Evening star., 1918-12-12
Secretary Wilson Recon-
NERDS Creation Of Central
lied Method Of Adjudication.
MAKES ANNUAL REPORT

l
made by Secretary Of Labor William
B. Wilson in his annual report pub
lished today.
| In the report Secretary Wilson lays
| special stress on the absolute neces-
sfty for the maintenance Of the Labor
Department as a positive war meas
ure. and says that II the department
had not been in existence when war
was declared between the United
States and Germany. Congress would
have been forced to create such
department.
"As the history Of all the belligerent
military Undertaking alone. Battles
are fought not only between armed
men, but between the factories, work.
shops and mines Of the contending
nations. Consequently, upon the OUT
break Of hostilities it became one Of
our first concerns to keep in motion
the wheels of our industrial machine"
| the Secretary says.
! Policy Of Department.
"since the industry is but the ap-
plication Of manpower to raw ma
| terials, the efficiency of industry was
| wholly dependent upon the efficiency
| of labor. The greatest essential
therefore, for our government was
| the adoption Of central labor ad-
| ministration and a consistent labor
| policy.
"At the date Of this report there
| are thirteen separate bureaus and
services and in addition two boards.
| one court of last resort with regard
! to labor disputes arising in war in
| dustries and the other an agency to
| harmonize the relations of this dG-
| partment with other production de-
! partments. OF extraordinary i'm
| portance has been the development of
| the United States employment service
| ment and the establishment of over
| 500 public employment exchanges.
! Thus the Department of Labor has
| become, in fact as well as in name, a
| war labor administration"
/ Increase Of Disputatdons.
/ Spaking of the work of the Depart
ment in settling disputes that arose
between laborers and employees, the
Secretary says:
| THE war has been the immediate
cause of an enormous increase in the
number Of labor disputes calling for
standards rendered obsolete by
sharp rise in the cost of living, the
prevalence of prof1teering, faulty dis
| tribution of labor and many other
causes, all contributed to a probable
| increase in the actual number Of such
disputes. During the greater part of
the fiscal year the conciliatory func-
tions of the department were exer-
| cised in two ways-through the
relation of departmental officers to
and through the division of concflia-
ton"
| War Labor Board Necessary.
The Secretary tells Of the vital need
of, and the establishment of the War
Labor Board and the War Laborad-
Iministration. '"The War Labor Board"
he says, has found it necessary to
make extensive studies of the cost Of
living. Upon the basis Of such tnfor-
nation it has established certain
tions.
| t.The first problem of the War Labor
IPolicies Board was the wastage which
iarose from labor turnover" says the
ireport. 'This evil was magnified by
jcompetitive recruiting on the part of
persons who were employed by or
Operating upon behalf of the gov
| ernment. This was settled and the
present policy put into effect Au-
In speaking of the information and
Ieducation service of the department.
lMr. Wilson devotes several para
graphs to industrial housing and tells
Of the appropriations. totaling VIC
100000, for that purpose. The allot-
ments for projects where work mas al.
ready been contracted for represent
an estimated expenditure of $s4.416.-
$780," the report states.
| Exclusion Of arriving aliens in this
country was highest in 1915 and 1917,
according to the report, slackening IN
1918.
| Special recognition IL given the
United States employment service IN
the report and the United CtateS Boys
working Reserve. During the fiscal
year 1,S00,6e3 placements OF persons
in industry were ere mace. .ad maanGis hs t1hd Gh1o
with 246,232, tho state of Washington
wisn s1s. l'''''' anu
| Returning Soldier Problem.
The problem of employment for re-
turned soldiers is considered OF great
importance by the Secretary. In
special section devoted to THIS PROD
"The department is not unmindful
of the fact that the overwhelming
mass Of our armies is drawn from the
franks of wage earners, and tnat Whon
their military task is done these men
will return to the ranks OF wage
earners. The department, therefore.
believes that the problem OF prov1d-
ing profitable employment for our re-
turned soldiers is its first duty.
| seThe soil is and must remain the
chief working opportunity Tor large
numbers Of the nations wage earners.
It is therefore desirable and impera-
tive that comprehensive policy with
regard to tho public domain Is estab-
lished.
Il therefore recommend the early
enactment Of such legislation as may
be necessary to permit the prepara-
ton Of the public domain for this pur-
pose. Such legislation should provide
for the purchase OF such privately
| owned areas as It may be found de-
Neutral Rights Discussed.
"rhe fixed policy Of the department
has always been to acknowledge the
right of both employers and wage
earners to organize and to use its in
| fuence against abuse Of organization
by either side. Upon this theory the
| conciliation service of the depart
ment has always operated.
"It is felt, however, that the rights
Of organisation and Of collective bar
| gaining are no longer In dispute, since
they have been formally adopted both
by employers and by wage earners
through the War Labor Conference
Board.
"The great need for sacrifice for the
| common good engendered by the war