Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-09-28
Manufacturers Recommend
Shorter Working. Periods
And Improving Plants
IGNORE WAGE ISSUE
Work on Public Roads Offers Best
Opportunity for Employment be-
cause of Large Appropriations.

Washington, Sept. 2S.-The idea of
spreading out the employment now
existent and of speeding up work that
must be done soon or late, but has
Dcen deferred, dominstc ted the thought
yesterday Of tre Unemployment Con-
ference, dealing with the emergency
problem of finding jobs for the sew
eral million men and women who have
been thrown out of their positions.
The committee dealing with emer-
gency measures by manufacturers
passed over such issues as wages and
agreed unanimously yesterday upor
an emergency program for submission
10 the conference. In substance it is
this:
Rotation in existent employment;
that is, division of jobs among a great
er number of workers thar ordinarily.
Shorter work days.
Shorter work weeks.
Manufacturing for stock.
Cleaning and improving of factories
and plants.
In the many factories, it is stated.
one or more of these ideas already
have been put into effect and the COM
mittee expressed its qualification over
that.
The committee includes in its per-
sonnel Charles NJ. Schwab. of New
York; Samuel Gompers, president O.
the American Federation Of Labor;
Mrs. Sarah Conboy, secretary of the
United Textile Workers of America,
and W. H. Stackhouse, of Springfield.
Ohio. chairman.
The committee dealing with emer-
gency State and municipal measures
and public works has about completed
its preliminary work ana is expected
to make public shortly a recommended
ton that roads work be rushed in al
sections and that other public enter
prises be pushed. The roads work of
fers the best opportunity to give en-
ployment, because of the great sum
in the aggregate that has been appro-
priated by Federal, State and local
government Figures are being got
from the Department Of Agriculture
as to the sums available, the places
where it is to be spent, the number
of men who can be used, etc.
In the committee dealing with
emergency measures in construction il
has been found that the construction
field is not suffering acutely from lack
of employment at this time. That
field is peculiar, it is said, in that it
suffers from lack of materials rather
than work. The need for construction
in all lines has tended to keep it in
operation fairly well. However, the
members of the committee understan,
that statistics show that one builder
at work keeps four men at work in
factories, and studies are being made
10 develop facts as to these points:
Whether the construction is restrict
ed by artificial high costs in financing.
Whether it is rcstricteS by hien
freight rates.
Whether it is restricted by impro-
per combinations of labor unions and
material men.
Whether it is restricted by impro-
per labor union regulations.
There was a public hearing at I'll
conference rooms in the Department
of Commerce this morning on uncm-
ployment statistics. Henry N. Rob
inson, chairman of the committee deal
ing with that subject, stated that tn
committee will not seek definitely ac-
curate figures, owing to the lack ;
machinery, but will try to get sounf
information that can be used as t.
basis for estimates sufficiently ac-
curate.