Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-09-29
TESTIMONY GIVEN
ON UNEMPLOYMENT

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.-AVerS1on
Of labor to accepting work at reduced
wages was assigned as a cause Of
some unemployment by Roswell F.
Phelps, director of labor statistics of
the Massachusetts labor department,
the first witness heard by. the ma
tional employment conferences COM
mittee on unemployment statistics,
which set to work today to determine
the extent and volume of the nation s
involuntary idle.
measure" Mr.. Phelps told the COM
mittee, ito the fact that labor will
not accept reduced wages"
Harry D. Jacobs, president of the
eX-serV1ce mems employment bureau
of New York, the next witness, esti-
mated that there were $4,000 unem-
ployed former soldiers in New York
City, and said the establishment OF
vocational training schools in army
camps as proposed by the govern
ment would solve the unemployment
problem as far as the unskilled world
war veteran was concerned.
Luther {. Stewart, president of
the federation of federated employees
who presented statement in which
he declared that "the federal gov
eminent in it's capacity as employer
mas been a contributing cause to the
present unemployment situation
where it should have been an allewiat-
ing agency" was referred to the sub
committee on emergency state and
municipal measures and public works
Harding Sees Ledoux
Colncldent with the opening Of the
conference, Urban Ledoux, who
attracted attention nv h ic
OF unemployed on Boston Common,
came to Washington and laid before
President Harding at the White
house a proposal that the names
OF all those who doubled their wealth
by war. profiteering be made public.
AS an alternative he proposed that
the president appealed to all who
protlted by the war to donate so
per cent of their wealth totan un-
employment relief fund. He said the
president received his suggestions
WI marked interest, but gave no
indication that they would be re-
sorted for the present.
Unemployed throughout the coun-
try now number fewer than $780,
600, nationwide survey made for
the unemployment conference by the
department of commerce showed to-
day.
This total is approximately forty
per cent less than the recent esti-
mate of the department of labor,
which stated men out of work to-
tailed 5,750,000.
Figures collected by Secretary of
commerce HooVer'S department, it
was learned, are based on reports
from mayors of all cities throughout
the country with a population of
10000 or more.
The reduced number of jobless, as
found by this method, caused a dis
Of oi-yHo Il o1o
gates to the unemployment confer
ence. when work was resumed today
on the big task of creating JOBS for
May Cause Clash
the two estimates as to unem-
ployed may cause a clash between
partment of commerce. The labor
departments figures are based on
reports from 1850 leading industrial
establishments throughout the coUn-
try. These reports indicate a reduc-
ton of 25 per cent in the working
force as compared with war pres
perity years. The same percentage
was applied to other plants to de-
termine the total.
This method, Secretary of Com
merce Hoover believes, is entirely
inaccurate. because the percentage is
less in many other plants and many
people who usually do not work, in
industrial plants during the war.
Ledoux may be given a hearing
before the committee seeking to de-
termine the volume and extent of
unemployment. officials of the con-
ference said today. Coincident with
this statement, Ledoux announced
that he had issued orders for move
ment of representative of the un-
employed on Washington. The "hu-
man documenta tions'' in the case of
The unemployed, as he called them,
will come to Washington by motor
truck and will consist of between
fifty and a hundred men from Bos-
ton, New York. Philadelphia and Bal
timore.
S. McCune Lindsay, of New York.
chairman of the public hearings
committee, today issued a call for
all of those who have specific data
or suggestions relative to the con-
ference program to communicate
with his committee at once.