The spectator., 1920-11-09
AMERICAN BRANCH OF INTERNAL TIoNAL LABOR OFFICE RE.
 PORTS ON RUSSIA.
OFFICE NOW GOING CONCERN
Brief Description of It's Constitution, With It's Diplomatic and Scientific Divisions and Its Six Technical Sections
By JAMES p. HORNADAY.

now has an active branch here. Through this branch both employers and employees are obtaining, for dis tributi0n on an extensive scale. the re- port which the scientific division has rendered on conditions in soviet Rus sia. The report presents an intimate picture of the horrible conditions eX- isting throughout Russia. and it is as serted that no American workingman can study it without feeling of dis gust
 The international labor office is now q going concern. II consists of two parts, the International labor confer ence, which is held once year or oftener, and the international labor office itself, with headquarters at Ge- neva. This last in turn is subdvided into two principal divisions. d diplo- matic division and a scientific division. The international labor conference is made up of delegates from all the member states. four from each, two of whom are direct representatives of
 
 the government in agreement with the labor organizations, one in agreement with the organizations of employers. As many of the states, notably in South America. have as yet no organizations of either employers or employees, in the working out of the representation the governments are found to contrib ute a preponderating majority.
 Makeup of the Office.
 The international labor office con- bers, of which l2 are government ofli- cials. six represent the employers and six labor. Eight of the government members are selected from the eight countries of chief industrial impor- tance, viz: Belgium. France. Great Britain, Italy. Japan. Germany. Swift zerland and Spain. The four other countries represented are Argentina. Canada. Poland and Denmark but Denmark figures in the list only in the place of the United States. and would retire should the United States ever enter the League of Nations and so become eligible tc membership in the international labor office. The dl- rector general of the international la Dor office Is Albert Thomas of France and the deputy director general liar old B. Butler of Great Britain. who already had served as secretary gen eral of the international labor con ference convened under authority of congress by President Wilson in Wash ington in 1919.
 The international labor office in turn is divided into two principal divisions. a diplomatic division and q scientific division. F.. J. Phelan of Great Brit ain Is chief of the former. and Dr. Royal Meeker, formerly United States commissioner of labor statistics. is chief of the scientific division. Mir. Meeker Is recognized as the leading expert of the world in the compilation of statistical data relating to labor, and his appointment was made wholly upon merit.
 Six Technical Sections.
 So far the international labor office has correspondents in five countries England. France, Italy, Denmark and the United States. The American cor respondent serves unotiicially. of course. as far as the United States IS concerned. and the expenses of the of flee are paid wholly from the funds of the central organization. with which the United States government has noth- Ing 10 do. In addition to tEe foregoing are siY technical sections as fol- lows Unemployment. under the dlrec- ton of AIr. l.. Varlez: emigration. un- der Dr. w. A. Riddeil: seamen. under !. Randall: agriculture. under Dr G. Di Palma Castiglione Dr. Di Palma Castiglione attended the Washington conference us one of the delegates from luly); Russian inquiry, under Dr. q. Parle Dr parde was the dep uty secretary general in charge of edit Ing and translation of the Washington conference) social insurance. under ]. J. de Roode, and cooperation under Dr. c. FauQuet. As the work of the DfiiGp DrOETcSStS btIftT ScCtIuIlS Nlil DS organized.
 The scope of the work of the scien- Fife division Is much broader than q mere compilation nf the labor and in Mstrinl data. Very little idea of ths character of this work Is conveyed by the statement that the division pre- pares the ngenda for the international labor conference. Another conference will be held In Geneva, April I. 1921 and already a study of the topics 10 b, discussed there is in course of prep 1 aration.
 Rcd croes Plans for Europe. According to Dr. Livingstone Far rand, chairman of the central commit tee of the American Red Cross. wh, has just returned from Europe, tn, greatest of the problems confrontin,
 Europe today pertains to the 1i.-00, 900 war orphans and the additionn
 millions of undernouriyhed. cncared-fo
 children who In . few years will rs