New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-08
Reporter Lands Three white
Collar" Jobs i'm Days Search
Two Are Addressing Envelopes and One as Commits
sion Salesman; Finds 1T Easier to Obtain Work
of the Flannel Shirt Variety

Although there are jobs of many de-
scriptions still to be had in New York
for the man who will hunt for them
instead Of bemoaning his unemploy-
ment from some seat of lasstude in
the public parks. the man who wears
| the white collar in his avocation Is not
so fortunate as his brother in the blue
flannel shirt in the ease with which he
may attach himself to n pay envelope
and cling to it thereafter.
In addition to being more elusive.
the white collar job" appears to have
been hit harder financially than the
sphere of labor where a mans muscles
or trade knowledge is of primary i'm
portance-at least, as compared TO the
monetary pre-war standards of the two.
Two Chances to Address Envelopes
Whereas, reporter for The Tribune
on Tuesday was able to land three
Channel shirt jobs" in six hours by
merely going to localities where great
numbers of men are employed at manual
labor, he was able yesterday to get only
two "white collar jobs" in eight hours,
and both of these were addressing en@
velopes with the remuneration based on
the number addressed. While the re-
porter was able to talk himself into n
third job, one of selling cooperative
apartment building stock, this is dis
counted because of the fact that it was
offered solely on commission basis
the sort of job that man out of
work and in urgent need of immediate
funds would not be likely to gamble on
Whether the greater depreciation of
the "white-collar" job, as compared to
that of the blue flannel shirt" is due
in Ia 70 tIa
sistent refusal of many trades unions
to meet a readjustment of wartime
wages was not investigated, but it OBJ
viously appears that this phase of the
unemployment situation has some bear
ing on the matter.
That there is a vast difference in
the detail Of landing a "white collar"
job from that of getting one of the
other variety was made clear to the re-
porter early on yesterdays tour. To
illustrates
The Bush Terminals, say, are in need
of truckers. John ]. Laborer goes there
and tells the employment boss he wants
to be one. The boss doesn't inquire
whether John has brought any letters
of reference, or whether he smokes
cigarettes or whether he prefers base
ball to beating his wife. He merely
gives John a chill, calculating "once
over" possibly with an inquiry of
"Where'd you work last, huh?" If it
appears likely that John will make a
good trucker he gets the job, and that's
all there is to it.
Clerk Must Give His Record
But the case of Willie Clerk is
treated with no such simplicity. When
he applies for the task of keeping
books or selling cravats, his entire
past, public and to large extent
private, is thoroughly inquired into. He
must be armed with at least two let
ters Of reference, and is required to in
scribe on an application blank the
data of his three previous jobs, and
why he separated from them. If he
is to be given position of some re-
sponsibilty, his integrity must be
guaranteed by bonding company. And
of course all his statements are investi-
gated sometimes before he is per-
mitted to go on the pay roll.
Hence, it will be seen that there are
more difficulties attached to the "white
collar iob," even in prosperous times,
than to that of John j. Laborer, and
that the reporter was up against
greater problems on yesterdays tour
than on the one made Tuesday.
Another difference between the job
hunting pilgrimages was that yesterday
the reporter was forced to resort to the
"help wanted" ads in order to obtain
"leads' as to where to go, method
which was not used on Tuesdays tour.
Visits Department Stores
Among the first establishments Wis