The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-19
Employment Service Discon-
tinued for Lack of Funds
To Maintain It.
RESPON-
SIBLE FOR SITUATION
Government Plans to Aid Dis
charged Soldiers to Obtain
Employment Defeated.

washington, March 13.-ReductlOn
of 80 per cent in the force OF the
United States employment service, ef-
fective March %, was announced to-
day by Director General Densmorr.
This was made necessary it was ex-
planned, by the failure OF congress TO
provide funds to continue the work.
Mr.. Densmore said the number Of
employment Offices would be reduced
from $50 to Sc, but that none Of the
work in direct connection with the
return OF soldiers and sailors to civil
ian employment would be discontin-
ued.
'"The reduction of the employment
service cuts it to the bone" said Mr.
Densmore The special work Of
placing engineers and other highly
trained persons handicapped by old
age and physical disability, vocational
guidance for juveniles, the trade
tests for skilled workers and the
training Of employment examiners
must all cease March %.
"The maintenance of . skeleton
administrative organization in Wash
ington and the States and the con-
tinuance Of camp representatives, SOL
diers' bureaus and the clearance sys-
/ tenn together with sc branch offices
! in industrial centers. will, however,
permit the directing Of national en-
| ployment work by the employment
service and enable it to resume full
| operation when congress appro-
PIRATES funds
Secretary Wilson, in a statement
| tonight explaining the plan for re-
tanning a skeleton organization CT
the. service. disclosed that the ser
vice could not draw on President vii
sons s100,O00,000 war emergency
fund because practically all Of it has
been spent or pledged.
After the urgent deficiency bill was
killed i'm the flibuster in the q closing
| hours Of the last session of the SEN
ate, Secretary Wilson appealed to the
president. He received this reply by
radio from the presidential shin
George Washington at sea:
Regret nothing so much as the
discontinuance of the work Of tho
employment service bureau, but the
fact is that including pledges mad"
my fund is practically exhausted.
What remains would not suffice to
maintain the bureau and to my great
grief I see no escape from disbaad-
n1ent hope that it will be possible
to keep a skeleton organization"
Secretary Wilson announced that
the employment service would be re-
organized on basis that would en-
able it to Utilize the voluntary serv-
ices Of individuals and organizations
to continue the work Of finding place.
! for returned soldiers and sailors.
! Fortunately" said Secretary Viii
son, the employment service in car
rying out the work entrusted to its
charge had organized 1915 commun-
ity boards, nearly 1000 bureaus for'
i returning soldiers without expense to
| the government and had secured the
cooperation Of the council of nationa;
! defense. the State ard municipal ON
ployment agencies, the 1--WE great wei
| fare associations engaged in war
work, and many other church and
welfare organizations in locating work
[! for demobiliZed soldiers and war
workers. The hearty cooperation Of
these agencies has been assured in
tiding oyer the interim until the re-
convening Of congress.
I'VE shall maintain our representa-
tives in the demo5ilizat!on camps and
shall keep right on getting the rec
ords' of soldiers returning on the
transports and forwarding them to
the bureau for returning soldiers.
and will maintain an administrative
organization in Washington, and
each Of the States to direct the work,
and about 80 employment Offices in
the principal industrial centers.
"Inasmuch as the deficiency item
passed the house unanimously and
was unanimously reported by the ap-
preparation committee in the senate
we are confident that as soon as con-
gress meets sufficient funds Will be
made available to continue the work
which is being done in finding posi-
tons for returning soldiers and civil
ian workers."
While Dr. Densmore was sending
orders today to federal directors Of
the service for the States. reports
reaching headquarters here showed
there had be a heavy increase in
unemployment during the past five
days, 60 per cent of. the reporting in !
dustrial centers having large labor
surpluses. This fact together with |
the fact that the work Of the 1000 |
bureaus for returning soldiers is
closely allied with that Of the service
led the director general to predict
that most OF the $50 employment bu
reaus would be maintained by the
communities in which they are locat
ed
Mr.. Densmore announced today the
arrival in France of Harold Stone.
superintendent Of the bu-
reau for returning soldiers. and sail
crs, who has been commissioned to-
for putting soldiers on the
and in the embarkation
points in touch with the job finding
facilities Of the employment service
in this country.