The Nenana daily news., 1918-06-01

MAN7POWER OF UNITED STATES IS
 EXTRA STRONG

CHICAGO, May 31.-The nations industrial manpower has not suffered any serious depletion as a result of the United States's first year in the world war, so far as indicated in re- cent surveys of the general labor situation conducted by the United States Employment Service and the Illinois Free Employment Bureau. Except in certain skilled trades these bureaus find there is no marked shortage of labor, the chief problem at present being distribution.
 The labor turnover so far this year has been greater than in pre- vious years. This is attributed to some extent to unusual opportuni- ties for individual betterment offered by plants working on war contracts.
 On an average 100000 persons are obtaining employment through the Chicago district office of the federal bureau as compared with
 total of 495,00O during the last fiscal year. This huge increase is accounted for by the recent re-or- ganization of the bureau for service as the national machinery for the mobilization and distribution of the country's labor. As such it has handled the applications of hundreds of thousands of workers registering with the Public Service Reserve, in cluding more than 260,0OO mechan- ics for shipbuilding.
 A system of daily surveys shows the bureaus where the greatest shortages or surpluses exist and with this information it is able to make economic distribution. Manufac- turers are being urged to use the agency as far as possible in order to reduce the labor turn over and uneconomic competition be- tween industries essential to the war
 At the state employment bureau 5000 persons sought work in March and there too the demand is in about equal balance with the supply, ex- cept in few trades. Positions were found for nearly all the applicants
 The demand for women workers is said to be about normal. Only in few isolated cases have they replaced men called to the colors. i 4 few plants engaged in war con- tracts have employed large numbers of women without difficulty.
 Many woman teachers are said to be leaving the school rooms for more renumerative employment and the draft has drawn so heavily upon the already scant supply of men teachers that several states report he situation alarming for next year. ! A survey of thirty-seven states just ! by the Professional Ser 7ise Division of the federal bureau shows that during the present school i year West Virginia was forced to close between 150 and 200 schools l because of the scarcity of teachers i In Montana and Wyoming. North i Carolina, Delaware, Mississippi, Ala oama, New Mexico, South Dakota, l Wisconsin and Indiana report ! marked shortage. The bureau has ! 300 teachers applications and 600 | listed, but a large per ,entage of those seeking positions, it i $ pointed out, are not qualified for work in the departments where the | greatest deficiency exists.
 To cope with what is expected to pc an unprecedented railroad labor shortage later in the year, a new de- oartment of the United States Elm oloyment Service has been organized : o handle railroad labor for the western regional district. By order ,f Director-General McAdoo the rail- 'oads have abolished their labor bureaus and the government agency will recruit their men as we'll as lirect the distribution. In event If an acute shortage of workers in of way departments, it s planned to suspend work not ab- olutely necessary and send men rom these locations to points where hey are more urgently needed. A.