New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-04
Plenty of Jobs
If Looked For,
oilers Declare
Tribune Reporters Canvass
of Park Benches Shows
Only One Case of Really
Deserving Unemployment
Some Demand WarW ages
f)thers Will Work When and
II They Get Ready; Few
Ex-Service Men Found

an unemployment problem worthy of
serious consideration, man can get
lob here if he really wants one and
earnestly goes about looking for it.
This was the chief conclusion to be
drawn from further investigation by
The Tribune yesterday of the situa-
lion presented by the man out of job.
The days inquiries also tended to con-
Arm the following conclusions, OBJ
FAMED from previous investigation:
Most of the unemployed men sitting
Ground the parks are there of their
avn choice, either because they feel
they should get wartime wages for
their services or because they are too
law to work.
Contrary to widely prevalent beliefs,
large majority of the unemployed are
nor native New Workers, but are "hoat-
ers" from ell parts of the country,
lured here by rich 'panhandling" pros
meets and the ease with which they
may drift and get along somehow"
upon the lower strata of metropolitan
existence.
II there are many former service
men out of work Shey possess the
gumption to be UP and hunting for it;
at least they are not to be found in
the DAYTIME, even on a Saturday after
noon, idling and dreaming on park
benches.
Idlers Describe Situation
Armed with a pocketful of dimes.
reporter for this newspaper spent the
afternoon IN strolling about three
centers where idle men spend great
portion of their time-Union, Madison
and City Hall squares-and in draw
ing from q number of them the stories
of why they are out Of work.
All the men interviewed were chosen
at random. They were of varied ages,
from twenty to sixty, and of many diff
ferent types. The chief interest pos
sessed by them in common was that
they were broke.
1t was stocky little fish and oyster
salesman from Brooklyn-one of the
only two New Workers discovered out
of long chats with twelve men-who
best summed up the information OBJ
tanned through talks with all of them
He said:
1--WE been out of JOB only couple
Of days, but it's not because l have to
be. It's merely that I'm taking a little
spend an afternoon sitting in Union
Square. When get ready to go to
work again, in a day or two, I'll land
q job inside of an hour, and steady
one. too. if l want it.
Easy to Get Job
aWhy, all that a guy has to do, if he
really wants TO work, is TO go over TO
Fulton Market bright and early in the
morning and stand of a corner. He'll
get dozen invitations for work in
less than half an hour
AND there are lots of other places
like Fulton Market in New York.
But most of these birds you see all
around us just don't want to work,
that's all. Why should they, when
they can make an easier living pan
handling? It's either a question of be-
ing too lazy for any job or of refus-
ing work because pay envelopes aren't
as fat as they were during the war.
"a little while ago husky-looking
bird comes up and sits beside me.
Pretty tough the way things are
going he says. Pm a pastry cook,
and l haven't been able to land a lob
foS six months
That sounds queer to me, l says.
y thought pastry cooks was in big de-
mand especially at this season
WE'LL he says, of course they do
want 'em some places, but they won't
pay the money. haven't had an offer
of more than $50 q week, and I think /
ought to get at least $685.
Think on says l, but you're going
to have a hell of time getting it..
You'd better cop one of those $50 Jobs
while the coping is good. The wars
over
Hunting for Something Soft
"This bozo came from over in Ohio
some place. That's the case with most
OF 'em. They come here expecting to
fall into something soft, and when they
don't they just go to panhandling and
stay out of work until they're actually
driven to it,"
Another bench occupant at Union
Square proved to be a ships baker, a
native of st. Louis. He represented
big contingent of New York's "ofhcially
unemployed seafaring men who
drift from one job to another as fancy
carries them, regardless of season or
iandlubber economics.
I've been out of a job a little over
week, but I'm not worrying" he said.
I'm just waiting till September IA to
know. There are plenty of other
JOBS II I'd want one. Most of these
other men aren't looking for work at
all see some of the same faces here
tnat | saw five months ago, when I IVES
out Of work because Of the strike"
Joe Brown, of 468 West Twenty-third
Street. was found gently putting on
cigarette and hearkening to the must
cal FLASHING of the fountain in Madison
Square.
Why am out of work p" he repeat
ed to the reporters inquiry. "Wsll, I'm
not, entirely. ] just pick up odd jobs
mere and there, and manage to get
along somehow. Of course. steady jobs
are pretty scarce. | had my last one
I'VE months ago at the Mills Hotel, in
bieecker Street. But man can find
temporary work here and there. Yes,
come from out OF tewn--from Winni-
reg where | hurt my right leg firing a
locomotive That's why I can't railroad
any more~-can't pass the examina-
tons"
Still Living on Last Job
One more "odd jobber" of Madison
Square proved to be "E. H. c." OF 1888
East Twenty third Street, the other of
the two native Gothamites discovered.
de said he had made S26 from his
iast job, week ago." and that he
was still getting along on what he'd
saved from that" He expressed no
anxiety concerning the past, present or
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