The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-10


the presidents Unemployment con-
ference is not over and that its
committees will continue to work
as long as the Unemployment situa-
tom remains serious was pointed
out by Ida Tarbell, delegate to the
conference, the other day.
Thirteen regional directors are
at work in different sections of the
country" Miss Tarbell explained.
| showing communities how to meet
their problem of jobless men. The
committee has to report to Mr.:
Hoover regularly. So you see we
are not dead organization.
When we came to Washington
and did at once arrange to put all
the. unemployed TO work, we were
accused Of passing the buck. But
what could 60-odd persons do to
feed 100000? We sent out word
that it is the business of every COM
munfty to study its local condi-
tons and do something and that we
would help them That is what we
are still doing"
States and cities are still being
urged to-speed up construction and
repair work. 1t is estimated that
100000 men could be at work on
the building program that is. need
ed by the country because of the
housing shortage. Construction is
held back because perhaps mater
lals will be cheaper later.
. The conference holds that It is
better economy 10 have work done
now, whether building costs 60 up
or down, and put men to work, than
to leave their families destitute
through unemployment, and have
to provide charity for them.
Road building, sewer work, clean
ing up of factories and homes are
giving men work in communities
that are cooperating with the con-
ference delegates. Even the small
matter of paying a iobless man to
rake the lawn or paint the front
porch is regarded now as an i'm
portant contribution which the in
dividual can make toward relieving
the want of the unemployed.
There is much suffering and IN
employment is still acute according
to Miss Tarbell. Some men have
been out of work, except for pick
up jobs, for a year, and many have
been unable to find even temporary
work all summer.
People do not realize that wide
spread unemployment is a disease
Of the industrial and social system"
Miss Tarbell explained. I'VE have
advanced beyond the stage where
we regard an epidemic Of typhoid
as fate and take no steps to safe
guard ourselves against disease.
But we allow 100000 men to go
jobless without seeing that this is
as great a catastrophe as an cpl
demic. People still think that per
haps it is inevitable that periods
of depression and want must come"
Local Problems.
The conference left the usual
emergency measures-soup lines,
lodging houses, and charity funds
to local unemployment commit
tees. 1t tried, and is still trying,
to get at the fundamental defects
in the Industrial system which
bring about business cycles and
make unemployment on a large
1t recommended among other
things, lower freight rates, reduc-
ton Of ornaments, fair tariff, and
less difference between the cost of
food production and the price paid
by the consumer. Along these lines
it could only suggest, as the power
to act lies with congress and other
branches of government. Some of
the suggestions made to congress,
for road building appropriation
and money for reclamation prof.
ects, have been adopted. 1t was
said that 100000 workers could be
employed in state highway con-
struction by means of the funds re-
leased by congress.
Miss Tarbell says that unemplov-
ment could be considerably reduced
if industries would establish a more
efficient system of hiring and fir
ing.
The short-sighted system by,
which a factory owner has a thou
sand men working for him in a
time of prosperity, and at the first
sign OF a drop fires several hundred
of them without warning. is too
costly to everybody concerned.