Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-25

/
its citizens. This conclusion has been
| reached after survey of world con-
ditions as they come to us through the
| press and other current literature, and
from personal observation. Believing
this to be so, I feel that 1 can say that
the continued security of the Govern
ment, the safety of it's people, and the
welfare of the Nation, are largely de-
pendent upon the degree to which its
citizens are permanently employed in
industry and commerce. A present
| issue confronts us all. 1t is the dearth
of present openings to men who are
willing and anxious to work We are
not concerned here with the cause of
this condition. Our efforts should be
expended as far as possible in elimnat-
ing it. 1t seems to me that every agency
that has to do with the matter every
civic organization that aims toward the
betterment of the people, and every en-
ployer of labor should give their ener-
gies to the problem of finding positions
| for men who are qualified and willing to
| fill them.
| The situation which is acute at this
time, will undoubtedly become more so
when the units which are distinctively
These men will be added to the thou
| sands of civilians and soldiers who are
| now knocking in vain at the gates of
our industrial establishments. To keep
our obligation to them we must find
work for them. They have as much
right to expect the fulfillment of our
| contract with them as we had to ex-
| pect them to measure up to the full
-fptt tttn rf a,,I,A 4
of them by the Government. They have
kept the faith with us; we ought not
break our part of the contract.
There are many mills and factories
running on short time, and still others
entirely closed down. Cancellation of
Government contracts probably had
| something to do with this. but whatever
| the cause. we know that there are in
| Pennsylvania to-day thousands of men
who are seeking profitable employment,
and beside this fact many other ques-
| tions which seemed to loom large are
really insignificant. Bare recital of facts
however will be of no avail. A few
practical suggestions in the way of
! creating openings for deserving men
seem to me OF more Importance.
Let the municipal officials who in
tend to make improvements in the fu-
ture, make these improvements now. If
the streets are in need of repairs, there
is no better time to begin than now. If
water mains or sewer pipes must be
replaced, now is the time to do it. Lack
of money may be pleaded as a cause for
not doing this work, but there are many
municipalities in our Commonwealth
whose borrowing capacity has by no
means reached its limit. and whose
bonds could be easily floated for these
laudable purposes Then, too. they
might cause the public utilities in their
communities, by persuasion or other
wise, to make some Of the extensions
and improvements which they have been
holding in allegiance on account of the
war.
We are anxious to convey to employ
ers the idea that they should give us
the advantage of every possible OPEN
ing. The matter OF taking an extra
employe or two, may seem of small i'm
portance to them, and a thing that can
be done next week as we'll as this, but
If each employer will take on at once
as many men as he consistently can, the
aggregate will be sufficient to make an
impression on the ranks of the unem-
ployed. This is a matter in which the
old adage "That every little bit helps"
is most applicable.
It is my thought that in the matter of
giving out employment, a civilian who
has patriotically done his duty during
the period of the war, should not be de-
MED work on account of not having had
an opportunity to wear the uniform be-
cause of his age or physical defects. 1t
is equally my opinion that no patriotic
employer would discriminate against a
man who has honorably worn the uni
form of his country in the late struggle.
More especially is this true of the en-
ployer in whose service the man was at
the time of his entering the war. 1t
strikes me, that If the employer hung
out n service flag and this flag contained
a star for the man who was in the serv-
ice, it was an indication that the man
should be constructively on leave OF alb
sence from an employer to enter
the service of the Government. Any
other way of looking at it would not
leave the employer free to place the
star on his service flag. Looking at it
from this view, the seniority rule which
has been invoked in some instances and
the soldier, would be in many cases
annulled.
Observations leave me to believe that
there are some we'll authenticated cases
in which soldiers have been discrimin-
ated against. They certainly cannot
be lacking in physical endurance, nor in
mental qualifications. The training they
have had and habits of obedience and
duty, ought to make them more valuable
than before going into the Army. Ger
tainly the employers seeking out men
who were liable to cause the spread of
foreign harmful doctrines, would not
seek them amongst ex-service men.
It certainly cannot be the responsible
| heads of the corporations or firms who
/ must be some subordinate who is mis-
| using the temporary authority to the
great detriment to the employer, ex-
soldier and of the country.
Another matter which we think ought
to be given thoughtful consideration, is
this: The rule of some public utilities
and organizations is that seniority
| rights shall be the governing standard
/ in giving men employment and promo
ton. providing the persons to whom this
right may apply, are qualified and effi-
cient. In determining whether the SOL
| dier or civilian deserves this right, we
have come to the conclusion that in very
! few cases is it possible for those who
| took the places of men who left to enter
| tho aarutnao n baya nioritIy RIGHT nyar