Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-04
SOME FEATURES OF UNEM-
PLOYMENT

That national conference on I'M
employment did not work a miracle
and no informed person expected it
would-nevertheless it served to turr
the spot light on some features of
the situation. Here are some Of
them:
We strongly urge all manufacture
ers and wholesalers who may not
have adopted this policy to do so;
but it is essential to the success of
these measures when put into effect
that retail prices shall promptly and
fairly reflect the price adjustment Of
the producer, manufacturer and the
wholesaler. When these principles
have been recognized and the recon-
rendations complied with, we are
confident that the public will in
crease purchases, thereby increasing
the operations of the mills, factories
and transportation companies. and
consequently reducing the number Of
unemployed"
Specific recommendations adopted
by the conference for emergency re-
lief are:
l. Emergency committees repre-
sentins the various elements of the
: communities to establish public en-
ployment agencies and coordinate
the distribution of work
?. Publication by the committees
of the numbers dependent upon them
for employment and the prevention
Of unco- ordinated solicitation Of
funds.
8. Private houses. hotels, Offices,
etc. to contribute by doing their re-
pairs. cleaning and alterations dur
ing the winter instead of in the
spring.
4. municipalities to expend their
school. street, sewage, repair work
and public buildings to the fullest
volume compatible with existing cir
cumstances. (The conference noted
that over s7oo,o0o,ooo of municipal
bonds, the largest amount in history,
had been sold in 1929
). Governors to unite all State
agencies in support Of the mayors
and expedite construction of roads
State buildings, etc.
S. Federal authorities. including
the Federal Reserve banks to expe-
dite the construction of public build
ings and works covered by existing
appropriations.
Z. Congressional appropriations IT
the present session for roads to make
available employment
8. To speed up construction work
it was recommended that governors
Of states summon committees to or
ganize community action in getting
adjustments in cost. including re-
noval of freight determinations,
campaigns against combinations re-
striction of effort. to the end that
building may be resumed
The greatest area for the immedi-
ate relief of unemployment was
found by the conferences to be in the
construction industry with a short
ase of more than one million homes.
affording possibility Of employment
If moro than two million persons. if
CONSTRUCTION were resumed,
Undue cost and malignant combi-
nations" the programme said. have
made proper expansion impossible
and contributed largely to this I'M
employment situation. In some
places these matters have been
cleaned up. In other places they have
not ard are an affront to public de-
cency,"
Manufacturers, it was declared
could contribute to relieve the sit
uation by part time work, through
reduced time of rotation of jobs,
manufacturing for stock as far as
possible, by plant construction. re-
pairs, and cleaning up with conse-
quent transfer Of many employees to
other than their regular work.
If the conference may convince all
that when prices get down where the
folks are they will find a response
that will do US all good, it will not
have been in vain. One might wish
it could have told US how to go
about it, but the prevailing attitude
that Of September Morn" ven
turing into icy waters--is clearly
not the one that is needed.