Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-09-16
SAYS FEWER IDLE
NOW THAN IN 1914
Labor Secretary Declares Gen.
eral Situation Is Improving.
100000 STILL AT WORK
Finds That 5,735,oo Unemployed Rep.
resent Many Not Breadwinners,
While 100000 Were Jobless
Seven Years Ago.

Washington. Sept. 15.-Those who
are disturbed over the 5,735,O00 unem-
ployed Of today overlook that in 1914
there were 100000 out of work lar
ger percentage of whom were men and
actual breadwinners than in the pres
ent unemployed, Secretary Davis said
today in a statement.
Declaring that the country mas just
passed through a period when every
effort was made to induce women and
others who had not worked for wages
or salaries before TO work and save
starving Europe" Mr.. Davis said pres
ent unemployment figures include great
numbers of persons upon whose earn
lngs no one actually is dependent.
while we have our unemployed, let
us not forget the 12OO0,000 who are
still at work" the statement said. "a
further encouraging fact is that $780,,
100000 now is available about the
country in the form of bonds already
issued or appropriated by the state,
county and municipal governments for
public works. Undoubtedly this win
be organized intelligently."
Signs of Recovery.
Positive signs of business recovery
have been furnished by the commits
sioner of labor statistics, Secretary
Davis declared. adding:
''Some of these signs have an aspect.
of their own. put them out for 9TH
ers to interpret as they please. But
one must have his head 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
country" the statement said, when
Senator Mccormick called for the act
ual figures on current unemploy-
ment, and these figures, as supplied
by the bureau of labor statistics in
the Department of Labor, were found
to- be 5,735,000. Those figures stand
as the best estimate available, but they
need to be read in relation to the sit
nation of seven years ago, as well as
in the light Of the facts of today.
Better Than 1914.
"Take this fact, for instance. In
1920 the number Of persons in the
United States employed as wage earn
ers or working for some one other
/ than themselves reached the total of
100000 or 100000. This was out
side 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
1.-THE statement has been constantly
made in the news and in the editorial
columns of the newspapers that the
| Department of Labor has reported
5,573,0 600 men as being out of work
The Department. of Labor has report
ed no such thing. 1t did report that
| according to the best estimate that
could be made, there are 5,735, 900
| fewer men, women and children on the
| pay rolls than there were In March,
1920. There was a difference with
distinction. 1t was very different
from saying there were 5,573,000 men
unemployed"
Nothing is to be gained by stick
/ ing our heads in lAc sand and ignOr-
ing the gravity Of the present unem-
| ployment situation. Neither do we
profit by distorting the facts and ex-
aggerating the figures estimated Here
is one salient fact to be kept In mind
probably not more than third Of
these 5,735,O00 are the principal bread
winners of the family.