The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-27
MISREPRESENTATION HAS MUCH ID DO WITH CONDITIONS Fifth Avenue Church Has Begun Conducting Very
 Unique Workshop SOME REAL VIEWS
 OF GREAT MINDS Guggenheim and Perkins Add Inter- esting Contributions to Investi-
 gation of Causes of Gen
 eral Unrest
By HOLLAND

New York, January 26.-(Special)-S. Christy Mead, secretary of the Merchants association of New York city, and one of the leading authorities upon the labor situation, said this morning that he esti- mated that approximately 10000 wage earners, almost all of them of good hab- it's, are now out of employment in New York city
 When he was asked if he believed that this was due to the war in Europe he in stantly replied that but for the war in Europe the situation would have been worse. The Merchants association, in CO., operation with an organization of which Judge D. H. Gary of the United States Steel corporation is chairman, is now seeking diligently for the means of re- lieving temporarily the great distress which prevails. The situation is pecu- liarly pitiful because so many of those who are out of employment are persons who are reasonably proud. and who do not want to accept charity. seeking only some employment which will enable them to pay their way from day to day. MT Mead was inclined to think that some por- tion of this distress may be traced to ex- cessive or drastic legislation which af fects business, for that has made capital timid and therefore has tended to depress industrial activity.
 At one of the Fifth avenue churches there is furnished every day an object lesson which appeals to the sympathy of all who have opportunity to read that les son. There Is a large basement in this church, and it seemed to the rector that it might be conveniently utilized so as to furnish some aid to those who are in actual distress. He made appeal, there fore, to persons whom he knew were of kindly disposition and raised purse of some sS000. The basement was so fitted up as to be a convenient workshop for those who applied for aid. Work was found for them. Much of it was in the form of bandage making or other access sories of the Red Cross or similar organ izations. The workers are paid at the rate of 10 cents an hour and are permitted to work five hours day. They receive at the noon hour a substantial lunch eon-soup and coffee with bread and but ter-and this is reckoned as a part of their pay. So small sum as 50 cents is gladly received. It enables those who Stt tue money ana Who have no homes to secure lodging for night and to have something for break fast and supper For those who have families 50 cents means at least some foef
 So successful has this Undertaking proved itself to be that it is the intention to enlarge the work so that as many as 300 can secure daily employment of this modest kind. Almost all of those who ha, applied for work are persons who plainly were accustomed to the refine- ments of life, but who shrunk from ask ing for charity and who felt that their self-respeet was maintained if they worked and received even as small an amount as 50 cents day for that work Some of them were young men of educa- tion, graduates of colleges, who have been in dire distress.
 Other ways of amelioration of distress and in form which will make it pos sible to maintain self-respect are being perfected in this city and there is now the hope that with the fulfillment of the promise of increased industrial activity this distress may pass away
 The Foundation Inves. .igation
 It is thought to be an opportune moment at this time that there should be under way an authoritative investigation in the industrial situation so far as that is rep resented by the relation of labor to capi- tai Witnesses who have achieved na- some of whom have been identified in the past with what is colloquially called 'big business have appeared before this