New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-04
NOT GONE
The Public Employment Bureau Continues
and Work for II Exists.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: I note with establishment the news
article and editorial about this Bureau
printed by you September goth.
This Bureau has not been abolished, and
your headlines written in the past tense mis-
lead the public to an impression not only that
a decision had been reached by persons IN
authority to abolish the Bureau, but that the
decision is already in effect
The fact is that three members OF a sub
committee of five subordinates have without
five minutes discussion Of the subject, voted
TO recommend that the Board of Estimate and
the Board of Aldermen take such action. Mr.
Bell. Commissioner of Licenses. who was
present at the moment, protested against
such scant consideration of proposal 10 re-
verse deliberate policy Of the administration
and to destroy the structure of efficiency and
good will which had been built up by two
years expense and effort. | believe you VIII
find that considerable number Of citizens
especially Of the employing class, will have
something to say about this before effective
action is taken.
Your editorial heading is, Its Usefulness
Gone" You acknowledge that the Bureau
has done good service. You indicate you
were in favor of It's establishment, and, pre-
sumably, would favor its maintenance so long
as it continued to do good service. The Bureau
was established by ordinance, adopted In May
I19l4,-before the war-before the great crisis
of unemployment of 191416-and without
suggestion or provision that IL was 10 be OF
an emergency character. II was established
after the State Legislature had provided TOT
a system of State bureaus.
1t was not established as q charity for the
unfortunate, but as definite addition 70 the
economic machinery by which New Yor.
exists and progresses. You admit II niieo
what for many months was great need
The facts indicate that the need continues
and that IL is filling the need to muen
greater extent than formerly.
The average number Of placements CoDs
found for men and men found for toos) per
day for the first nine months was 10.
The average number per day for the 10"
five months has been So
The average number of applications TOT tne
first twenty-five months was 2,SbO.
The number of applications in August was
$780,
The number of persons placed in JOBS arc
found for employers needing help in Septem'
Der was 1850.
You say in your editorial that the difneuiV
is not to find work. but TO find workers iV'
the jobs Allow me to suggest that there
considerable difficulty in finding the r,s'
work and the right worker and that THIS o.,"
Guilty is not solved by the intensity OF VI.
need, but best by the accumulated expefe"''
and judgment of the specialized stan.
In view of the above facts will you not ~
wise your editorial judgment that the US
fulness Of the Public Employment Brre'S
about vanished for the timer a.,
You use the phrase that the Bureau n
built up q valuable information e1ens s.s.
whereby employers and individuals se =,
employment get in touch with one anota' -,
no cost to themselves" The pos'"."
Bureau occupies has been built by haro ~.
and the measurement of its service IS no' -.
size Of the group of unemployed wh0. ar;,,
best exertons could not satisfy, but tne vi
speed and accuracy with which il makes =.
justments between capabilities ana opr;
tunities. From nm economic or eommeie.
standpoint the Bureau Is needed now vo,t
before, because il is important to New Ia Ia
and America that labor power be no. you
In conclusion. NAV say that thinA
will have difficulty to prove that uas 40
branch bureau in Brooklyn dupheA ~, a.
considerable extent the work OF inc e'S that
terprise." II you ask the director ~, the
bureau, I believe he will agree ..,,usl
bureaus are complementary and o. fAs
assistance In their separate ne'S. more
Brooklyn State Bureau places ewa...,usl
than half as many people as the that It
Bureau, and its resources are su' ~. add
would not be able to cope WY" N,nieph
tional work now handled by the a asis d.
clientele WALES sup.rips'ad''e
NJ. Ynvk Ark a 1914