Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-16
LABOR OUTLOOK

| Y
wv are still trying to find places
for many applicants for jobs
business observers continue to pre-
dict a labor shortage before the
end of the summer. A writer in
the American Exchange National
| Banks current bulletin expresses the
belief that what is really happening
is that the soldiers being returned
from the other side are coming
home in divisions and regiments
tdrawn from the same communities
and when they are released from
: service it frequently throws a large
number of them into the labor mar
ket. Their absorption into industry
| leaves the field, or certain parts of it,
bare of idlers and the fact is so
noted. Before the ink is dry on this
announcement, another batch of re-
turned soldiers is released. One has
but to contrast the great number
of men who have left off khaki
since November with the slight
amount of unemployment to realize
how greatly production and distribu-
ton have improved, he observes.
Were conditions to-day no better
than they were in January, we
would have probably a million or
more unemployed in this country.
As it is, estimates within the past
fortnight of the unemployed give
total for the entire country less
than the number of so-called Job
less in New York City in 1914"
Emigration, he thinks, has helped
somewhat to provide places for re-
turned soldiers although the num-
Der who have left these shores is
far below the number of olive drab
wearers who have returned. There
is considerable concern expressed,
however, over the fact that emigra-
ton is increasing and promises to
swell. Instead of planning ways and
means to provide positions, leaders
of industry in this country fear
labor shortage. Never before in the
grafton reached the stage where
employers have felt concern. Poles,
Bohemians, Italians, former inhabit-
ants of the Balkans, Ukrainians and
Russians are returning in hordes.
many believing that they will now
be able to find opportunities in their
native lands equal to or the superior
of those found in the United States.
1t may be that they will be. disillu-
stoned and ultimately will return to
the United States, but in the mean
time their absence is going to be
felt. A committee of Eastern en-
organized effort is planned to stem
the exodus. Not only are these
foreigners who have been engaged
iii the basic industries returning to
their families, but they are taking
with them the savings of the past
four years, during which it was i'm
possible for the majority of them
particularly the Slavs-to remit
luClI usual dDOdIu.
Another aspect of it is that if there
is a return of 100000 to 100000
persons to the other side just that
many more will have to be fed and
clothed in Europe, increasing the
demands to be made upon the
United States, while at the same
time reducing the available labor
for the supply of those very things
called for on the other side.
This is poor consolation for such
employers as have been anticipat-
ing a lowering of wage scales, but
it will be highly gratifying to the
great bulk of the population and by
no means terrifying to business men
who prefer prosperity with high
wages to dull times with low wages.
Costs are small worries where profits
are good.