Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-12
AS TO LABOR
Commissioner connelley's ofdeIal
View Of the sltuation--Faets About
Its Employment - Some Odd
Agencies In Philadelphia
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

| exact conditions.
Commissioner Connelley is of the opinion
| that the labor situation is gradually read
| Justing itself to post-w conditions.
There is a disposition, he says. widely
| diffused among sober minded working men,
| to look around for permanent positions
rather than for high wages and temporary
employment.
AS the hectic wartime days fade into the
past this tendency to get down to bed rock
basis OF permanent employment grows apace.
The Journey man who fitted from job
to job and place to place wherever the big
gest wages were to be obtained during the
last three years is abandoning his trade
routes He is rapidly awaking to the value
of steady job.
JACOB LIGHTNER, director of the
= Bureau Of Employment in Commissioners
Connelley's department, furnishes some H.
Illuminating figures on this subject.
During the entire year from October, 1918.
to October, 1910, the total number OF
workers seeking employment in the 23S
private employment agencies of the state
was S9.63S.
sought employment. IL was just one fourth
of the number looking for jobs in the entire
year previous.
1t is significant. 1t shows the condition
Of the labor market. And this market will,
as time goes on, be affected by the growing
figures of immigration.
In September, 1910, 10, ,425 persons sought
employment, while, as stated above, in Sep
tember. 1920. one year later, more than
double that number applied for employment.
These figures refer only to the licensed
agencies and do not include free labor
exchanges
THE state has done unusually well, with
out roing to extreme patcrnalism. in
safeguarding the interests of those seeking
employment
Up until five years ago the employment
agency manager was looked upon by good
many people, and those in particular seek
ing domestic service, as an object of sus-
clothing
In the great mass of cases their inference
was unjust. Without adequate laws to gov
ern their management the business did un-
questionably offer opportunities to exploit
the ignorant and the alien. There were
sharks in the business as there arc in every
other field of activity.
One of the fraudulent schemes adoptcd
by INSCRIPTIONS agents was to accept a fee
and then send tho applicant to n confederate
who would give him employment for q couple
of hours and then dismiss the worker as in
competent.
Receipts for fees were often worded so
that an additional fee was charged once the
client obtained work.
monthly or yearly payment was some
times contracted for. this constituting a
mortgage on the workers salary.
A LII this is changed. The applicant is
n now protected on every side.
Every employment agency is licensed. It's
managers or proprictors operate under fixed
laws. Any misrepresentation to an appli-
cant, any overcharge for service, any mis-.
statement of terms is punishable under the
law
Aliens are specially looked after. Nom
payment of wages Is serious offense Of
which the bureau takes cognizance and forces
payment. Last year there were seventy five
complaints of this kind and payments
amounting to S2637 were made to aliens who
otherwise would have been swindled out of
their earnings.
The oldtime "barker'' for an emplovmcnt
office is relic Of the past No agent can
solicit on the street. Nor can he use run
ners or scouts or have subagents.
All contracts and agreements must be an
proved by the state, also the schedule OF
fees.
An employment agent must not take fee
until the applicant for work is referred TO n
bona tdc opening.
T'liE State Bureau presided over by Mr..
L Lightner has had some odd cases.
Employment bureaus run by large en-
ployors to obtain labor for themselves are
exempt from restrictions imposed upon
private copcerns
A favoritc dodge Is for some individual
taking n long chance. by representing him
self rs connected with one Of these agencies
to collect fee from the victim for securing
employment.
Investigators are always on the lookout
for these takers
Two were caught in Philadelphia. proved
guilty and fined $50 and costs.
These men pretended to be bona fde en-
ployes Of well known New York concern.
They had fake letters of authority. Under
pressure they confessed that they were
agents of New York strike breaking de-
tectve bureau and were getting $5 per man
for every strike breaker employed
Two prosecutions were for running n
''charity" bureau with donations from
those who registered. 1t was clever game,
but the man and woman were apprehcpdcd
and prosecuted.
The cleverest offender was an OK criminal.
He had been arrested nine times in two
years. He received a prison sentence.
Ills scheme was to send an applicant to
fake address, collecting in advance q fee
that sometimes ran as high as $25.
THE average Philadelphian will be sur
i prised to know that there are in this
city six employment agencies whose spe-
cialty is supplying technicians and experts
in various tradcs and to manufacturing con
Germs. Their clients are, of course, highly
specialized individuals.
This city has thirty six booking agencies
supplying vaudeville performers.
A very interesting feature of the latter is
that any agent supplying performers for
immoral exhibitions can be prosecuted and
their license to operate cancelled.
To make the matter more binding, a
vaudeville hooking agent cannot obtain i'm.
munity on the plea of ignorance. He is sun
posed to know all about the character of the
act he furnishes and the audience also.
A SHIPPING Office for sailors. of which
n there are twenty two in PhiladcIphia.
comes under the head OF an employment
agency and is licensed as such.
Then there are five agencies devoted ex-
clusvely to securing employment for nurses.
Philadelphia also has four offices where