Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1922-02-06
UNENPL PLOYMENT
SITUATION IN
j. 5. BETTER
Virginia and Maryland Com
pare Favorably With
Rest of Country
RICHMOND RATE HIGH
Average of Nation is Four and Two
Tenth Per Cent With $4,000 More
Employees.

/ Washington, Feb. G.-While there
! is great deal of unemployment re-
ported to the Government in the cities
and towns of Maryland and the Viz
ginias, the industrial wage-drawlng
situation in these States, save for the
coal strike regions, compares favor
/ ably with the rest Of the country.
! The statistics are given in month
! " survey for January, made pubic
last night by the Department of
/ Labor.
The departments special agents in
! 65 principal industrial centers report
/ ed on ,42S firms, each usually en-
! ploying more than 500 workers, or
I total of 100000 wage-earners. On
January 81 these firms had 63,4o0
more employees on their payrolls than
/ on December 81. an increase of ~ per
cent, which general average is less
/ than BaltimOre's percentage OF IN
crease in employment for the month.
Industries which showed a decrease
are textiles. iron and steel, lumber,
stone, clay and glass. tobacco ana
their products and railroad shops.
/ OF the So Industrial centers 40 re-
ported employment increases during
January over December. Baltimore
had 40 per cent, increase. Rlch-
mond (Ea.) was among % cities re-
porting employment decreases. Rlch-
mond's decrease was 2.G per cent. The
denartment announced that "employ-
mcnt conditions fail to give any m
dcation cf the substantial improve
ment in business activities predicted
/ for January"
The dcpartment's figures show
downward trend in business activities
{ .he country over. The report says:
Textiles and iron and steel. which
i have been on the upward swing for
some months past, show downward
tendency in employment for the past
80 days. Railroad repair shops con-
time to decrease their forces. In
crease in employment in metal pro-
ducts other than iron and steel and
miscellaneous industries IS encourage
ing. Re0orts from 23l of the prln-
cipal ccntcrs show no general improve
mnnt in employment conditions.
Industry is hardly holding the gains
made durinr the past four months,
and is not. therefore. absorbing any OF
the workers released from seasonal
activities and the unemployed caused
by the usual climatic conditions of this
season of The wear. The feeling that
thnre will be a decided change for the
better by early spring is manifested
by every section Of the country, and
seems II he h2red on real evidence or
prnSncrity and not mere OPTIMISM.
The actual increase of employment
IN n"lt;rlor" N January over the pre-
ceding months for the firms reported
was .222. In Richmond the decrease
was 290.
In Baltimore 211 industrial con-
Germs employing usually less than 500
report er1rlovment as follows: De-
cen.ber Is. 80, ,113: January Is, 30,052;
not decrease. e1 A summary for
Maryland the District of Columbia
and the Virrinias follows:
"Marvland, general: While there
is q si~ht dec"oasc shown in the
smaller firms. Baltimore apparently
has ~ lraSt held its own for the last
month. Railroad shOns are at very
! low nont of employment. Textiles
cnrfinre to show n slight decrease.
This is also true Of iron and steel,
. llmhnr and its manufactures. leather
and its finished products while chem
irals stone. clav and glass products,
metals ad metal nrodu"ts other than
iron and steel. show slight decreases
cmnlovmcnt for the month. hut not
onnu~h to he serious. Fertilizers.
foundry work tin specialties. sheet
metal. st"uct"ral iron and boxes con-
tinun dull. There is but little change
/ in the unemployment situation. which
oo~tinucs serious both AS regards
skilled and unskillod labor.
"District of Columbia. Washington:
! A 90 per cont. increase in unemploy-
mcnf since thn peak last January and
/ is steadily increasing in all lines,
"l"~ical mercantile. skilled and un-
! skilled !" hOr Covnrnment denartmcnts
/ have reduced their clerical forces. and
this. in conjunction with the general
/ business denrnSsion. has resulted in
do"r"n sing opportunities for work.
Rr;ld;r@ operations have slowed up
with several of the operators laving
off their mon for GO or 90 days. Auto
shops report extreme dullness.