Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-03-18
Failure of Congress to Provide
Funds for Employment Bu-
reau May Be Remedied by
Volunteer Workers.
CLEARING HOUSE FOR
LABOR Is C0SlDERED
Elaborate Machinery viii Not
Be Constructed and SkeIe-
ton Organization of Employ
nent Service to Be Used.

Washington, March i7.-Govern-
mental agencies called together by
the council of national defense or
ganiZed today the emergency COM
mittee on employment for soldiers
and sailors as a step toward filling the
gap caused by rehabilitation of
eighty per cent of the field force Of
the United States employment serv-
ice for which congress failed to pro-
vide funds.
A committee on plans was appoint
ed to collect Immediately all avail
able information as 10 work being
done and prepare comprehensive
plan of operations. Grosvenor b.
Clarkson, director of the council is
chairman, the other members being
Colonel Arthur Woods, special as
sistant to the secretary of war, John
w. Hallowell of Boston and f. II.
Greenwood of the council
"ln entering into the situation, the
council seeks merely to act as a clear
ing house for utilizing rapidly all
agencies dealing with the unemploy-
ment problems" Mr.. Clarkson told
the meeting. THE councils function
is not in any way to transcend the
function of any department con-
cerned"
"Solemn Obligation"
Colonel Woods told the committee
that it was the solemn obligation
of the government to help service
men in returning to civil life, prob
lem which he said concerned the
minority, not the majority of dis
charged soldiers and sailors.
,l, ~ 4 l.
have been improved by their expert
ence in the army and are ambitious
for something better than before" he
said Il feel that this ambition
should be encouraged However,
during the period OF readjustment
these men should ie.fame their old
employment If nothing better shows
at once and ! think they will all find
their old employers glad to have them
again"
Colonel Woods said it was nC<p in
tended to create any elaborate ma
chnery for the work, but to use the
skeleton organization of the United
States employment service and the
existing 1000 volunteer bureaus for
furnishing jobs to service men, He
declared nothing could be accom-
plished by creating sentiment for
ruthless discharge of worthy civilians
and said readjustments could be
made which would make unnecessary
any such action.
Appeal to Employers.
Elliott Goodwin, general secretary
of the chamber of commerce of the
United States, announced that an an
peal was being made to employers,
on whom rest the responsibility OF
hiring discharged soldiers and sailors
to assist in the work.
Other members of the emergency
committee are Franklin ID. Roosevelt,
assistant secretary of the navy; e.
N. Hurley. chairman of the shipping
board Nathan A. Smith assistant di-
rector general of the United states
employment service; G.. |. Christie.
assistant secretary of agriculture; B.
S. Cutler, chief, and r. e. Macelwce.
assistant chief of the bureau OF for
eign and domestic commerce.; Nat
thew Vol, American Federation of
Labor; d. j. Ayers, department of
the interior; A. L. Brunson. federal
board for vocational education and
d. M. Reynolds, assistant to the III
rector, council of national defense