Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-13
M|.ANPOWlE'R IS
NOT SHORT IN
UNITED STATES

lENI3aa4sssE&t tEtt.Sst: H. ts4s} .,A't -rrtFtt" - RI
First Year of War Does Not
Cause Shortage Of Labor
ers in Country.
Chicago. May lS.-The nations I'M
dustria1f man power has not suffered
serious depletion; as a result Of the
United States .hrst year in the world
val, 20 Tar fas indicated in recent. sur
veye Of the general labor situation
conducted. by tho United States EN-.
~ployrnent serviceSand the Illinois free
employment bureau. Except in err
tain skilled trades these, bureaus find
there issno marked shortage Of labor.
b chief problem at present being
distribution.
The labor turnover SO far this year
has been, greater than in previous
years. This is attributed to some ex-
vidual betterment offered by plants
working on war contracts.
On an average 100000 persons
are obtaining employment through the
Chicago district ONCE OF the federal
bureau a. compared with a total of
$4,000 during tho last fiscal year.
This huge increase is accounted for by
the recent REORGANIZATION Of the .bu-
reau for service as the national ma
chinery for the mobilization and dis
tibution. Of the country's labor. AS
such It has handled the applications
Of hundreds Of thousands Of workers
registering with the public service re-
serve, including more than 100000
for shipbuilding.
A1system Of daily surveys shows the
bureaus where the greatest shortages
or surpluses exist and with this infor-
nation: It ia able to make economic
urged to us the government agency
as far ~ possible in order to reduce
the labor turnover and uneconomic
competition between industries essen
DIAL to the q
At the state employment bureau g.
GOD persons sought work in March and
there too the demand is in about equal
balance with the supply. except in a
few trades. Positions we're found for
nearly all the applicants.
The demand for women workers is
said to be about normal. Only In a
few isolated cases have they replaced
mentcalled to the co1ors. A few plants
engaged on war contracts have EN-
.ployed large numbers Of. women with
. odt difficulty.
Many women teachers are said to be
leaving the school rooms for more re-
m~unerative employment and the draft
has drawn 50 heavily upon the already
scant supply Of men teachers that sew
eral states report the situation alarm
ing for next ear A survey Of thirty
seven states just completed by tho
professional service division Of the
federal bureau shows that during the
present school year West Virginia was
forced to close between $50 and zoo
III 49, h>AAa.A AAA.A&k&S ~
teachers. In Montana and Wyoming
about two dozen schools were closed
for the Same reason, while. New
Hampshire. North Carolina, Delaware.
Mississippi, Alabama, New Mexico,
S6uth Dakota, Wisconsin ana Indiana
report q marked shortage. The bu-
reau has 100 teachers applications
ana 500 vacancies listed, buth5a large
Rsrcsntaxe q thoss ssatinE .posittohs.
work III the departmsnts where, the
greatest deficiency exists. 80
,To.cope with what 10 expected to; be
an unprecedented railroad labor
shortage later In the year. new. de-
partlnent of!the United States employ
mont service has been organized to
handle railroad labor for tho western
rector General McAdoo the railroads
have, abolished their labor bureau and
the government agency will recruit
their mon as we'll AZ direct the distri-
button. In event 81 IN; acute shortage
bf workers IN maintenance 81 way
Department.. 1t Is planned to suspend
work NOT absolutely necessary and
send men from ' these locations to
points}Where they are more urgently
are said to have left the roads be-
cauaAT0f hetFhf1h0f WQ geS thew q n