The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-05-04


timatcs. but the prospects are that
normal conditions, il not prosperous
times, Will soon prevail, business and
labor leaders say.
! The Unemployment at present cX-
listing. it is generally agreed, coli
Germs the railroad, mining and bGild-
ing industries, In other industries
the state has not suffered.
About LOO men have been laid
off Oh the railroads bet ii is believed
that conditions Will warrant their re-
suna;ng Work as soon as traffic IN
c:eascs which shippers declare i:s
/ bound to nateria::za at an early date.
The reduction Of ,he number OF
miners has been brought about. de-
clare the operators. through the poor
; market.
:; Conditions in Arizona are SO un-
(; certain that it is Impossible for any
man 10 predict what the employment
situation VIII be in the future. ac-
Icording to John d. Patty, director OF
state l;:bor and examiner III charge oi
| the federal employment bureau here.
| In March there We're about 5000
men out OF employment in the STATE.
he SAID but lately there has been con-
tinued Improvement in the situation.
The unemployment situation in
Oregon has been gradually improv
ing since the first of the year, ac-
cordinp. 10 c. II. Gram, state labor
commissioner. With numbering oDer
ations SLOWLY resuminS, and asricui-
tural work taking many idle men
sro1., the cites there has been q de-
creas;. OF approximately 5000 uneni-
ploycd rs compared with the number
out Of work in January, which was
estimated &t abo;.t 5000.
The bulk of tho unemployed are
ioegers and lumber mill workers.
Unemployment in Montana. which
has been growing in volume since
last November, is due principally to
the curtailment of operations by the
mining companies. is the statement
made by Chas. u. Greenfield, acting
state commissioner of labor and in
dus1ry. The lack OF demand for cop
! per and the low price quoted for the
metal have reduced the number OF
miners employed IN the Butte nines
in the past four or five months .rc;r
50 to 10 per cent.
Employment conditions in the STATE.
Of Washington are showing little i'm
provement, according TO ". (. Car
penter, federal employment agent for
the Pacific northwest with headQuac-
ters here He estimated that 20
men in the state arc out Of work.
i Industrial absorption Of labor this
spring has been far below eApecta-
tions, Glr. Carpenter stated, with al
most a total lack OF improvement 50
| lar as farm labor is concerned.
Farm labcr in Georgia is plentiful
ana working t9r lesa wages than
year ago, according to Hal N. Stan
ley, Georgia commissioner OF iahc:.
The general labor situation has inn
proved since tie first Of this year, Mr.
Stanley said, bat some sections Of the
!s,ate r42vr. . "super-abundance CT
! unskilled labor" at this time. Sta
:is,:cs cn the labor situation IN the
state, complied January i. last, snow
ed an so per cent reduction III en-
ployn.eE, from January 1920 20 Jan
! ,;ary. 1872, in cotton mills and fer
tiiizer factories, with 5000 railroad
shop and track. men idle, Mr.. STAN
ley stated Since that time the strike
on the Atlanta, Birmingham and At
lantic railroad has added several
hundred more railroad men to those
idle.
The general la b o + situation
throughout Louisiana was on bet
ter footing April than for severa.
cars, according to Frank +. Woods,
state labor commissioner.
Mrs. Martha D. Gould, factory in
spector OF New Orleans in a focnlA:
statement just issued said There was
! lees unemployment IL 1920 in New
Orleans than in any other city OF
similar size in the United States.
/; Condition of women workers has
greatly improved both as to wages
and hours, according to Mrs. Gouio.
The unemployment problem has
lot yet reached tn" serious stage ii
Mississippi due in Il large measure to
tne fact tilat nearly 80 per cent OF
the working classes in this state de-
rive their living direct from the SOIL.
! The largest percentage Oh u!lelitpaoy-
lnent is in the lumber manufacturing
ceutcra where n:ore than 80 per cent
OF the mills were closed down. How
ever, there has been a s.GW but steady
resumption OF activity in this indus
| try.
Many cotton oil mills have closed
/ their season during the past three
weeks and workers from these plants
are seeking other employment.
For every 1G0 farm hands needed
on Alabama plantations this year
there are us available, according
to an estimate made public by +. w.
Gist, agricultural statistician OF Ala
l,ama following a tabulation OF re-
ports received as Of April i.
Mr. Gist estimated that the needs
of the farmers arc 81 per cent nor
nal, while the available supply is So
per cent Of normal.
NJ c. Aligood. commissioner Of as-
riculture and industries, and other
officials state that there is n small