Evening star., 1919-02-02
BY G.. GOULD LINCOLN.

II y Il. 90 LID LIMO O1N.
TVER increasing unemployment
- in this country since the sign
/ ing of the armistice abroad, in
the opinion of Secretary Lane
/ of the Interior Department, Secretary
Wilson of the Department of Labor.
many member OF both Senate and
| House and of leaders in the industrial
world, make it imperative that Con-
gress legislate Immediately to pro-
vide a buffer, a stop gap. which will
give employment to thousands of men
until the industries of the country
have been readjusted to normal peace
time conditions
The men who are advocating this
legislation are not alarmists. They
have said again and again that they
believe that a wonderful industrial
future is ahead of this country. as
soon as normal conditions have been
reached. Because a householder in
sures his property against loss by
fire does not mean that he Is an
alarmist. or that he is predicting a
conhagration. The legislation now
proposed is d measure of insurance
against unemployment. against bread
lines in the cities and against unrest
Spread OF Unemployment.
Here is the situation. Since the
signing of the armistice the Depart
ment of Labor has kept track of the
surplus of labor in many centers.
It's agents have reported a constant
increase, funtil in the week just end
ed, for between fifty and sixty cities,
the number of unemployed reached
262. goo. These figures in themselves
are not alarming, but the fact that
unemployment is increasing week by
week, that hundreds of thousands of
men will be demobilized during the
next few months and that manu-
facturerS in this country are holding
back. waiting for the expected drop
in the price of materials and the
wages of labor, has determined MEM
bers of Congress who have interested
them selves in this question to act
without further delay il possible.
The plan which has been put for
ward is to provide for the immediate
prosecution of public works, by the
by the municipalities. But only for
the prosecution of such works as are
actually needed by country. state and
city, not for the prosecution OF un-
necessary work merely to give men
employment. In this plan the Secre-
tary of Labor heartily concurs, and
has said SO before a joint meeting of
the Senate and House committees on
labor.
Much Public Work Halted.
ssThe movement to provide buffer
against unemployment has crystalliz-
Kenyon. which provides for an emer-
gency public works board, with $780,
100000 at it's disposal to use on pub
lie works already authorized by Con-.
gress. Many already approved by
Congress have been halted by the war
During the last two years there has
been practically no public work. ex-
cept for the prosecution of the war.
War Finance Corporation to lend not
to exceed s300. 100000 to states. coun-
ties and municipalities for public
work, for a period not TO exceed ten.
years. at 5 per cent interest.
This bill is to be amended. Joint
pci~cen If1SfuUcTS OIL Ine
Senate nd House labor committees
are being held for this purpose. With
the end of the session Of Congress
only a few weeks away, the most inn
portant feature is speed, if a law is
to be put through.
To Include Lane Plan.
1t is proposed that in addition to
the emergency public work board pro-
vision there be included in the bill a |
provision to carry out Secretary Lanes |
plan for recIaiming land for farms fer
the soldiers. and perhaps for other
persons who wish to get back to the
land, and also a provision for the es-
of motor truck service,
under the postal department, which
will enable the producer and the con-
sumer to get in touch for the benefit
Of both, and will give employment to
thousands of men. The War Depart
ment, it is reported, has on hand be-
tween 10000 and $4,000 motor trucks
obtained for war purposes and not |
used. It has thousands of others
which have been used. These can be
turned over to the Post Office Depart i
ment.
Whether it will be possible. in the
SHOiI spaSC VI iaHtC ICAfdtuiuS. 10 put
through such comprehensive meas =
ure is a matter of conjecture, and it
may be necessary to return merely to
the emergency public works board. I
The bill is not going through Con-
gresS without opposition by anyt
means. Some of the senators are char
the proponents of the meas
lre as alarmists and are insisting that
the country will care for all the labor
without difficulty. Others scent an
attempt to keep wages at wartime
Dor is just the thing to get wages and
prices down.
Term View a Strange One.
The advocates Of the bill say that
his is a strange way OF viewing the
,ffort to see that thousands of men are
not walking the streets looking for
obs, particularly when thousands of
.hese men were men who took up
arms to fight for their country and
gave up their positions to do so.
One question which is veXing the
proponents of the measure is this.
What shall be the wages paid on the
public works started to care for I'M
They are on the horns
Of dilemma. If the wages are fixed |
at the same rate as those prevailing