The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-07-04


During the eight weeks since the
curtailment of this Service, made
necessary through failure of funds,
491, $50 workers, an average of 61 =
| 900 a week, have successfully used
the offices maintained under the
supervision of the U. S. Employ
ment Service in finding positions.
at is obvious that all these men
and women resorted to the Employ
ment Service because they could
not readily find work without its
assistance, and that in the absence
of some system of public labor e&-
changes would have had to seek the
assistance of private fee-charging
offices. | take it that the need for
some system of public employment
offices is we'll established and gem
orally recognized and that upon this
point there can be little If any diff
ference of opinion.
''In my judgment, the duty of
maintaining a system of labor eX-
changes is primarily one which
rests upon the municipality and the
State. The expense, for example,
of securing employment in New
York City for men and women out
of work there and of assisting en-
ployers there in securing labor,
does not seem to me to be one which
should be borne by those who pay
taxes to the Nation without contri
button by the citizens of the State
and City of New York. Not only
does the obligation rest primarily
upon the locality, but the local
government is also primarily con-
cerned with the efficient admins
tration of the local offices and
those who live in the locality are
in the best position to observe and
insist upon efficient local admins
tration.
"On the other hand, the estab-
lishment and maintenance of an eff
ficient system of local labor eX-
changes is a matter of national con-
Germ. Just as the Federal Govern
ment has felt the necessity of en-
couraging, for example, the devel-
opment of good roads in the various
States, the extension of industrial
training and the development of
agricultural lands and perfection
of agricultural methods, so the
Federal Government has a like in
terest in the development of ma
tional efficiency through the
prompt bringing together of work
ers seeking employment and en-
ployers seeking workers.
Furthermore, the problem Of an
efficient employment service tran
sends State lines. An effective
adjustment of labor supply and la
Dor demand frequently means move
ments of workers from one State to
another. The Federal Government
is the one power which can secure
sufficient uniformity of method and
interchange of information to ac-
complish the required results. The
United States Employment Service,
for example, has been instrumental
in transferring between States an
average during the year OF 1919 OF
over 5000 workers month.
"The goal toward which the pro-
posed legislation is aimed is To-
cally operated system to which the
Federal Government contributes an
amount equal to that contributed
by the State, the Federal contribu-
ton being conditioned upon COM
pliance with uniform rules, regu-
lations and standards of efficiency
required by the national service.
For such a system, numerous prece-
dents exist.
Existing conditions, varying
largely in the different States, and
the immediate national necessity OF
meeting the problems of soldier re-
placement and industrial readjust-
ment complicate the attaining OF
such an ultimate system. Many OF
the States have not as yet realized
the responsibility for establishing
public employment offices and in
them no State system exists. In
number of others there is State
employment system, but one which
is entirely inadequate. At the
present time in only very few OF
the States are conditions such that
the ultimate conception of an en-
ployment service which has been
set forth, can be put in operation at
once"
TRY uPIIIE RIPRON" Cigar &c