El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-15
THE j. s. PUBLIC
SERVICE WORK
U. S. Public Service Re
serve Recruiting Arm Of
Employment Service.

United States Employment Service
In peace times the great network Of
United states Employment Service
offices thrown out across the country
would probably be sufficient to sup
ply the nations industries with their
required labor.
In war times in few places have
we surpluses Of labor. and the task
becomes principally that Of seeking
out the workers OF the proper skill
and training for the waiting jobs.
The public Service Reserve supple
ments the employment offices with
10000 agents who reach down into
the smallest village and hamlet 10
tap potential supplies OF wage earn .
ers. These agents, acting under di-
rection OF a federal state director. :
seek out workers in less essential oc- I
equations, and through the employ /
u.ent offices, distribute them at the Z
points where they are most vitality I
needed to bring about maximum pro- 4
duction.
The county director Of the Public (
Service Reserve. who has immediate I
charge Of the reserve enrolment /
agents in that county, in many cases /
serves. as representative Of the United 4
states Employment Service in the ca /
pacity Of chairman Of the Community I
Labor Board The board, consisting /
OF the chairman and z representative /
Of the employers and a representative j
OF the workers an each Industrial com
munity. has general jurisdiction over I
the recruiting and distribution Of Ia
Dor in its locality. The question will /
often arise, where a number OF skilled I
workers have been recruited and re- 4
quests are filed by various plants for I
more than the number recruited, 10 Z
what plant OF plants should these /
workers be assigned in order to bring 1
about the greatest good IN the prose
cution Of the war; In distributing
labor under this community plan the
present needs Of an establishment en-
gagged IN war work are considered, as (
wen as the priority OF the industry.
The 10000 agents who search out
men Of specified types in every part +
Of the nation are volunteer workers,
although supervised by paid govern
ment organizers who keep in close
touch with them and who speed up
their activities. Their functions are
generally 10 furnish directly to the +
army. navy and other governmental
departments, men OF specified train
ing: 10 recruit skilled and unskiIled
labor generally for war industries; in
the dictricts where there are no en-
pIoyment offices, both TO recruit and
distribute labor under the direction OF :
the Community Labor Boards; to reg
lister in specified trades in which It is :
known from experience that there viii
be demand. the men in less essen i=
tiaI occupations so that they may be :
readily available when needed by the :
Industries engaged in manufacturing :
war materials: TO assist in transfer
ring men who are working IN non z
essential occupations to those indus E
tries which are essential, with the :
least loss o. time and expense; 10 z
prevent ruinous competitive recruit E
ing among the war industries, by re- z
porting to the proper authorities any Z
wrongful methods employed in that E
respect. such as activities OF private :
labor scouts; 20 report 10 Washington &
the condition Of the supply Of labor &
in any given community. and to fur
nish information as to wages. hours z
and housing conditions
The Public Service Reserve at the IL
present time has registered and in :
dexed more than 100000 men Of varI- IL
Gus skilled and unskilled trades. It E
mas furnished to the army, navy. the E
governmental departments. the Emer- z
gency Fleet Corporation. and various E
war Industries thousands Of men, IL
mostly Of the higher skilled type, such E
IS engineers, technical experts, and E
skilled mechanics. Undoubtedly pro- E
duction has already been appreciably E
increased and efficiency improved by E
the ability Of the reserve to furnish 1 E
on short notice men OF almost any
It viii not be the policy OF the
United States Public Service Reserve E
to carry on any general registration E
FOR a particular industry far in sd- E
vance OF the time when the men E
would be actually needed for that in E
dustry- Any registrations Of workers E
VIII be in particular trades without I
any specific industry IN mind, so as E
to enable the Employment Service to E
procure men OF any particular train E
ing when needed For instance. sup e
pose It were known that the war in E
dustries would continuously call for E
welders- There would be a tremen- E
dous advantage in having a record Of E
practically all the welders IN the coun- E
Try who were engaged on less essen E
-Ial work.
The federal state director OF the f
Public Service Reserve in each case E
has been recommended by the state II
Council OF Defence. and hence the re- IL
serve system machinery works in E
close harmony with the State De- II
fence ORGANIZATIONS. In most Of the E
states the director Of the employ IL
nent service is the same man who II
directs the activities OF the reserve. IL
The growth in Importance Of the If
reserve as a part Of the United states If
Employment Service has supplied one i=
II the striking features Of the serv- e
ce- Starting with a few thousand II
lanes registered in its Washington e
'ffice. # has swiftly grown to a VI I=