New-York tribune., 1917-12-17
H. D. Sayer Warns Asain,,
Aiding Unscrupulous En-.
ployers to Exploit Women
False Reports Harmful
Chief Fault Is in Poor Distr;.
button of Workmen, Assert,
the Commissioner

There is no marked shortage o. Iato.
IN New York, according to Eenry D
Sayer. State Industrial Commisslo,,,
who in a statement issued yesterd.,
declares much harm has been Don. ),
false reports Of a shortage and Bic,
wages.
lir. Sayer, in his statement, d.
nounces the practice Of employsn
needing a few men advertising 70,
large numbers, and he protests sgsins,
women not needing work entering en-.
ployment at low wages because Of Il.
novelty and q mistaken idea that th.y
may be helping the government By %
doing. The time, he says, may con.
when the work Of all will be needed
bu+ until then ne warns against a..
sisting INSCRIPTIONS employers 70 e.
plot the women who have 70 work
"Our records show" he says, stir
thousands OF men have been laid es
during the last month, and we hsz,
proof Of instance after instance Of sr.
ployes being turned away from factor
gstes in large numbers when they hsE.
gone to apply for work. Too otter
crowds of workmen have been brough.
20. the gates Of factories through 3D.
vertisements calling for large numbsr
Of workers. When they arrive tA,y
find that only q few workmen are
needed, and the employer is thus e.
abled to pick and choose from among
the crowd those who seem % be met
skilled o. the huskiest workmen.
"The practice Of advertising fa'
more workmen than are needed Is
vicious in the extreme. and in times
like these should not be tolerated. The
time and the productive labor los,
through hundreds Of men applyire
daily for Jobs in response 70 such sc'
vertising is q source OF great waste.
Opposed to Exploiting Of Women
ave have heard oyermuch o. the en-.
ployment of women in industry Wonen
have always been employed in industT7
and always will be. The woman or rfi
who is compelled 20 work with her
hands 10 earn livelihood must not Be
debarred from selling her labor IN tht
best market. But neither the NEEDY
working woman nor the workingmSa
should be compelled 20 compete IN ,As
labor market with women who work ior
low pay because Of the novelty of the
lob or because they have been .ed 70
believe that they are performing =
patriotic service.
"The time may come, and we must b
prepared for il when IL does cone,
when the labor OF women in INDUSTRY
must be used on q much larger scale
than ii is at present. but venture ne
assertion that no woman sdould b
substituted for q man in an indastra.
process so long IS there IL available
male labor 90 be procured. We viii Dc
very shortsighted ii we permit esf
women TO be exploited by factory own
ers who under the camouhage OF a.
alleged labor shortage, seek TO replace
well-paid men with underpaid wonsr::
There is no patriotism in that kind o.
shop management, and il contains tae
seeds Of industrial unrest and distpre-
ance.
"The question to-day, however, Is ro'
so much one OF labor shortage as II :
one Of poor distribution. There :
plenty of labor, but the labor does no.
happen all to be in the places where y
is most needed The fundamental dis.
Guilty at present is one Of method q
awarding contracts. No goyernmen'
contract should be given TO . msnr'
facturer who is not equipped 20 hsnde
it nor far in excess of the ability OF us
locality in which his plant is located %
furnish labor.
"An actual labor shortage is In vit'
If the war continues, ii very mvch
larger numbers Of our men are Gales
into military service and II our H.
dustries are speeded up 20 their man
mum capacity. Until that time arri"..
7 hope that the sane manufacturers O.
this state will not be swept Of their
feet by the hysterical cry Of laoe'
shortage, and that greater care viii o
exercised in the awarding OF large COZ
tracts