Norwich bulletin., 1921-09-15

Washington, Sept 14-Those who are 1 disturbed over the 5,735,000 unemployed of today overlook that in 1914 there were 7,o00.0o0 out of work, large per c-utaEe of whom were men and actual bread winners than in the present unem- JI0yed, Secretary Davis said today in l statement.
 Declaring that the country has just | passed through period when every eff l fort was made to induce women and l others who had not worked for wages or salaries before to work and save starving Europe" Mir. Davis said pres ont unemployment figures include great numbers of presons upon whose earnings no one actually is dependent While we have our uemployed let us not forget that 12,O00, 900, who are still ar work Ire statement said. "A furth or encoura ging fact is that $500 900 O00 k now available about the country in the form of bonds already issued or appropri- st-d by the state, county and municipaI governments for public works. Cndoubt- ci'y this will be organized intelligently. Positive signs of business recovery have been furnished by the commission sr Of labor statistics, Secretary Davis ec'sred. adding: Some of these signs have an aspect of their own. l put them Cgt for others 10 interpret as they 1.-fA9f- lftt Dlt must nave HIS neat very much in the air these days, not to notice the growing prevalence of silk hosiery and the use of silks in general
 A stir was caused all over the coun- fry. the statement said, when Senaotr Mccormick called for the actual figures on current unemployment and these fig lr-s as supplied by the bureau of labor statistics in the department of labor were found to be 5.735 900. Those fig -res stand as the best estimate available lu- they need to be read in relation to the situation of seven years ago, as well as in tue light of the facts of today.
 Take this fact, for instance. In 1920 the number Of persons in the United States employed as wage earners or working for themselves reached the total Of eighteen or twenty millions. This was outside of agricultural occupations. The ratio of unemployed to the total of workers today is thus less than the ratio of unemployed to the total of workers in 1914, and by wide margin.
 The statement has been constantly made. in the news and nj the editorial columns of the newspapers, that the de- IaTtment of labor has reported 5,7S5 ,00O men as being out of work. TEe depart 1nent of labor has reported no such thing It did report that according to the best estimate that could be made there are B. f55,000 fewer men, women and childrer on the payrolls than there were in March 1920. There is a difference with a dis dnction. It is a very different matte from saying that the-e are 5,735, 900 mel unemployed.
 Nothing is to be gained by stickinj our heads in the sand and ignoring tn gravity of the present unemployment sit usuon. Neither do we profit by distort ing the facts and exaggerating the fig ures estimated. Here is one salient fac to be kept in mind-probably not nor than a third of these 5,735 900 are princi pal bread winners of the family.
 Taking all the families of the Unite States, there are. on the average owe two bread-winners to every family. ] one of these bread-winners is unemploy cd, 1t seriously cripples but it does nc necessarily impoverish the family Min you, ] am not saying that there is not tH-s time considerable actual sufferin among our people, nor that this wintt may not bring more suffering unies something intelligent and effective done 10 relieve the situation. I am siml -y calling attention to the fact tha while unemployment today is a gra, matter, there are nevertheless about te or twelve millions of our people at wor
 
 had the only bread-winners put out of job
 Our problem here at home is all u harder 10 solve because it is not by ar manner of means our problem alone U employment is worldwide"
 Discussing efforts to relieve the situ ton. Secretary Davis said that the CT ployment service of the department labor was doing all it could to pla workers in positions. During the ha vostr' he explained, "it sent betwe 5000 and 6o,0OO workers to the farr and kept them moving as the harve season moved northward.
 The employment service is at prese taking care of the thrashing and COT cutting situation wherever addition men are needed for this purpose
 Cotton and woolen goods already sh, signs of recovery and there is scarcely plant in the country turning out S hosiery that is not working full or ov. time. Silk fabrics are on the mo These things speak for themselves, a maybe speaking the same language the figures showing that more garag than houses have been built in rec, months. Here Is another fact with own significance. Shoe factories se to be working for the most part on fan lEi- lT4CF-t women SnOeS. 1nlS be accounted fer by the further f: that raor now out of the hardy forms employment are not she buyers The mand for these will come when the F roads and the factories are started or more going scale, when the more sta grades Of shoes :or men will come i, larger demand. That cannot be long i5,ed The situation begins to bright
 Formal call for the National Une ployment Conference in Washington Y probably be issued by President Hard 800 natter his rCt"rn from New Yo administration officials said The pla officials added have been practics completed and have been sent by wi l-ss to the yacht Mayfower so t President Harding can discuss them W Mir. Hoover before the return to Wa lngt5n.
 4 definite date foI the conference ' sad 10 be still undecided, although S, ss now appeared most probable.
 Accsp.ahces are understood to h been received by Secretary Hoover fl the thirty conferees who will repres the country at tho conference. Am those who will attend. il has been il rated. are Samud Gompers, president the American Federation of Labor ] 9. Lewis, president of the United N Workers of America; and Charles Schwab, chairman of the Bethlel