Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-09-29
100000 men out of work.

OpO,OOV IitiI OuC VI "OIh
Upon this particular point Secre-
tary Davis says: "The statement has
been constantly made in the news and
editorial columns of newspapers that
the Department, of Labor has report
ed 5,735,000 men as being out of work.
The Department of Labor has report
ed no such thing. 1t did report that,
according to the best estimate that
could be made, there are 5,735,000
fewer men, women and children on
payrolls now than, there were in March
1920. That is very different matter
from saying there are 5,735,00 men
unemployed" In the opinion of the
Secretary of Labor, not more than one
third of the 5,735,0OO people are the
principal bread winners Of families.
Gompers' TRADE Answered.
Secretary of Labor Davis does not
refer directly Or indirectly to the re-
cent TRADE of Samuel Gompers accus-
ing the Harding Administration of
being responsible for the unemploy-
ment in this country, but he does take
all the wind out of Mr.. ;Gompers' sails
by showing that the unemployment
problem is not peculiar to the United
| States, which naturally would be the
case if it were due to the Republican
administration. Secretary Davis sets
forth an exhaustive analysis of unem-
ployment IN other countries, based on
official reports. 1t shows that in Eng
land, one-ffth of the entire trade u
Mon membership is out of work; in
Belgium, 80 per cent; Holland, "a per
cent; Denmark, 10 per cent; Norway
16 per cent; Sweden, 25 per cent, In
Italy the number of idle men has dou-
bled since the first year; it is now 413,-
QUO and growing worse daily. In lit
tie Switzerland 10000 are idle or on
part time, and for every 100 vacant
jobs, public employment offices report
1886 applicants. This goes to show that
unemployment is a worldwide condi-
ton and accusations that the present
degree of idleness in this country is
the result of Republican administra-
ton are a combination of low dema-
gogy and partisan clap-trap.
100000 Idle in 1875
Secretary Davis gives the Demo
cratic partisans who are charging the
unemployment situation to the Repub-
llcan administration something that
will, to use slang expression, ''hold
them for awhile" He sets forth the
tlgures to show that while there are
5,735,OOO less people at work now than
there were in 1920, when more people
were at work than ever before in the
history of this country, (the number
OF wage earners of all kinds, except
ing agricultural workers, in 1920 reach
ing the unprecedented total of between
100000 and 20,OOO,OOO) in 1914,
when times were supposed to be nor
mai, the unemployed in this country
numbered 100000 and the ratio of
the unemployed to the total number
of workers in 1914 was greater by a
very wide margin than is true TODAY.
The Secretary says to get true per-
spectlve and fair conclusion as to the
real industrial situation today, the I'M
employment figures of today must be
read IN relation to the winter of 1913
IA, compared to which we are much
better off.
Era of Democratic Tariff.
Although Secretary Davis does not
attempt to explain the reasons for the
unprecedented idleness of 1913 and
1914, records show that it was due to
the fact that the Underwood tariff had
begun to get in it's work. Following
It's enactment, unemployment began
to increase at once as industries be-
gan to slow down because of the in
creaslng flow of foreign importations
unemployment increased and prosper
Gus times decreased until the precipi-
tatlon of war in Europe, with its con-
sequent demand upon this country for
all sorts of material, stepped in to
suspend automatically the baneful eff
tects of the Democratic tariff.