New-York tribune., 1919-01-29
$4,000 Jobs in
NY. Homes for.
Y unemployed
Demand for Servants Far
Greater Than Supply,
Say Employment Agents
W. e. C.. S. Has New Test
Psychologist Examines Men
to See What Kind of Work
They Are Best Suited For

The scarcity of domestic servants in
New York at present is greater than it
ever has been before in the city's his
tory according to employment agents.
They asserted that the demand exceeds
the supply by 500 per cent and that if
10000 cooks. mattresses, laundrcsscs,
Children's nurses, kitchen maids, but
lors and other domestics were avail
able they could be put to work at once.
The condition was brought to light
i'm connection with reports shat the city
is facing a serious unemployment prob
lem on account of the release of civil
ians from war industries and the de
mobilization of soldiers. Heads of en-
ployment agencies declared that large
part of unskilled labor should 90 into
domestic service because OF high wages
offered.
at seems folly to talk about unem-
ployment when New York in one in
dustry alone-that of dome site service
could put to work $4,000 men and
women at once" said Richard T. Hutch
inson, % West Fifty y-sixth Street. "The
demand is eight times greater than the
supply. This is due to the fact that
40 per cent of French and British
servants returned to Europe to partici-
pate in the war and there is now no
Scandinavian immigration.
Jobs That Can't Be Filled
"ln one month I had demand for
rs children's nurses, and could supply
only 5. Out of 81 orders for Mattresses
in private homes | could furnish only
3. The supply of laundresses is about
l to 40 in demand Cooks are II in
demand TO II available. Kitchen maids,
who in 1914 received from S25 to $50
month, now receive $40 to $50.
81 went to Washington to tell Sen
ator King that some provision should
be made in the immigration restriction
bill to enable domestic help to come
over Unless this is done the shortage
will be even greater"
Psychological tests are being made
by the War Camp Community Service
to determine for what kind Of jobs
discharged soldiers are best fitted. The
service announced yesterday that it had
appointed r. j. Mcdonald to act as
"employment psychologist" in the
Manhattan employment booths.
1t was found thai the majority Of
returned eoldiers do not want to take
the same kind of work they had before
the war. The fact that many OF them
are undecided as to what employment
best suits them is responsible for a
great number of unemployed in New
York, in Mr.. McDonald's opinion.
After applying his psychological
test" to sixty men yesterday Mr. Nc
Donald drew Up a chart for each, show
ing the work he was best suited for.
Don't Know Their Own Minds
'It is not lack of jobs, but the fact
that the men do not know what they
want to do that creates the unemploy-
ment problem" said Mr. Mcdonald.
of every man knew what he wanted
it would be easy to find work for him"
In announcing the use of the "psy-
Geological tests" the War Camp Com
nunity Service at its Offices, at l5 East
Fortieth Street, said:
by adopting this method the W. c.
c. S. hopes TO be able to fit the men to
the jobs in such way that each posi-
ton will become permanent and the
man be established in society. Mr.. Nc
Donald is the first Of a number of such
experts who will be appointed
The United States Employment Ser
vice, 469 Fifth Avenue, will hold mass
meeting at the Manhattan Opera House
next Sunday at i 80 p. m. to explain to
soldiers and sailors the purpose of the
service. +. f. Wood, assistant director
for New York City, Will speak.