The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-07-15
BY JAMES p. HoRNApAv.

kttOtr lor tNeTyDDuy Is Ine pan OF
Secretary William Wilson of the de-
partment Of labor. IL 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, 1t is planned. will
center their activities In the operation
| Of clearing house of labor, and In
general supervision of the work of the
state branches.
Pending legislation before congress
is scheduled 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.
federal labor agency is not ex-
actly new, being originated as an
agency for the better distribution Of
Immigrant labor and so expanded for
| A 70 attn h
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 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 fol
clearinghouse purposes, and effort
also IL made to stimulate and co-or
dinate the work of the states.
The new plan in the main calls for
continuation and expansion of tn
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 not
maintain any employment offices OF
its own. but works through the locally
operated exchanges. In those states
where a public system of employment
agencies is operating. the head of that
system Is a dollar-a-year man of the
federal employment service, while In
other states, the state labor commits
soner or someone else designated by
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 M
cooperation between state and fed
eral service. Altogether 22Z, local EN-
ployment exchanges are Joined In with
the federal service.
The state representatives and direc
tors are merely channels of communi
cation through which the state an(
municipal offices report to the fedora
service. The local offices report tn,
surplus Of registrations or help-wante(
calls 10 the state director or fedora
representative, and these are matched
against each other so that through tn,
state director there is presumabl.
tween the local offices.
Establish Clearance Zones.
With the problem of getting bette
interstate clearance before II. the fed
eral service is now establishing clear
ance zones by dividing the country In
20 Is divisions to correspond general,
with the reserve bank districts. Eacl
zone will be In the charge OF a PAL,
agent of the federal service. and will
check labor supply and demand of on,
zone against that of another. Inter
zone or national clearance. II q
planned. will be effected through
Washington.
Men and women and boys and girl
all will be cared for by the fedora
service. The junior division for tn,
boys and girls, now in the initia
stages Of development. also Is a co
operative movement between the la
Dor department and public schools an,
other agencies interested in juvenil,
problems. Aided by government funds
the school authorities will maintain
employment offices, with local ofiicialI
in active charge of Job getting. anC
the federal service setting standard
and furnishing guidance and counse
IN the work.
To build up a staff of trained yo
cational guidance workers for tn.
child workers. the federal service viii
establish study scholarships in the uni
versltles Of the country. -Four alread,