Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-27
FREDERIC ]. HASKINS ARTICLE

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 22.-Ihe fact
M that many discharged American SOL
w diers, sailors and war workers are loaf
ing about the streets of the large cities WIN
out Jobs or even prospects of jobs, has arous-
ed the government to the need of special
emplovment system to take care of a situa-
ton that is rapidly developing into serious
problem.
After several conferences the federal EN-
ployment service of the department OF labor
the Council of National Defense and the
United War Workers have combined to form
sort of employment net through which 1t
will be next to impossible for any soldier,
sailor or war worker inadvertently to slip.
Take the case of the soldier. No man will
be permitted to leave Rehabilitation camp
without thorough instruction and advice as
to the employment opportunities awaiting him
on his return to his home town. First, rep
resentative of United War Workers will ex-
plain them to him, talk over his abilities with
him and attempt to guide him to congenlal
Job. Second representative OF the united
States employment service will talk to him; go
over the list of employment opportunities IN
his particular section of the country with
him, and try to fit him into one of them.
Suppose that before the war man has
been a plumber in Milwaukee. His natural
inclination would be to go back to Milwaukee
and plumbing. But the employment service
agent may know that Milwaukee has all the
plumbers it can possibly keep busy, and his
duty therefore is to advise the man either to
accept some other form of employment in Mil
waukee or to go to some other town which
is desperately in need of plumbers.
But how, you may ask does the employment
service agent obtain this detailed knowledge
of what is needed in various cities? The
answer is that the employment service of the
department of labor has kept its finger on the
pulse of Industry for the past three years,
and knows accurately what the opportunities
for employment are in all sections of the
country. Such information as it does not
happen to have it is now gathering. 1t has
over $50 community labor boards, composed
each of. one representative of employers, one
representative of labor and one representa-
tive of the service. 1t also maintains $50
employment officers, and has staff of vol
unteer agents in various places. In addition
to these facilities, it is now opening bureaus
for returning soldiers, sailors and war work
ers in every city and town in the United
States.
These bureaus are under the direction of
the community labor boards, wherever there
are such boards, and under the direction OF
the community council of defense where there
is no community labor board. Each bureau
is to have a bureau manager and working
staff, It's ITty is to canvass it's locality for
employment opportunities and to tabulate
them. This information may be furnished the
employment agent at the rehabilitation camp
whenever he writes for information, and in
return the employment agent may furnish the
bureau with the army record of applicant,
whose name has been submitted Tor a posi-
ton. In this way the bureau is in direct
touch with both. 1t has its forces working
on every soldier in camp, and Usually strong
forces working on the employers in the mans
home town. All the man has to do is to ap-
ply to his local bureau for returning soldiers,
sailors, sailors and war workers when he
goes home, and he is almost certain to find
job waiting for him.
This much the government has done. The
rest must be done by each community and
each family. A certain responsibility rests
upon the community in the matter of employ
ing men who have gone to war to insure its
peace and prosperity.