Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1915-04-30

ment Of labor in aid of the plan for the EN-.
ployment and distribution of laborers in the
United States; the former through its post.
masters onicers In charge of branch post of.
nces and rural carriers; and the latter through
tts held and other services throughout the Unit.
ed States"
Every ofhcer Of the department Of agriculture,
no matter where he is located is charged with
the duty Of keeping Washington of1cials informed
concerning the necessity for workers in the To-
cality in which he resides. Every farmer In the
United States through the post ONCE depart.
ment by this time has been, or soon will be, fur
nished with application blanks upon which he
can state any need which he has of farm labor
ers or Of help of any description. These blanks
filled in and forwarded will do the service for
which they are intended-the connection of some
competent man with work of the kind which he
seeks
The work which Is being done in connection
with farm labor is Of course, only part Of the
service which the department Of labor through
its division of information is performing Manu-
facturers and employers Of labor Of all kinds are
furnished with blanks similar to those sent to the
farmers, except. Of course that they are ad
justed to meet other kinds Of working needs. The
correspondence Of the department Ia tremendous
and the work Of giving men work Is going for
ward rapidly
Before going into the details of the mecha-
nism Of the system By which natives, sometimes
residents and recentlv arrived immigrants are
directed to felds of employment. something
.hould be said about the development OF this
4 sFeGt governmental plan to provide work for the
voorhees,. For quarter Of century William B.
Wilson, now q member of President Wilson's
cabinet as the head Of the department OF labor
has been deeply interested. concerned. perhaps.
I. were a better word in the solution of the prob
lem of forging the connecting link Of information
between the man seeking work and the man seek.
ing workmen.
For just as long and perhaps longer period
r " Powderly, the chief of the division of in
formation. has been interested in the same prob
lem. Mr. Powderly has been connected with the
government service for some years and has de-
veloped q system of getting the work and the
workless worker together until today the post
once department and the agricultural depart
ment are cooperating with the department of Ia
Dor in Q broad and comprehensive plan to reduce
the evil Of unemployment to q minimum which
might be called natural
Perhaps Mr.. Powderly will enter no objection
II one tells story of how he first became inter.
ested to a heart and mind feeling point in plans
to get work for the workless. To me the story
10 an interesting one and 1t seems that 1t ought
to be to others
In the year 1874 T. v. Powderly, a machinist by
trade. lost his eyesight. For three months he sat
In darkness, and being unable to work he lost
his job. His sight came back and he started on a
tramp looking Tor work He was tramp seek
ing work, not tramp seeking handouts. He left
the United States and went into Canada He
found no work. On the eve Of New Years day.
1873. he found himself in st. Thomas. Ont. with
no money in his pocket. food in his stomach
and no place to sleep. watchman allowed him
to sleep In the freighthouse Of a depot on a bed
made Of bagging. From there Powderly walked
to Buffalo seeking work. There q good-hearted
1rishman gave him breakfast. the first one he had
had for some days. All this time the tramper
was asking himself why there was not some
means of letting him know where there was
work In asking himself this he was charging
his heart and mind with a purpose in life. the
same purpose which Secretary Wilson OF the de-
partment Of labor fixed in his own mind and
heart q quarter Of century ago.
Tramp" Powderly reached one town where
there were some machine shops He applied for
work and there we're no vacancies He left