New-York tribune., 1922-02-20
Employment Committee for
Former Service Men
Opens Office Here To Aid
200, 600 Listed a. ,joblcss
Corporation of Public Is
Vital if Work Is To Be
Wound for Needy Ncscr-
ans, Declares lis Manager

IN New York City there arc more
than 200, 900 unemployed, according to
figures available at the American
Legion Employment Committee, at Az
West Thirty-third Street. The com
mi ttoe Of New York County is doing its
utmost TO relieve the situation among
the former service men, and with this
in view has rented the above men
toned Office for S year. The office
is open daily from 9 a. m. until 5 p. m.
All cx-scrvico men ere given the same
attention regardless of their aRiia-
tons with the Legion. Business men
having positions to be filled have been
requested to communicate with the bu-
rcau. The phone number is Watkins
1888.
Michael A. Gimbel, office manager at
tho bureau, issued this statement yes
tcrday.
AZ the present time the American
Legion is devoting its entire energy to
two vital projects One, caring for the
and the other, caring for the unem-
ployod ox-scrvicc men. The number Of
cases applying to tho American Legion
Employment Committee for assistance
is growing daily and the percentage
OF those in actual need Of proper cloth
ing and nourishment is increasing at
an alarming rate
"Wbat is absolutely necessary is the
cooperation Of the public at large in
assisting these men to maintain them
selves decontly The impression has
gone forth that cx-scrvicc men do not
want to work. This may have been the
case Immediately after the return Of
The troops from abroad, when large
numbers Of mon from all over the
country were discharged in camps in
.hc vicinity of this city and stayed
here instead Of going to their homes
These men might we'll be termed Of
the "Aoater' class. At the present
time 80 per cent Of tho applications re-
ccivcd by this bureau arc from men
whose homes are i'm this city. and they
are looking for permanent Jobs. We
have on file applications for positions
ranging from highly trained technical
mon whose salaries range from $4,000
to $4,000 yearly 70 applications for
posluons O. porters. stablemen, steve
dores and other classes Of unskilled
labor
"Fcbruary l6 we had case Of y
man who Informed us he had been
sleeping at the Salvation Army Home on
Ncst Twenty Street and if he did
not get employment at once he would
commit some breach of the law to have
himself imprisoned and thereby assure
himself of at least q few weeks shelter
and food
Thousands of families in this city
arc dependent upon an UNEMPLOYED
breadwinner for their very existence.
lhc position Of the cx-service man who
worked for his country at $50 month
during the war with no opportunity
to participate in the high wages paid
those who were not fortunate enough
to serve and no opportunity to put
money aside for such times as these)
rs by far worse than the man who re
cclvcd q fat pay envelope at the end Of
each week of inflated war earnings
Since the opening of this office by
the American Legion on January l6
more than 500 applications have been
received OF these approximately II
per cent were from men whose homes
are i'm cities other than New York and
approximately 60 per cent married,
with dependents About 25 per cent of
these men have been placed in jobs,
some of which were known to be tenn
porarN when they were accepted. Thus
We have accumulated large list of un-
employed. which grows daily. The com
mlttec has not handled as many appli-
cants as would ordinarily be expected
under these conditions, because of the
fact that it is not as yet generally
known that the American Legion is
operating an employment bureau for
cX-scrYice men, this fact being with
held from the public until this organ
lzation was complete. which is now the
case.
''rhc American Legion itself is doing
its utmost to place these men in posi-
tlous. but the operation of the public
rs absolutely essential. A telephone to
our office will bring immediate re-
sponsc. Every man, before being sent
10 MI position. is required to sign the
following pledge:
the unders igned, pledge the
American Legion that Will not accept
any position through their aid unless
conscientiously believe myself capable
OF serving my employer fathfully.'
This lnsures the employer or an en-
ployee who knows beforehand what is
expected of him. No charge is made by
our committee to either applicant or
employer and the expense of the work
OF TINS committee is borne by contribu-
tions'