The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-21
PREDICTS 100000
SHORTAGE IN LABOR
Col. Arthur Woods Advises
Employers to Make Repairs
without Delay.
SEES BIG CHANGE SOON
Opening Of "Spruco Up Cam
paign" Announced at Manu-
facturers Meeting.

81 talked with a man the other day, @
returned soldier with an honorable rec
ord, and asked him IL he had q job.
He told me that he had not been able to
get one since he came back. I asked him
what he did before he went TO war and
he told me that he had been an elevator
operator. / asked him II he could not
get a similar Job. His reply was (:
What? On an elevator? Just to run
the damn thing up and pull 1t down
again. What the hell's the use p
The speaker was Col. Arthur Woods,
former New York Police Commissioner,
now In charge OF the unemployment SER
vice OF the War Department and he was
addressing the delegates to the twenty
fourth annual convention of the National
Association OF Manufacturers, in session
at the Waldorf. on the general problem
OF finding Jobs for returned soldiers.
Col. Woods told the story of the ele-
vator only to illustrate his point that re-
turned soldiers applying for work came
back with . broadened vision and a de-
sire to do things worth while. In addi-
ton Col. Woods warned the employers
or labor against a possible labor short
age, announced the inauguration by his
organization OF a Spruce Up Cam
paign," and advised employers to insure
against the possible labor shortage by
taking advantage Of present conditions
to put into effect contemplated repairs,
extensions. renovntions. to arrange for
'epainting and q general sprueing up
necessary TO meet the era Of prosperity
To come.
THE surplus Of labor" said Col.
Woods, rs moving toward n shortage.
One thing the employers can do Is to re-
employ their old men. Tho army and
navy are prepared to give a citation to
all employers who will reemploy the men
that left them to 60 into either service.
All that is necessary to get this citation
y TO write to me and say that every man
hat has returned has been reemployed.
But there Is q prosperity drive com-
ing. and while we have been saving
money to buy bonds and meet the vari-
Gus drives that are being conducted,
| many employers have neglected repair
| and extension work. Now is the time to
| do this work when labor is available, be-
| cause q little later On II may not be so
available. The more employers that
spruce UP now TO meet the prosperity
that Is coming the moro jobs there will
be, and that IL the only question in
| which l am Interested for the moment
THE men that have returned from the
| war are not looking for charity They
do not believe that the country owes
| them a living-although God knows 1t
| does, II ever a nation did. But they are
here again among US with an ideal
whether they know 1t or not They want
to make the world d better place to live
| In. and the first essential Is for tho old
employers to welcome them back with
the glad hand.
Make the returned soldier feel tina,
the folk back home are glad to see him
back. Don't sit with a cigar in your
| mouth and tell him to see the chief clerk
Get up and shake him by the hand and
tell him that the old Job. or a better one,
Is there waiting for him."
Col Woods quoted figures to chow that
for the next year American industry
would be about 100000 men short OF
| tho period before the war. Immigration
has been reduced 100000, he said, and
| this with the million and half or more
| men who will still be retained in the
| army and industries such as bodybuilding
will further reduce the available supply
| In addition, he pointed out, Increased
| demands for farm labor and labor or
public works, delayed by reason of the
war, would still further affect the labor
| situation.
/ THE country is $4,000. 600. 900 behind
| In its public works. and We are trying &c
get this work going because the more
that gets under way the more Jobs there
will be for soldiers" said Col. Woods
| For this reason the employers of the
country should consider the possibility
OF a shortage and take all the labor II
can to insure against such a contin-
gency."