The Press., 1918-02-07
Leo. A. Korper Heads U. s. Labor
 Service for Connecticut.

The Connecticut division of na' tioDaI employment service whose ssentual task tt will he to distribute millions of workers among various in- dnstries was established Monday tn the State Capitol by the federal soyerment and the Connecticut State Council of Defense. Upon the Domi- nation of the state council. Leo. A Korper, treasurer of the Capitol City Lumber Company. of Hartford, was appointed Federal Director for Con. peotiout of the United States Employ ment Seryicc, the United States Pub lio Service Reserve and the United States War Exchange Service. MT. Korper has opened au office in the Capitol snd has appointed as assistant state director Allen B Lincoln of New Haven. In the near future he will establish four or five labor employ ment offices in the chief oities of Con- neCtiout, each of which will he in charge of superintendent The prime object of the Public Service Reserve will bs not to bring indiSid- nal employers aud employees together, hnt rather to enroll in s working nleB's reserve a force of men who shall have signiied their willingness to be transferred from whatever work they are engaged in to essential war industries. Tt has been estimated that by next August between 5000, OOO and A,OOO, 900 workers will be needed ip agriculture, ship-buildingi muni' tions making and other essential iu- dussries. The work of the United States Employment Service, however. wbioh will be done under the same administration, will be more along the lines of sn employment bureau. It will endeavor to learn the labor pseds of employers and the employ msnt needs of working men and find work for the unemployed snd employ ees for industries aud companies which nead more help.
 The work of your Connecticut State ConDoil of Defense as the agent of rhe Public Service Reserve iu enrolling this states share of 250, OOO skilled workman for the United States ship yard volunteers ia of paramount inn poFtanoe in the early winning of this var, for on earnest labor depends the early construction of our merchant feet. Within sixty days three huge government yards will be completed, and soon thereafter more than pixty thousand workmsn win be required to furnish for them the three eight hour shifts necessary, if these yards are to turn out their ships according to schedule The shipping board now has seven h1ndted and sixteen ship ways, three hundred and two are for wooden ships and four huUdtod and fourteen are for steel construction. The yards in which they a.e estsh. lished are only work ing one eight hour shift per day, six days week. If we are to keep aheaf of the sub- marine we must run thIee shifts Ter day Afty-tWo weeks in the year The progrsm calls for the construction in 1918 of eight times the tonnage de- livered in 1916 ST cost of more tbau A billion dollars. Tue shipping board has the necessary yards, tie material and the money; all that Is lack ing is d spirit in the nation that will send a quarter of a million mechanics in- to the yards to give their most efficient work. We all honor the men in uni form and the same kind of houar mnst he given to the men who go to work in khe shipyarIis.