The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-11-08
WOULD AVERT F..
BREAD LINES.
Labor Legislators Seek Law to
Danish Fear Of Widespread
Unemployment Crisis.

SuSssS'Sy"Ss ~
NEW YORK, Nov. swim official
reports from vital industrial centers
Indicating that q period OF VIDE
spread unemployment has arrived IN
the United States. there is urgent
need of adopting constructive.
permanent program OF RELIEF ana
prevention along the lines OF the new
and far-reaching unemployment In
surance act which goes into effect
today In Great Britain. according 10
q statement issued today by the
American Association for Labor
Legislation.
END BREAD LINES.
An appeal Is made for immediate.
concerted efforts TO avert q repeti-
ton of the tragic bread line OF
Is14-15.
six years ago we had months OF
industrial depression" says the secre-
tary, John b. Andrews. Hundreds OF
thousands OF workers were without
Jobs. Municipal lodging houses over
flowed into city morgues, where ioot-
sore and discouraged men on onter
winter nights slept In rows on the
floor. We even had nightly raids on
the churches by men who admitted
they came to sleep In the pewa We
had bread lines.
Committees were organised. con-
ferences were held, and many iine
dinners were enjoyed where the un-
employed were discussed. Mobs
marched upon city halls, ana invesn-
gators gathered statistics. Meanwhile,
desperate housewives overturned
push-carts upon the public streets
while rude workmen accustomed TO
meat were gently advised to \eat fish
.Tn the course Of months" DR.. An
drews continues, industrial condi-
lions improved. And with tho pass
ing of that crisis, public interest In
unemployment likewise passed away.
It Is one Of the tragedies OF this
problem in America that public at
tention can be directed to 1t only In
time of crisis, when energ es must be
concentrated chiefly upon temporary,
charity relief. Another popularity OF
this problem Is that as surely as
night follows day and sparks fly up
ward-one Industrial crisis follows
another. Abundant signs now ndi-
cate that we are to be revisited
soon"
UNDER NEW LEADERS.
DR.. Andrews asks whether legisla-
tors believe that the army Of unem-
ployed in 1920-21 will be without
leaders this time to dramatize the
social and industrial responsible ty
for the plight Of the workers
''They will have a different leader
ship" he says. "They will not have
forgotten the prolonged committee
) greetings and half promises of only
Blk years ago. They may even sug-
gest that profiteering-excess We
prices-led the public to strike, to
Industrial managers should with i'm
punity stop production. Already
there are evidences Of this as in cir
culars spread among workers declar-
ing that you have produced too
much. That's why you have starved
midst plenty They are demanding
participation in the control of indus
try.
"Out Of the conferences Of six years
ago did come a practical program for
the permanent relief and prevention
of unemployment, including q nation
wide public employment service, sys-
tematic distribution Of public work,
regularization Of industry, and unem-
ployment insurance. But scarcely
beginning has been made toward its
adoption in the United States"
OTHER NATIONS AHEAD.
Other industrial nations. the state
ment asserts, are safeguarding them
selves against the human distress and
social dangers of a hungry army Of
5obless workers.
1.-THE British unemployment insur-
ance act, effective Today" it declares,
"marks the most significant advance
of a decade in this legislation. 1t ex-
pands the original unemployment in
surance law of 1911 50 as to provide
Increased dement's to unemployed
workers, shortens the waiting period
before out-ofwork payments begin,
and extends the scope so as to cover
an additional 5000, 900 workers-mak-
ing a total of 12,OOO,0OO workers in
sured against unemployment-a quar-
ter of the whole population. The
United States Is wholly without this
protection.
Canada. like England and other in
dustrial nations, has now established
. national system of employment bu-
reaus, the machinery OF labor distrL
button that is a prime essential of an
effective program. Yet, in the United
States, the beginnings Of a Federal
State employment service, developed
TO meet the emergency Of war, has
been scrapped by Congress. Forces
must be marshaled to secure the adop-
ton Of an ADEQUATE, permanent sys-
tenn at the December session.
"Public work must be carefully
planned, increasing in slack periods OF
private industry. so as to help equal
re the varying demand for labor.
Nothing beyond q few scattering eff
forts has thus far been attempted to-
ward this end in the United States.
IRREGULARITIES CAUSE.
'Much unemployment Is due to
irregularity OF Industrial Operations
over which the workers have no con-
troll, with fluctuations Of Industry
causing. periodically. an abnormal
excess OF labor supply over labor de-
a.