El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-13
HOW THE RIGHT
MEN ARE FOUND
Plant That Needed Ten
Workers to Keep Going
Gets Them in the
Nick Of Time.

our plant needs ten WORKERS w
need them bad II we can't get ter
o. the right sort ven have TO Gloss
down
The speaker was a factory owner
HIS plant was doing war work fol-
the government It was a matter Of
great moment 20 him 10 fiu those
ten vacancies He had brought his
troubles TO Z. Il Kline, manager Of
the District Of Columbia Employment
Service Station Of the Department Of
labor. and they were talking mat
te-s over fin Mr.. Kline's little office
fn the rear end OF The Pennsylvania
avenue store room. which IS occupied
b. the station Did Mr. Kline think
he could find ten mem
1fr. Kline thought he could. He
got in touch with several OF the $50
other offices Of the Department Of
Iabor-s Employment Service. and
within a day he had located a station
where there happened TO be a surplus
OF that kind OF labor The next step
was % send out 70 that particular
office two men, a representative Of
the factory and q representative Of
tire Department Of Labor. They in
tcrriewed the workmen. found them
satisfactory. and Immediately made
arrangements Tor bringing them 10
washington 20 their new work.
Transporting Workmen by Hundreds.
II IS a simple enough proposition 10
arrange for the transportation OF ten
men from a point in the middle west
70 the District OF Columbia Il IS
another matter 10 move 500 men. Yet
that IS the number which were re-
Gently brought a distance OF 1.12o
miles from q district in the far south
20 northern Virginia, TO help build
Camp Humphreys.
One Of the contractors and man
from the Department Of Labor went
down 20 the southern office where
these men were registered and pro
rided Tor Transporting them to the
north a train Of eight cars was Sc
cured. six for white men and two for
negroes. Rations were one Of the
first considerations An initial sup
ulv Of $500 sandwiches was placed
aboard the train, together with cof-
Zee. plenty Of drinking water, and
80 on II was arranged TO have the
stock Of food repIeuished at various
points en- route. -Four men IN each
car were picked to act as keepers Of
the larder. and they were given the
somewhat tlckIlsh job OF seeing that
every man got his share and was
kept satisfied and contented during /
the journey No iutoXicants were /
permitted. and the car foreman was 4
Instructed 10 keep the men amused 1
and occupied IN order TO DO this 4
effectively he had 10 have a touch
o. the vaudeville artist in him.
When the train reached Alexandra,
Va. army motor trucks met the
w0rkmen and carried them out
through the woods 10 Camp Hum
phreys. There they found a square
nights rest afterwzrd- The next day
they began work.
4 typical branch office is a busy
place The Washington office is a
long-carpeted room opening directly
off the Sidewalk in one OF the busy
and accessible portions Of the city.
On either side Of the room are desks.
Of labor handled By the man in
charge There IS desk labeled,
Skilled mechanics and helpers" an
other for Common and unskilled
labor." another for Farm service" ]
and other officials take care Of
clerks. professional men. and hotel
ard restaurant helpers All sorts Of
men apply for positions. and every
kind OF help is asked for. Side by
side on the managers desk on June
lay applications for common labor
and a request for a skilled engineer.
70 whom $4,000 a year would be paid.
On the second story Is the woman's
division. where female applicants for
positions arc received
Fitting the Nan and the Job.
@Our business IS simply a matter
who has supervision Of the District
o. Columbia and OF several counties
IN Maryland and Virginia I've get
The calls for help and the calls for
Jobs and We fit them together. By
means Of our many offices through !
out the United States we are able
10 keep IN touch with the districts
where there happens to be a surplus
% labor AZ the moment In the Dis
rrict Of Columbia labor is scarce. To
get men we have to go through the
population with a fine-tOoth comb. |
70 Tar been able 20 handle the local
and find the needed work
erE"
IN the month Of april 400 men ap-
Piled al this office alone. OF that
number Ass were placed. The others
we're reEistrants whose services were
not Immediately available. Yet the
Washington office is one OF the
srlaIest ones In the same month (
Chicago placed 26.z35 workmen: san
Francisco 17,11e, s-7d Seattle 1885.
Placing 10000 Men a Month.
Since the reorganization OF the
FEDERAL Employment Service last
January. by watch Il was made
separate arm OF the Department OF
labor, the number OF branch offices
has been more than trebled. The
service Is now the nations official
machine Tor recruiting and distribut-
ag labor for war production, and IS
llaclng workers in shipyards. NUM-
ion plants. on farms. and in other
var industries at the rate Of between
5000 and 100000 = month.
The organization OF the service is =
Fery complete. The country is d.
'ided into b employment districts, III
ZACH Of which IS supervised by a dis
Yet superintendent Under him are II
ne state directors. who are usually N
-lso the state labor commissioners. II
nd are carefully chosen after recon-
len1ation By the state council OF de- III
ence and b. prominent employers J
nd labor leaders Each office has its
.En manager and office force. =
The Public Service Reserve is the I
Don 90 . o 49,