confidently believed that In
time, by proper devices, the production
or more tramps may be ended.
Object of Bureau.
That is the object of the National Btu
reau of Employment, of Labor Ex-
change. which is being developed as an
instrumentality of the Federal Govern
ment to work with the city and State
authorities in the great effort to bring
the man and the job together.
William B. Wilson, now Secretary of
Labor, was once a blacklisted miner.
The fact that blacklisted miner can
rise to be a member of the Cabinet GER
tainly suggests, at least. the possi-
bility that labor has chance to at
tain to a dignity that will insure job
to the man who wants 1t.
Mr.. Wilson, out Of a job, stumbled
into one at an iron mine, and along
in the middle of the summer the mine
closed down for a fortnight.
The blacklisted young miner didn
understand 1t; but he soon learned. He
was working in a hop-raising section.
The hops must be picked within a GER
tain very brief period. or lost: and,
by reason of an interesting cooperation
of the various industrial forces of the
region, there had developed an under
standing that the mines should shut
down in midsummer long enough to let
the miners become hop-pickers until the
crop was garnered
They turned 1t irto a holiday: a va
cation: chance to live in the open,
under the sky. They went out into
the country, for which all then had
been longing. They organized camps
and parties. lived in tents, picked hops,
had dances at night, and made a recrea-
ton of the affair.
Crops Wire Saved.
As a result the crops were saved; the
iron mines were kept from over-pro-
duction: everybody had what seemed
like a vacation: the outlook of all
classes of the people was widened; tho
miners and the farmers got acquainted.
and. in the end, it proved a great thing
for the whole neighborhood.
1t didn't mean SO very much to Will
son then. But the years passed, and he
became a miner in good standing, and
then a leader. and then Secretary of
Labor; and last summer there came
up from the wheat fields of the South
west a clamor for labor to help har-
vest the grain. And Wilson bethought
himself of the vacation time in the hop
country.
Why not an adaptation of that idea
10 the whole national difficulty in deal
ing with seasonal occupations? Why
not furnish vacations to people all ovel
the country who need the change anc
who incidentally could help with the
work where the work Is pressing?
So a cooperation was arranged be
tween the Postoftice Department anc
the Department of Labor. Postmaster.
We're directed to put UP notices in
dfcating where and when men would be
needed, and where and when they cnulc
be had. The railroads were interested
Tens of thousands of men are needed
throughout the Western grain-growine
belt for a few weeks in summer, who
could not possibly be provided witt
Jobs there the rest Of the time. To ge
them there when needed, and to gel
them out when the work is done, was
the problem.
Results Produced.
&c The cooperation of postoftice anC
transportation and Department of La.
Dor produced results; but some of then
Were not very satisfactory. The needed
men was rushed into the grain coun
try; but it was not so easy to rush
them out at the end of the season. !,
was found absolutely necessary to pro,
vide them with very cheap transporta
ton, and that involved difficulties with
the interstate commerce laws. The mcr
who help save the crops during the
few weeks of the crush of work. can.
not be left stranded after that work Is
done.
The experience of last summer re-
suited in the development of q scheme
by which it is believed difficulties
may be removed, and the work made
National Bureau Of Employment has
divided the country into eighteen
zones; headquarters are established al
cities like Boston, Providence, New
York. Philadelphia, Norfolk. New Or.
leans, Seattle. Cleveland, and so on
headquarters. Every postoffice is pro.
yided with blank applications fol