Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-10-05
The Labor Conference.

The Labor Conference.
For once The Record is in COM
plete accord with President Harding.
During his opening address to the
federal labor conference at Washing
ton this week, the President is report
ed to have said, 'sThere is excessive
unemployment today, and we are
concerned , not alone about its dim
mutton, but we are frankly anxious
under the involved conditions, lest it
grow worse with the hardships of the
winter season to be met"
Certainly there can be no quib-
bling about any of that sort OF
summing up. The fact that the admin
istration undertook to joke the "auc-
ton block" out of court recently and
signally failed is plainly showed by
the Presidents own admission. If the
administration had looked at the
problem with open eyes and admit
ted the d~istressful condition it would
have helped some.
The Record has never been overly
enthusiastic about carrying bouquets
to the federal Investigations and con-
ferences, since it eve recalls to have
known one of them to result in any
particular benefit to the man in the
street. But it is to be hoped that this
labor conference will break the rule.
In spite of the fact that the citizen
ship of the country is burdened with
taxation, it would seem that a great
government like this n should be
able to put millions to living wage
tasks, building permanent highways
so badly needed in both peace and
war.
But such a program may be impos-
sible at this time. The Record has not
been prone to accept as gospel truth
the most distressing tales about en-
ployment throughout the nation. 1t
pointed out only a short time ago
that thousands were idle as a result
of a walk-out several months ago,
wherein the strikers demanded a "A
hour week and 48 hours pay. 1t is
likely that other hundreds of thou
sands are out for one thing or an
other and the deadhead, who only
works when there are bonuses to be
demanded and gotten, it out.
That The Record was not far from
the truth in it's forecast is amply
proven by witnesses testifying before
the labor conference at Washington.
Aversion of labor to accepting work
at reduced wages was assigned as a
cause of some unemployment by Ros-
well F. Phelp, director of labor sta
tistics of the Massachusetts, labor de-
partment, the first witness heard by
the conferences committee on un-
employment statistics which set to
work lately to determine the extent
and volume of the nations involun-
tary idle.
sUnemployment is due in some
measure" Mr.. Phelps told the com
mittee, 'eto the fact that. labor will
not accept reduced wages"
Harry D. Jacobs, president of the
Ex-Service Mems Employment bu-
reau, of New York, the next witness,
estimated that there were 5000 I'm,
employed former soldiers in New
York city and said the establishment
of vocational schools in army camps
as proposed by the government would
solve the unemployment problem as
far as the unskilled world war veter-
an was concerned.
Mr.. Phelps declared the trouble in
Massachusetts, was not unemploy.
ment, but that there was not work
peopel wanted at the wages they
sought. People could not find jobs at
the wages they wanted, he said, and
were unwilling to accept the reduced
pay, or to assume lower wages at
new tasks.-The Record.