The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director.
Washington. D. C.
LABOR DILUTION."
Washington. D. c.


is one phase of the labor situation in
this country which mystifies a great
many people. Undoubtedly, a. very
serious shortage of labor does exist;
yet it is not uncommon for a working
man to cool his heels for hours in an
employment office, only to receive the
final verdict there is nothing doing"
The reason for this is that only Ia
Dor of special sorts is in demand.
There is no wild scramble to obtain
the services of floorwalkers, ledger
clerks, window dressers or book
agents. On the other hand, there is a
very acute need for machinists. tool
makers, and men of similar trades. 1t
is said that there is not a single ex-
pert machinist in the labor market to-
day. If such a one exists he will be
able almost to command his own wage
from any of a score of industrial
plants.
AS a result of this shortage of men
skilled in certain trades. a strange
| word has come into use in factories.
| The word is ''dilution.' Roughly, di-
luton means plugging up holes which
exist in the labor supply by the intro
duction of new workers and of new
methods. This is problem SO COM
pick and important that it has been
necessary for the government to ere
ate special division of the depart
ment of labor to take care of it. This
division is known the training and
| dilution service, headed by Director
Charles T. Clayton.
A few figures suffice to show what
the training and dilution service is up
against. At the last census the in
duStrial population of the United
States Gncluding agriculture) was
listed at thirty-nine millions. Since
| that time, according to official rec
ords, three million have been added,
| making total of forty-two million.
Out of that number, five million have
joined the colorS. The farms engage
eleven million and the professions a
| million. The war industries have TAX
| en- twelve million, leaving only thir-
teen million for non-war industries.
Out of this number six million must be
added to war industries by the first of
June, leaving non-war industries to
| struggle along with a scant seven mil
lion.
There is no such thing as non-es-
sential industry Director Clayton af-
firmed, recently. There are industries
which are essential to the prosecution
of war, and those which are not. Most
| of the latter are essential to a COM
Portable human existence, and there
fore must not disappear"
1t is not likely that the non-war in
dustries can continue as they should
with seven million workers. Yet there
are more ways than one OF making up
this deficit, and more than one of
| supplying the six million needed for
war purposes
These ways are all combined in the
term ''dilution." The single feature
| of dilution, which is best known, is
| the introduction of women into work
| performed heretofore exclusively by
| men. This Las not been quite so ex-
tensive as has generally been supposed.
| The government, from the beginning,
| has followed policy of extreme eau
| ton in regard to women workers.
| WoE-en, it has decreed, shall not be
| taken into Industries in, localities where
there are idle men able to perform the
same work. Where the introduction
| of woman labor is necessary, the work.
ers must be paid the wage given to
| men for the same work. 1t will not
do for men returning to their jobs
after the end of the war to find a
lowered wage scale awaiting thep.
| The introduction of boys and aged
men is another method of dilution.
| Here, also, the work must proceed
| with greatest care. Boys under the
age of sixteen will not be permitted
| under any circumstances, to work
| during the school term, nor. says the
| government, should the prospect of
| high wages be permitted to lure into
| industry youths who ordinarily would
have worked for higher education
| Where it is necessary to employ old
| men, care should be taken not to over
tax their strength, and every possible
| safeguard for their health and COM
fort should be provided
| The training and dilution service is
working on the theory that the labor
| shortage can be best relieved by train
| ing the workers on hand to a higher
efficiency, and by providing training
| schools in the trades now so badly
! overworked. In this connection Mr..
| Clayton has divided the country into
| twelve districts, with boundaries iden-
tlcal with those of the production dis
| trlcts OF the ordnance department. and
superintendent have been named in
each district 1t will be the duty of
| these superintendent to visit each
| employer of more than hundred men
and induce him to esta blish a train
ing department in his plant Where
necessary, the superintendent will per-
sonally assist in the organization of
the training department. The value
OF such department was stated in a
recent government bulletin:
mo manufacturer, having more
than one hundred employees, can af-
ford to be without this aid to real eff
| hc1ency. 1t is safe to predict that any
plant not now having a training de-
partment can increase its output 25
per cent with its present labor force
as soon as such a department is we'll
organized. This is not wild guess,
it is statement based on experience .
| The government will lend every aid
to the esta Enlistment of training de-
partments. Where skilled instructors
are lacking, or cannot be spared, in
structors will be assigned to begin the
training. Text books. charts. shop
methods will be furnished to the in
structors. Bulletins giving counsel
and constructive criticism will be sent
to the employers from time to time.
The training department does Tot
have~to be elaboratsly or extensively
equipped. A corn ,r of the main build
ing with a few of the most commonly
used machines will suffice.
i 1t is not expected that the training
plant system will entirely solve the
problem of dil,,+Ion. INIT IL ,,n;,,ar-o,