Evening star., 1918-08-01
START Plan TODAY
TO MOBILIZE LABOR
35,O 900 Four-Minute Men Be-
gin Nationwide Effort to
Recruit UnskiIIed Forces.
TO HELP U. S. WAR WORK

Thirty-fve Thousand four minute
men throughout the country today will
begin explaining to the people at thea
tiers and other public gatherings the
details of the plan by which the
United States employment service of
the Department of Labor intends to
mobilize the unskilled labor of the
United States.
The governments plan for labor re-
cruiting, which went into effect to-
day. was intended primarily to stop
the constant migration Of hundreds of
workingmen from one war factory to
another by the lure of higher wages.
This continuous turnover. government
officials say, was hampering the big
industrial machine which must be Kept
in motion If the allied armies are to
succeed in beating Germany.
From today all private recruiting
of unskilled labor is prohibited. Later
skilled labor may be included. I'm
der the plan of the government serv-
ice all factories engaged on war work
and employing more than one hundred
men will apply to the United States
employment service. John B. Dens-
more, director, for the number of men
they need.
Shortage Is Shown.
A shortage of 100000 unskilled
workers in war industries is shown
in incomplete reports to the Depart
ment of Labor. Final reports. it was
announced, are expected to show a
shortage of 100000 workers.
WAR industry" was defined in the
announcement by the employment
service as the manufacture of prod
ucts or erection of structures directly
or indirectly supplied to some de-
partment of the government for use
in connection with the war" Coal
mining also was classified as wholly
war work"
While they will be protected from
recruiting by other industries, rail-
roads and farms must obtain their
unskilled labor by other means than
through the federal employment
service. the announcement said.
q. S. Employment Service Plan.
The United States employment serv-
ice is made up Of state branches
which regulate the communities OF
the state. The state, in turn, is con-
trolled by regional supervisor
Through its state directors the en-
ployment service will be able to de-
termine just how many unskilled la
bOrers each state can spare from nom
essential Industries to make up the
dehcita known to existain-thes.Warf fae-
tories. ss,ls
One difficulty under private recruit
ing was that some states were being
drained of 1aborers, while other states
were not being touched. Under the
governments plan no state will be
asked to transfer more workmen to
war plants than is fair. considering
conditions in that state.
The understanding, cooperation and
good will Of the American people are
called upon to aid in making the sys-
tenn a success by Secretary Wilson in
a statement made public today. =
Secretary Wilson's Views.
1.-THE employment service is given
a burden comparable only to that
borne by the War Department when
the selective service law was put
into operation" Secretary Wilson said.
But this policy must be enforced
without military authority.
1.-THE central recruiting Of unskilled
labor begun today represents a great
advance. A great Industrial policy
applicable to the entire nation has
Of the second line of defense is in
progress. The government confident
1y counts upon the same wise loyalty,
the same cooperative sacrifice to
make effective the production pro-
gram as that which already has
brought success to American arms
overseas"