The Washington times., 1919-05-22
Jobs for the JObless
The Federal Employment Service Should Be Continued

One of the measures suggested by the President in
his message to the reconstruction Congress was con
tnuation of the United States Employment Service hat
admirable organization created by the Department OF Labor
for placing seeking work ;"
Owing to the failure of the Sixty fifth Congress to pro-
vide the necessary funds to carry the work the service
was doing in the placing of soldiers and workers in
peacetime jobs the people-the dspleased constituents
back home-were given an opportunity to express them
selves the matter.
Their disapprova of their representatives. action in
failing provide the funds needed manifested by their
voluntarily subscribing the funds for the continuation Of
this work.
More than 500 offices are being maintained at the pres
emit time BY VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTION to replace
the returning soldier in job.
The rehabilitation of the army is to proceed at a
rapid rate during the next few months The problem of
employment will be of the most important to the
try during that period and for long time to come.
The Federal Employment Service will be more useful
in dealing with this problem during the readjustment
period than it has been during the and should demon
strate its claim to permanent place in the Government
During the war, back of front line trenches stood
the guns back Of the guns stood the munitions factories
and back Of the munitions factories stood the millions Of
Americans that included in the magic word, labor
Eight ten laborers required to keep one fighter
going They the who passed the buckets Of water
to the remen to throw the burning world Had there
been break in the chain Of hands the blaze would have
gotten beyond control
Even so it is with our battles of peace Factories
not operate traders cannot goods ships cannot carry
the productions of America to the four of the
It's passing buckets at fire again There must be enough
in every line but not too many.
During the the United States Employment Service
recruited 100000 in the bucket brigade When the
world FIRE the bucket brigade went back to peace
time jobG The Employment Service played the role of
national labor traffic cop The surplus labor is being
diverted back into avenues and at the close of
its sixteenth months activity than four and half
millions of and had obtained jobs without cost
to them.
The need Of such national clearing house for labor
from economical viewpoint is quite obvious to those
familiar with labor supply and demand.
The United States unemployed is estimated at yearly
average of 100000 The economical loss to the country of
productive efforts of 100000 is each year
If this figure be reduced to average each year of
100000 the economical gain to the country is tremendous
Figuring the low average of mans worth at 50 per
day. by keeping the average down 100000 each day. the
economical saving is 100000 per day to the country
The work of the Washington office of the Employment
Service illustrates to degree at least how useful the
work has BEEN Since its establishment here fifteen months
ago the service has received applications from 1880 job
less and women and of this number the service has
placed 49, 06 without cost to the applicant.
The Federal Employment Service is potential labor
clearing house for the whole country If it retained and
developed convinced that it will become of the
most useful and profitable legacies of the war.