The labor standard., 1919-03-01
THE GREAT PROBLEM
 OF UNEMPLOYMENT
Labor Turnover Represents An
 Annual Loss ; Running Into Millions of Dollars - U. S.
 Employment Service Beneficial
(New Haven Journal-Courier)

Tn Connecticut. Much of the opinion expressed by those who have little or no information is positively harmful Tn that 1t accentuates to the point of fear the anxiety which more thought full people feel, and feeling are sanely trying to alleviate by providing work. Even in normal times there is degree of unemployment in all communities We forget that fact because of the strain under which all industries in Connecticut were laboring during the war to provide munitions and war sup plies. Then the question was to find workers and more workers. Free Service
 From the number of those who are out of employment at the present time there may we'll be deducted, in calcu- lating present actual conditions, a cer- tain proportion who would be out of work in normal times. The remainder are. in some cases unable to find em- ployment because business has not been stimulated by orders for manu- factures to the extent that the heads of industrial concerns in Connecticut have reason to hope would prove true. To the man who is offered good en- ployment but cavils about a wage, high enough in ordinary times though not of war time amount, little sym pathy goes out. It is to the earnest seeker after work who has to wait because the job is not open that the thought of all should go out. The federal government has not only es- tablished but has under excellent direction in fourteen of the cities of Connecticut employment exchanges where the employer can find much labor in the market and the man who has the time. and skill to sell can find more employers seeking labor than in any other place. and by any other method. To use the local office of the U. s. Employment Service is to save time both for the employer and the employe and it costs abso- lutely nothing. The service is free for the government pays the expenses.
 Short Sighted Employers
 It is curious that in conditions such as these there should be opposition on
 
 more or less frankly antagonistic to organized labor against the continu- ance of this branch of the federal ser vice. Such men are very shortsighted. They are setting up a l1an of straw in their arguments in order to prevent congress from continuing appropri- ation for the service. The opposition which comes from employment agen- cies which charge the worker fee for finding him work, is much more honest and has the basic quality of self-defense but that opposition should not prevent congress from making the appropriation. The fee charging employment agencies to operate with a different attitude to- wards the national labor problem from that of the U. S.. employment ser vice. The former. are interested in a large labor turnoveH, since. the more often men change jobs the more often can fees be collected. The latter de sires to place applicants permanently, as it's stated object is to cut down labor turnover. Thus from the view point of national economy there is nothing to be said for the private agency and everything for the federal service, since labor turnover repre- sents an annual loss running into mill lions of dollars. Again the federal agency offers national service dis tributing labor throughout the coun- try. No private agency can offer any such service as this. Finally, it is too often the case that the private agency profits by exploiting the ignorance and helplessness of it's clients. It is clear that the private agency cannot be accepted as substitute as those in it would have us do-for the service given by this governmental 
 CO-Operatione Necessary
 There was presented to the gen. eral assembly of Connecticut at this session a proposition that the state and the federal government cooper ate, very much as the state through the Council of Defense during the war has co-operated with the Depart ment of Labor in meeting the expense of the employment exchanges in the fourteen cities of the state. What the terms of that proposed agreement will be we do not know, but the CO., operative feature and the sharing of expenses are on a fair basis, as an equal proportion is the allotment sought. The general assembly of Connecticut should not permit opposi- tion on the part of those who at present are opposing the United States employment service for no better req son than they have. advanced so far from depriving the working people of the state of this very efficient and we'll distributed service. Likewise it is to the interest of the manufacturer to take the stand against those who would for personal reasons deprive the commonwealth of real benefit.
 REFUSE EIGHT HOURS.