The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-04
CHICAGO RIOTS MAY STOP NEGRO
 LEAVING SOUTH
Economic Expert Fears a Great Shortage of Labor
 As Result.
COLORED LABOR IS
 ORGANIZING UNIONS
Dearth of Aliens Has Com plicated Industrial Prob
 lem in U. S.

Philadelphia, Aug. 4.-Race r4o<- Ing in Chicago and other Northern cities may have tho effect of checking Q new migration of negroes from the south predicted here by economic ex- perts, and to some extent already un- der way as n result of the shortage of common labor caused by the return of aliens to Europe. John K. Linn. employment manager for the Penn sylvantn Railroad Company lines east of Pittsburgh, has announced that the systcrn has revoked its rule against employing negroes in section gangs and for other common labor.
 This action was taken recently only because 1t was no longer possible to keep the track gangs to the requisi te strength by employing only whites. Before the war it was the settled pol fey of the railroad not to employ ne- groeS in it's section gangs. although there was no definite ruling against them elsewhere. The war time labor shortage forced the road to rescind Its rule and thousands of negroes
 were brought Into Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Delaware and other states by the company, along with about six thousand Mexicans. All but a few hundred of the Mextcans w'ere sent back some months ago under the or isfnal agreement entered into with them and the company had stopped hiring negroes.
 The exodus of aliens rnade itself felt in this State about two months ago. according to Mir. Linn. Districts where labor had been plentiful since the signing of the armistice report ed that they were unable to get enough men to i'll their gangs. For some time the situation has been so serious that tho railroad has been considering the advisability of import inr Mexicans a-ain. It's employment experts agree that a new migration of negroes Is almost certain
 This coincidcs with the view of pr. Francis D. Tyson, professor eco nomics and sociology at the Univer- sity of Pittsburgh, who is now teach ing at the University of Pennsylvania summer school. pr. Tyson collabo- rated in the Department of Labor re- port on the northward movement of ne groes during the war, reporting on their conditions of life and employ ment fin most of the large Northern industrial and munitions districts. He is therefore particularly qualified to speak with authority on the question.
 Ir the opinion of this expert tho United States cannot expect a new supply of alien labor until 1921, at the very least. Assuming that noth- ing is done by Congress to check irn- migration, conditions in Europe will prevent any large influx in the mean lime. Indications are multiplying that industry will experience some thing like a boom by September-at least. there will be definite re- vival of activity fin many lines of bu siness that have been Curtailed dur ing the war. This will mean an iTn- mediate demand for common labor.
 "A new migration of negroes un- der these conditions Is inevitable" eays pr. Tyson. ''The industries that need largo numbers of common labor are the basic, essential industries wi thout which business cannot ex- pand very far-steel, iron, the rail- roads and tho mines. Various esti- mates have been made of the number of aliens who will return to Europe. come of them doubtless exaggerated. | but it is not necessary to consider them. For four years immigration has been virtually suspended. In the year ending June 30, 1914, about L. 300. 900 aliens entered this country. In the next year the immigration dropped to about one-third of a mill Hon
 "Even before the United States entered the war the demand for labor to become abnormal. In dustry turned to the great labor mar lSets of the South, and between May of 1916 and September of 1918 more than n half million negroes, 75 per cent. male. had come North. This
 I.J. country had been absorbing from Flu rope in previous years. Investigation has shown that the negro race move ments are strikingly similar to those of Europeans. About one-third of those who came from the South to do war work now have returned to their homes
 ITO meet the situation that will arise when business strikes some thing like its normal pace again employers must turn to the South. look to geo also q great increase fin the number of women workers In 1910 the cen sus reported something moro than 1 8 .O0O. .OO0 women fin industry. about l han of them under twenty-five years l of age, and I would not be surprised | to find that the 1920 census will show 12.OOo, 900 women wo-kers-in other |
 
 four a woman.
 This however. will not solve the | problem of common labor. It has | been said that returning soldiers will | need jobs. But they will not take the | kind of jobs that will be plentiful in | the steel and railroad industries and | .u the mines. Men who went away | as common 1aborers are returning | with the definite idea of betterinE | their position. The Southern negro | seems to be the answer nearest to hand. I believe 1t would also be a good thing to import from 50.OO0 to 100. 900 Porto Ricans under Govern ment control or direction, preferably | under some kind of a contract labor plan"
 Surveys fin the Pittsburgh district show that all the large industries of western Pennsylvania already have felt the pinch of the common labor shortage. The same is true in many farming regions. and farmers the State are employing negroes for this kind of work. In the steel districts in addition to those who have a-rcady left for Europe. the of steamship and Govern
 r A