The Washington herald., 1921-12-20
JOBCONFERENCE
MAKES 100000
MORE POSITIONS
School Contracts Sine e
Unemployment Farley
Total $2O,553,25O.

Figures made public yesterday BY
the Presidents conference on un-
employment show that an enormous
amount of school construction il
under way and that a larger addi
tional amount has been authorized
to give immediate relief to the un'
employed. According to the Nationa
Education Association, new schoo
buildings are going up, or contracts
about to be let, to the amount oi
s20, 0,553,250, which will provide much
needed seating capacity for 1921
pupils. Reports from nearly every
State indicate that building is beins
speeded up.
The Department of Commerce
called upon the educational leader.
among the first to hep relieve un'
employment Not only was ait
asked for the jobless, by means o.
a program. fschool building. but !
campaign was started by schoo
children to find the millions of small
jobs their parents might have
chores about the. farm. buildings T.
be cleaned or painted, fences built
clothes made over, and scores o.
similar tasks occurring to the ac
tive minds of youngsters
Many Buildings Needed.
Commenting upon these figures
Colonel Arthur Woods, chairman
of the committee on civic an,
emergency measures, said: Hun
dreds of new school buildings ar
needed in every State. Hundred
of thousands of school children II
the leading cities are in school onl.
half time for want of seating space
Other hundreds OF thousands ar
seated in buildings whose light an
sanitation are a menace to health
Millions are in buildings i'll suite,
to the requirements of education
as II is now conceived and organ
lied Many such buildings adde'
to the larger building program
of the cities can be made to ere
ate a great tide of employmea \
which must certainly mean bette
times for the nation and its peo
pie"
Some of the States report eXten
sive school building programs as fol
lows: Pennsylvania, SIC. soc. 900; New
York. s5O.o00,O00; South Carolina
s3.OOO.o 900; Maine, s1.000.000; Ken
lucky, sl,42O, 900: South Dakota
s3.73O,OOO; Utah. $500. 900; Arizona
s1,s21, 900; Connecticut, ss.7es.000
Delaware. 100000; Florida, 500,
! 900. These amounts are not in
cluded in figures already given bu
indicate future work.
Jobs for 100000.
"One million and a half and per
haps 1000, 900 men and women ar
employed today who would be un
employed if IL were not for tn,
work of the conference" says E. E
Hunt. secretary OF the conference
There has been no change in th'
Industrial situation sufficiently larg'
to explain this. 1t is due to 4 sue
cessful appeal to local responsi
bility and the sense of service
This pick up may be temporary. bu
1t is a hopeful sign"
The Federal highway act, passeC
by Congress November 3, make:
available s75.000,0 900. which is to b.
matched by a similar amount from
the States. Governors OF thirt,
States have reported that within
ninety days they can start 6,26l
miles of highways, which will di
rectly employ more than 10000
men. Texas can employ 13,500 OF
an sS,0O0,00O -oad-building job GOV
ering 700 miles within the ninet!
days required. Georgia can provide
5000 with jobs on 5000. 900 road
Indiana can use $500 men. Michi
gan, $500; Ohio. $500; North Caro-
lima, 5000; Minnesota. 1850; Louis
lana, North Dakota, South Dakots
and Mississippi. 1000 each.
Municipal bond sales for pubp'
works since the call for the confer
ence was issued have broken al
records. over $50. 100000 in thes'
bonds have been recently sold II
thirteen States. and more than s34.
100000 have now been offered fo
sale. Besides $4,000. 900 in Stat
bonds have been sold and an equa
amount offered for sale.
The conference resolution on rec
lamation projects has resulted in in
PRODUCTION of a bill carrying an ap
reclamation fund for continuance o.
projects now under way. Promp
passage of this bill will give EN-.
ployment to more than $4,000.
Twenty-seven States composing
the northeastern section of tn,
country showed the award Gf NOR,
building contracts in September
than in any other month this yeal
or in any September on record. Tn,
contemplated projects amount tt
s31s, s,030.6 500.
Says the report: while this },
probably due only in part to tht
effect of the conference call by the
President. 1t is striking to notict
that in October there were 10.63s
projects contemplated in these
twenty-seven States. having a value
of s3s4,s77. .600-s70. 10000 in excess
of the record In September ano
more than 500. 900. 900 in excess OF
the previous October. and there
were s,096 contracts awarded hav.
ing a value of s222.4s7.500."