The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-01-21
Continued from Page y

continued from rage -
vious to 1908. The year 1909 was alb
normal, showing an unemployment
percentage of 29.7, yet it was closely
followed by 2S.9 per cent. of unem
ployment in 1914.
Trade union statistics are more sug
gestive of the immensely of the prob
lem. The American Labor Legisla
ton Review quotes the secretary OF
committee of the Central Trades
and Labor Council of Rochester, N
Y, to the effect that there were 40,
600 unemployed in Rochester last
winter. The Review says Judging
by the estimates received, unemploy.
ment varied among the building
trades workers from 33 per cent. in
New York City to rs per cent. in
Washington, D. c.; among machin-
lists from so per cent. in Dayton, O.,
to 70 per cent. in Birmingham, Ala. !;
among painters from 80 per cent. in
Rochester, N. Y, to so per cent in
New York City; among carpenters
from 80 per cent. in Dayton, o., to
80 per cent. in Newark, N. j.; and
among steamfitters from 35 per cent.
in Louisville, KY, to SO per cent. in
New York City,"
Again, the bulletins of the New
York department of labor show the
extent of unemployment among mem
bers of representative trade unions in
New York State for the winters of
1928 and 1914-15. The averages
for the six months periods were 24.2
per cent. and 1927 per cent. respec-
lively, showing approximately one
half more unemployment last winter
than during the winter before. Cor
responding figures for Massachusetts,
compiled by the Massachusetts bu-
reau of statistics, are 1912 per cent in
the winter of 1928, as compared
to IT'S in the winter of 1914-15, a gain
of somewhat more than half.
Early in the autumn of 1914 the
National Bank of Delaware, in it's di-
gest for December, declared: prob
ably 40 per cent. of the labor usually
employed in the metal trades, the
textile trades and heavy manufacture
ing generally, were unemployed at the
beginning of the closing quarter of
the year, Not since 1893" the re-
port says, has the number of unem-
ployed been so large in this country
as on October 1, 1914"
SIGNIFICANT STATEMENT FROM
WASHINGTON
A most significant estimate of the
extent OF unemployment comes from
the Washington Industrial Insurance
Commission. According to the Amer
lean Labor Legislation Review, "the
| Industrial Insurance Commission of
Washington estimated that all the la
| Dor in the state was unemployed AZ
per cent of its time" presumably for
the year 1914. We consider the COM
missions estimate to be more reli-
nation, because it has access TO the
monthly reports of all employers who
come under the industrial insurance
law. About $4,000 workmen EN-.
ployed in the hazardous trades are
included in the commissions esti-
mate 1t is also worthy of note that
the commissions estimate of AZ per
cent. unemployment is almost identi-
cal with the Al per cent. unemploy-
ment found by this committee in our
investigation last year
So far as the conditions of unem.
ployment exists this winter as com
pared to last, the committee has nc
data other than the newspaper re-
ports, but judging from the frequency
with which they appear, unemploy
ment is not quite as acute as it was
last winter. The Social Agencies OF
Seattle, in investigating unemploy'
!
the itinerant workers had not come
to the city to any great extent, the
condition of the resident workers was
quite as bad, if not worse, than il
was last year. Mr.. John Shields, OF
the public employment office, informs
us that the registration of married
Il
100 per cent, and that from his obser
walton unemployment among this class
of workers was considered worse thar
it was last year An inquiry among
the unions of Seattle shows that there
is considerable improvement in some
unions, others are about the same;
while some unions have more unem
ployment among their membership