The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-01-03

Washington, December 31.-(Spe-
cial correspondence)-There has long
been widespread feeling that the
u. S. Employment Service has been
claiming credit for lot of accom-
plishments to which it is not entitled,
but until recently no one has had the
courage to come out openly and ex-
press the conviction. The Department
of Labor has been in possession OF
all the. information of a definite ma
ture, so no one on the outside was in
position to combat its claims, with
specific statements. Some of the
claims have been so preposterous as to
receive little credit but no one SEEM
ed to be in a position to make a
sweeping denial of the credit the EN-
ployment Service claimed.
Now, however, the employment
supervisor of large ship-building
company near Philadelphia has chal-
lenged the claims of the Government
Employment Service, and it is. likely
that there will be others to tell what
they know about it. c. J. brennan,
Of the Sun Shipbuilding Company is
the man who is quoted on the sub
ject. 81 understand that the state
bureau of the u. S. Employment Ser
vice sets up the claim that it supplied
1903 workmen and 1894 work
women to the plants and shipyards in
the state" says Mr.. brennan. think
of it, an impractical, inexperienced
and poorly organized labor employ
ment department placing more en-
ployees in jobs than there were places
to fill in all the Eastern Pennsylvania
war-working plants combined. 1t is
absurd and will not down with the
knowing ones"
Mr.. brennan cites two illustrations
of the manner in which laborers were
supplied to shops. In July, 1918, the
Service, he says, brought
five men from st. Louis to work in the
boiler shops, and in August eleven
more were brought for the same pur-
pose. "These men were said to be
first-class boiler-makers. / personally
investigated the complaint lodged
against these men by our foremen
and found that not one of them had
ever worked at boiler-making. They |
to me that they had |
simply taken advantage Of an oppor-
tunity to enjoy first class ride at the
expense of Uncle SAM" Not count
ing the cost of employing an agent !
to hunt up these men, the cost Of
the 16 was over $3.50.
Since the armistice was signed, the
Service has been issuing
numerous bulletins designed to i'm
press Congress with the need of keep
ng up its appropriation. Undoubt-
IDLY the records of the Service will
show that it has directed large num-
,ers of men to jobs, and the Service
will claim credit for having secured
obs for the men and women for the
he jobs, even though the two would
nave been brought together if there
lad been no Employment Service Bu-
-eau. The fact is that there has been
such an unlimited demand for help of
Ill kinds in every part of the country
hat no man has been without job
f he would accept one.
AS one means Of impressing the
country with the necessity of continu-
lnce of its large appropriations, the
Service has. asked shipyards to con-
inue to employ help through the En-
,loyment Service. Large employers
ire to be forbidden to make direct ne
rotations with soldiers about to be
discharged from the army. In order
o have a reason for continuance of its
appropriations, the Service must have
sort of monopoly of the employment
even to the extent of dis
ouraging an employer from making
lis own selections Of employees on
is own knowledge of men and employ
nent methods.
1t is not at all unlikely that before
congress completes the investigation
f the manner in which appropriations
ave been expended, there will be an
INQUIRY into the expenditures Of the
100000 fund placed at the disposal
+ the U. S. Employment Service.