The sun., 1919-08-17
MANY EX-SERVICE
MEN SEEKING WORK
Statistics Show Hundreds Are
in Dire Financial Distress
at Present.

How long the average ex-hshter takes
to ind position, how many Jobs he has
quit since leaving the service and how
many men have been unable to obtain
work since they were discharged, is
dwelt on in a statement issued last night
by Alfred L. Smith. executive secretary
Of the Unemployment Committee for Sol
diers, Sailors and Marines. Mr.. Smith
quotes statistics to show that many men
have been unable to get employment
since they were honotRbly discharged
and that consequently There are hun
dreds who are in dire financial straits.
''The other day when 3S5 new appli-
cants called at the unemployment bu-
reau for positions of various kinds we
kept an account to ascertain whether or
not these men were really UP against
a situation which prevented them from
obtaining work. whether or not they had
obtained jobs and whether or not they
were changing from one place to another
In an effort to get more pay. :.
I'VE found that out of the ass men
there were $40 Of them who had not
found work since they were discharged
from the service. That these men could
not find work Is evinced by the fact that
they applied at the Unemployment bu-
reau. The average man does not go to
bureau unless ne cannot find a position
himself. We have ascertained that most
men try to get positions on their own
accord before they come to the bureau.
1--WE also found that out of twenty
four men who were discharged last De-
,, cember eight OF them had not been
able to ind employment Fifteen OF
them had had one position One man
had three.
"out of Awenty-slx men who left the
service last January there were eight
who had not been working and eighteen
who had had one job each.
"Twenty-three of the applicants had
been discharged in February. or this
number five had not been working
There. were sixteen men who had had
one position each and two men who had
had two Jobs each.
There were twenty-six of the men
| who had been discharged in March.
| Nine of them had been jobless ever
since. Sixteen had held down one job
each and one had secured tive positions
/ "Out of thirty-two men who received
their honorable discharges In April there
| were twelve who had not found work
Twenty Of them had held down one place
each.
"In May there were fifty of the appli-
cants discharged. Twenty-six Of them
had not found work. Twenty-four
|
| Der had left two positions.
"A count showed that seventy-six had
| left the colors in June. OF this number
ffty-one of them had been vainly seek
| ing employment. Twenty-Five OF them
had one JOB each.
Last month 12S Of the applicants
were discharged. Out Of that num-
Der there were 121 who had not secured
employment The other seven had each
| left the one job he had obtained.
These figures ahow that out OF this
number there was only one man who
had held down three jobs which did not
suit him or for which he was not quail
ified. There were only flve men who
left two positions each. Those who
had left one Job each totalled 13s.
"It is lamentable to think that there
were eight former service men who had
not been able to find work since last
December.
'These ex-fighters are not looking fol-
work and hoping they won't find it
! ''When a man is discharged from the
| service he gets his back pay, his rail-
road fare and a bonus of $50. 1t Is
almost needless to state that a man
cannot exist in New York very long or
that capital"