The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-08-24
LABOR RECRUITING
UNCLE SANS JOB
Need of Capitalization Seen by
Assistant Secretary of La.
Dor Post.
RESERVES MUST Be CREATED
Government Must MonopoIIxe Employ.
ment Agencies Of Country In Order
to Equallze Supply and Demand In
Different Sections, Declares Official.

Long before the war the late DR..
Charles r. Henderson, who made a
deep study Of unemployment, advo-
Gated Capitalization Of the means Of
keeping workers engaged. A some
what similar idea is now voiced by
Louis f. Post, assistant secretary of
labor. Writing In the New York Mail,
Mr.. Post makes the suggestion that
competition for workers at least in
war time must be erased II present
needs are to be met.
1t Is the duty Of the labor depart.
meut, ne remarks, to recruit the indus
triaf army that sustains the military
army. He declares that the employ
ment service Of the department of la
Dor has enlisted hundreds Of thous-
ands OF men who are turning out a
steady stream Of ships, shell and can
non, as we'll as foodstuffs and clothing
for our armies. "At present." he con-
tinues, more than a hundred thousand
month are being actually placed by
1t In war industries, and the number
Is increasing at such a rate that with
in a very short time the monthly mum.
Der will be more than doubled. Ev-
cry possible kind Of position Is being
filled. Clerks, skilled mechanics, labor
ers, craftsmen, ship carpenters and
calkers, managers, machinists and doz.
ems OF other occupations find their
places In the roll. The versatility OF
the service is shown in its recent sue
cess In raising motor mechanics reg
iment Of 1000 men.
These great numbers refer only to
those actually placed. In many indus
tries there is no present possibility Of
employing all the men available. Great
reserves are therefore being built up.
These consist Of lists Of men who have
volunteered to serve In certain capaci-
ties, where they are not needed at
present, but where the Industrial ex-
pansion will provide places for them
later on. For instance, a gigantic re-
serve Of shipbullders, 250,OO0 in all,
has been enrolled.
bodybuilding, however, creates on
ly small part of the demand, food
production being equally important. A
great system Of farm agencies is also
at work in the United States employ
ment service. Seventy-six thousand
postmasters are cooperating In anoth-
er recruiting drive and a reserve Of
$4,000 boys between sixteen and twen-
ty-one is also being created. And SO
this great work goes on.
Seven men are required In indus
try for~every man in military uniform.
"As time goes on 1t becomes increas-
ingly apparent that Industrial recruit
Ing during the war must be done by
the government alone. The futility of
competitive employment agencies Is
shown by a recent happening. A pri-
vate employment establishment In De-
troit hired In behalf of Pittsburgh
employer large number Of machinists
and arranged for their transportation
to the Pennsylvania city. On the Jour-
ney the train which brought them TO
Pittsburgh passed another going from
Pittsburgh to Detroit carrying nearly
an equal number of machinists to the
Michigan city.
"The government must monopolize
the employment agencies of the coun-
try. The organization which handles
the problem must be national, big
enough to cover the whole country and
balance state against state, filling defi-
cts in oAe from SURPRISES In another.
There is only one organization in the
country big enough and national
enough to do this. That organization
is the United States government. It
alone possesses the ability, the
breadth. the authority and the conf
daDce of the puhlie.ss 4