The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-12-28
FRANCE HAS MORE
men THAN JOBS
Returning Army to Civil Life
Brings Problems Unlike
Those in U. S.
WORKSHOPS ARE WIPED OUT
Labor Readjustment Is Subject Of
Greater Importance In France
Than in Any Other Bel
Iigerent Country.

Paris.-Readjustme of labor after
rehabilitation looms as the biggest
after-the-war question in France
A committee of members of the
French chamber of deputies has off,
cially asked the government what
steps toward labor reconstruction are
to be taken.
appointment of q commission to
study the question has just been an
nounced.
Labor readjustmentp is a subject Of
greater Importance in France than In
any other belligerent country-outside
of Belgium, perhaps-because so many
factories and commercial enterprises
have been destroyed by the war.
Workshops Are Wiped Out.
When the soldiers are demobilized
a great number will not be able to
return to the work in which they were
engaged before the war. Their work.
shops have been wiped out
Many others who have been EN-
ployed on war work In munitions
plants will be thrown out of employ
ment. For such concerns viii have to
shut dowp while they adapt them
selves, many Of them slowly, to q
peace-time line of manufacture.
Another, class of men, who have
been away at the front four years,
will find no places open because they
have been replaced by other labor
women, In numerous cases.
The government faces the problems
Of having more men on its hands than
1t has jobs. A quick solution Is i'm
perative, according to the view Of
prominent labor leaders.
Every other country except France
has thought about this matter" said
Emmanuel Brousse, French deputy
and member of the newly appointed
labor adjustment commission.
Britain has .been working on the
labor question for long time. Twen-
ty-five commissions composed of spe-
cialists in various lines have prepared
a solution.
Germany had its after-war program
definitely mapped out. First the men
who In civil life were engaged in such
occupations as technical, commercial.
Industrial financial and transport
were to be freed from army service.
Other kinds of workmen were to be
demobilized successfully.
France must not lose a moment in
mapping out its labor readjustment
plan. Otherwise there will be a social
catastrophe"
Labor leaders In France point also
to the preparations in America for
distributing farming land to demobil.
lied soldiers. But they remark that
this method of finding something for
the ey-soldier to do IL closed to the
French.
Land Cultivated Intensively.
France has no vast unoccupied lands
as the United States has, except In it's
northern African colonies. All of
France is cultivated intensively, leav-
ing none for reclamation by demobil-
lied soldiers. And it is calculated
that few will want to leave their own
country for the purpose Of coloniza-
tion.
q. III. Roberts, British minister of
labor, recently discussed this subject
before an audience of British soldiers
at the British Army and Navy Leave
club In Paris.
The British minister said temporar.
lily unemployment difficulties of demo.
bilized soldiers would be met by
free out-of-work donation covering a
period of II months after discharge.
This will be additional to the months
furlough given each man on his dis
charge, during which time pay and al.
lowances are to be continued.
The skilled workman among British
soldiers, Roberts said, is safeguarded
by the munitions of war act, giving
him the assurance of reinstatement In
employment. Committees, he said,
would establish employment agencies
In all cities and everything possible
would be done to make labor resettle-
ment as speedy and smooth as possi-
BILE.
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