The daily banner., 1919-07-18
PREDICTS EARLY
]. LABOR SHORTAGE
Basis Of Argument FOl U. S,
Employment Service.
GREATER THAN DURING WAR
Dudley r. Kennedy Declares There
is No Great Unemployment in the
Country.

Country.
Washington, July 1S.,-Predlctlon
taat within a year, possibly III less
time, there will be labor shortage III
the United States equal if not greater
than that during the war, was made
before the joint labor committees OK
senate and house by Dudley Il. Ken
nedy, of Philadelphia, an employment
expert.
He was formerly industrial relations
manager of Hog Island shipyard, ana
is now assistant to the president OF
the Youngstown Sheet and Tube COM
pany.
Mr.. Kennedy was summoned TO tes-
tify on the pending Kenyon-Nolan Dill
providing for the establishment OF a
permanent federal employment ssfV-
ice working in cooperation with state
and municipal employment agencies,
and strongly urged speedy passage OF
this legislation. He paid high tribute
to the work of the United States en-
ployment service during the war, say
ing that if it had not been for this
agency, "Hog Island and other great
war industries could not have func-
toned
'After the federal employment serV-
ice had developed" he said, I'VE USED
it exclusively at Hog Island, and OBJ
tanned the majority of our labor
through this agency"
Frank Morrison, secretary OF the
American Federation of Labor, refer
red to the unanimous Endorsement OF
the proposed permanent federal en-
ployment service by the recent Attain
tic City convention of the A. +. OF l..
and said that from the standpoint of
labor a federal employment service is
regarded as a necessity for the I'M
organized workers. "We believe, ne
said, ''that every man has the right to
obtain information as to opportunities
for employment"
Neal Farnham, employment manager
of the Heggeman-Harris Construction
company. of New York, also indorsed
the Kenyon-Nolan bill, saying that his
firm "Would not have been able to get
sufficient labor during the war had it
not been for the United States employ
ment service, and the post-armistice
situation has demonstrated that the
service is equally necessary in time
of peace"
'By and large" said Mr.. Kennedy,
there is no great unemployment in
this country now. l am reliably in
formed that there are shortages of
within a year. The coming of this short
workers in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ak
ron and other Industrial centers and
there is certain to be great shortage
in a year. The coming of this short
age is one of the strongest arguments
for the establishment of permanent
federal employment -seruica- to assist
IN recruiting labor from localities in
which there is a surplus and in ascer-
tanning where these localities are. It
5 needed to level the national labor
supply"
Confirmation of Mr.. Knnedy's warn
ing of a coming labor shortage was
given at the department Of labor. 1t
was pointed out that for five years
there has been little immigration to
this country, and that legislation is
now pending to restrict immigration
for term of years after the war. AT
he same time large numbers of former
immigrants are preparing to return to
Europe $500 having left New York for
Mediterranean ports during the last
Eew days.