The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-13
MIGHT ABOLISH LICENSING SYSTEM

FoQSdcOid
Metcalf, assistant superintendent OF the Sixth
district of the United States Employment Serv-
ice for the organization of that service here has
again brought into prominent discussion the
harm which Western Florida has suffered and
il still suffering from the incursions of labor
agents upon it's labor supply.
There is presented an obviously uneconomic
condition Within the next few months, or
weeks, the Pensacola Shipbuilding Company will
require additional hundreds or thousands of men
as its operations increase. 1t goes without say
ing that these hundreds and thousands of men
must therefore be brought back to Pensacola
from somewhere to supply this vitality important
labor demand.
The iniquity of the situation is aggravated by
the fact that the bulk of these laborers taken
by the wholesale from this locality are not to be
used for the promotion of essential war indus
tries, but in large measure are sought for the
prosecution of industries which are at least COM
lparatively "non-essential' in character.
Strangely enough, the civil authorities of this
city and section in their efforts to curb this evil
and to protect the industrial integrity Of West
ern Florida, have found themselves baked by
labor agent licenses. In certain recent cases,
when subjected to arrest, labor agents have in
trenched themselves behind the possession of
these licenses and have gone scot free to con-
tinue their harmful operations.
The United States Employment Service prom
Uses to devote itself to the remedying of these
evils and all good citizens will wish it well and
bid it Godspeed in its work Attorney William
Fisher was yesterday appointed Examiner in
Charge of the local office, with jurisdiction, we
understand, extending virtually throughout
Western Florida.
While not doubling the ability of this federal
agency to find adequate remedy for the labor
agent nuisance, it occurs to The Journal that the
citizens of this community can do much to help
themselves.
What we have created we can certainly 'un-
create if we may be permitted to coin word
to fit the case. If the labor agent license is be-
ing used a weapon against us, why not abol-
ish ALL license privileges of this character? The
privilege thus legally granted is not a necessary
one for any industrial concern of this section
especially not with the United States Employ
ment Service now coming into operation in
prejudice or favoritism.
We might go a step further and suggest that
Congress, in the exercise of its interstate jurs-
diction, shall make it penal offense for any
man to solicit labor to be taken from one state
to another unless possessed of a federal license
to be granted by the Department of Labor.
| Such law would be reasonable and would, at
one stroke, place in the hands of this depart
ment the power to regulate extensive labor mi
grations, which, during the past year, have
meant great aggregate loss of productive
energy to the nation.
| The Department of Labor would find this
United States Employment Service which it has
created became Immediately very effective and
helpful adjunct of industry everywhere, and the
Departmnt could, at its discretion, whenever it
was deemed necessary, grant special federal Ii
cense to labor agents to secure employees for
essential war industries, operating through the
United States Employment Service, having such
agents always under its direct control and super
vision.
/ Such remedy as this is well worth considera-
ton in view of present conditions.
/ We now Judge the individual by what he does
for his country not for himself