The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-07-09
UNCLE SAM MAY
De tOb-CETTER
NEW SERVICE EFFECTIVE IF
CONGRESS TAKES FAVOR
ABLE ACTION.
CONSIDER AT NEXT SESSION
Bills Are in Both Houses Employing
Provisions Drawn by Conference on
Unemployment - Hope to Obtain
More Effective Cooperation.
BY JAMES p. HoRNADAY.


Washington.-Uncle Sam us a job
getter for everybody is the plan of
Secretary William Wilson of the de-
partment of labor. 1t is a service that
will get in full swing as soon as con-
gress sanctions the service, and grants
the necessary funds.
State and municipal agencies will
play the important role in the, work,
under the program agreed upon by
officials of the labor department. The
federal authorities, it is planned, will
center their activities In the operation
of a clearing house Of labor, and in
general supervision Of the work of the
state branches.
Pending legislation before congress
is 4cheduled for early consideration at
the next session, the bills in both SEN
ate and house embOdying provisions
drawn by the conference on unemploy-
ment, held last year, at the call Of
Secretary Wilson. The purpose Of the
measure is to bring state and munich
pal employment agencies into more
effective cooperation with the federal
service by means of subsidies to the
several states to encourage them to
establish and maintain, according to
standards laid down by the central
federal office, agencies for the place
ment or job getting of workers.
A federal labor agency is not ex-
actly new, being originated as an
agency for the better distribution of
immigrant labor, and so expanded for
the war as to assume practically alb
solute control of the distribution Of
all labor. The labor recruiting of pri-
vate and semi-public agencies was
then restricted, If not prohibited, so
that for the war period the supply Of
labor came through $50 government
operated employment offices.
Plan Calls for Expansion.
But with the termination Of the
war, there came a gradual reduction
in the scope and influence Of the serv-
Ice until now the active work Of job
getting is done by the public employ
ment offices of the states and cities.
Activities of these local offices are tab
ulated by the federal department for
clearinghouse purposes, and effort
also is made to stimulate and co-or-
dinate the work of the states.
The new plan in the main calls for
continuation and expansion of the
present service-the big problem now
being to establish a more effective
system of interstate clearance. Such
department officials say, will result
from pending legislation by which
financial aid can be given the states
The present federal service does moi
maintain any employment offices Of
it's own, but works through the locally.
operated exchanges. In those statei
where a public system Of employment
agencies is operating, the head of thai
| system is a dollar-a-year man of thu
federal employment service, while IL
other states, the state labor commits
sioner or someone else designated b!
| the governor acts for the federal serv
ice. Thus In 40 states, the fedora
service now has cooperative arrange
ments, while In the others there is n,
cooperation between state and fed
eral service. Altogether 227 local EN-
ployment exchanges are joined IN witt
the federal service.
The state representatives and direc
tors are merely channels of communl
cation Through which the state ant
municipal offices report to the fedora
service The local Offices report tn
| surplus DEMONSTRATIONS or help-wante,
calls to the state director or fedora
representative, and these are matche
against each other so that through tn
state director there is presumabl
| maintained,a system Of clearance b