Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-09
EXAGGERATED LABOR
CLAIMS HARMFUL
Unnecessary Requistions Thoroughly De
moralizing and Hamper Whole
Production Program.

Serious denomination III the labor
supplying machinery of the United states
Employment Service rs threatened by The
practice Of some employers ia obtaining
large number of workers through the
service which they neither need nor can
use Instances of employers requesting
100 skilled workers when 30 or less wall
suffice are numerous, also appeals Tor the
recruiting Of forces running INTO several
thousands, for whom housing acconmoda-
tlons are far from adequate. fxaggeretlOn
Of labor claims have reached such pro-
port ions in some cases ag ~ force the
service to make a most rigid investigation
before shipping men from distant points
A ship ward recently made n request
for IL iayers-oui As the name implies
The duty 81 a laycr-out IS the laying 0It pi
n ship, and few are needed ~ any sFup-
yard 10 supply one plant with ~
layers out, in view Of the nature 81 the
trade. would be like supplying a news
paper with 30 editors. Before proceeding
10 fl the order. it was decided ~ max"
an investigation. and a skilled mechanic
was detailed to the plant From his viait
IT Developed the yard Was IN need # t5eo
iaycrs-out instead Of III
Not long ago, when tic country was
being conhcd for nachInIats and hue
and cry went mp ~ the effect that The
supply Of hrst-claas men was 11riudlng
fast, concern put in q request ior several
hundred u was a hurry call Production
was being held MP and SERIOUS consc
duenccs mpended Il the demand was not
nct al once
Tho mon were produced They re-
ported for work, ready to star "a within
n comparatively few hours Df the tIfuc
when the call was made 'Fho hr'f latch
reporting wae hired thc rest were tpld
they were not needed They wcrc i4kod ~
lcave thrir names and addresses h0wpVcr,
n case they could be used later on
In this manner the employment fnau-
ager of the plant sought 80 locate private
source # labor from which be might draw
N an emergency. contrary 80 fho spirit
~ ne regulations that he Supplying n
labor should 1e handled through 'hr Eu-
rlovrnont ~crvicr n the interest ~ th"
nation as i whole Experience fas 5hoTn
that failure f. plaro D worker rcacta nH
tho zoryirc Nhcn hc travels a long d.--
fanoo. anlg h IL turned away ~ he gate.
ho becomes dizgtlsfed and ias@ thr hiarnc
mo- he shoulders af hc agcncy hrourh
YhIch he was directed
III fhe recruiting uf skilled mar u s
aorHc tlfncs necessary that The mnu -cicct-
ad remair rIlc FIJI short tmc whiic awalf-
lng ORDER to proceed To important rar
york \ demand fur several hundred
-tr,3ctra ron worker rounded lp rc-
ecntlv. talcd to materializc when 'he
mon had hoen loratcd The indnsfr-
aeter-lhlv II nccd ~ The labor, paid ng
attention to requests for shipping direction
-rnplv topping out If fhe ease entirely
III the meantime IN ies~ han 200 ron
workers. whose tirrc vas worth from ST
H $40 per day. xrrc lo-t III the country
gar program. aside from being liability
~ themselves
Farlv III september 4 -hipyard asked
for 500 mechanics who could qualify S
skilled uer- rlvctcrs caukers reamerS
and others In he course If an inquiry.
i vas learned hat the steel on which thesr
men were to work could not br furnished
before December and probably mot he-
fore JANUARY
80 lar as il possible. officials ~ the iin-
piovInent Service are beng urged to make
a counter cheek on requests toT labor
where If Inav ppear the rall + eTaggerat-
"a. or hat housing cannot be guaranteed
Tins together with plans under r0rsldcraI
tion rs 4 national matter s expected tJ
put stop ta any attempt 70 exploit labor
or 10 interfere with The labor supplying
machinery II the country