The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-17
CITIES ADOPT
UNIQUE PLAN
TO AID J0bLESS
Reports Collected Indicate Sincere
Efforts 10 Help Army Of I'm
employed

Washington, Jan. II. - Novel
means are being employed by vari-
Gus cities and towns throughout the
United States to provide work for
the jobless, according to reports
collected by Colonel Arthur Woods.
head of the organization charged
with carrying on work started by
the recent national conference on
unemployment.
Summaries of these reports show
means used to be as follows:
Chicago has made a house 10
house canvass under the direction
of % battalion fire chiefs, to COM
pei householders to remove from
their premises all combustible ma
terial and refuse, as a fire proven
ton measure. This campaign has
created many short time jobs.
Dallas, Texas, took church CEN
sus of its population and eac1
householder was asked if some spe-
cial odd job, painting, carpentry.
gardening or cleaning, could be
furnished the unemployed, and a
lSCOIu wac hCRb VI III -~~-N
addresses, with the result that a
large number of days of work were
secured for the most needy.
"Ads" Are Used.
In Fort Wayne, Ind, advertise
ments were published in the news
papers, and the unemployed were
asked to fill out and send in blanks.
These were turned over to the To-
cal employment agency, and local
industries secured the help they
needed.
Kearney, n. j., has an agent out
every afternoon, covering the town,
with several helpers, in automo-
biles. They visit buildings under
construction, look over streets be-
ing paved, and call at all industrial
plants and railroad shops, offering
the cooperation of the local en-
ployment bureau, and ascertaining
exactly what kind of help is need
ed.
In New York City, 103 social
agencies have cooperated in re-
lief work for the unemployed AMI
have established a central bureau
of registration to act as a clearing
house
Pittsburgh contractors and en-
ployers have been urged to keep
one or two men in each family on
the payroll, and to hire to a large
extent those living in the city who
have dependents.
Personal Visits.
Each ward in Rockford, ILL.,, has
a committee with the two aldermen
as chairmen. These committees in
turn have organized precinct COM
mittees with a member in charge
of each city block. Personal con-
tact like this has resulted in a
very successful campaign to pro
vide jobs and relieve distress, the
report said.
Schenectady, N. Y, has taken care
of its own problem by bond issues
for public improvement, and the
city officials are enforcing rigidly
such ordinances as snow removal,
which is done under city supervi-
sion and charged on tax bills of all
derelict property owners.
Pledge Building.
Atlanta, has formed a club OF
500 citizens. each of whom has
pledged the building of a dwelling
to be rented at reasonable fig
ure, thus giving employment to
many, and also helping the hous-
ing situation.
Boston, has asked all employers
to increase the number of their en-
ployes by at least one, and as many
more as is possible.
New London, Conn, runs special
entertainments in the theatres with
local talent The unemployed were
allowed to sell tickets and retain
a good percentage of the proceeds.
Civil service rules are suspended
in Cambridge, Mass, so that many
persons can rotate in the same jobs.
Houston, Texas, maintains a
gang of laborers ranging in num-
Der from 200 to 600, paying them
$1.25 a day and if they have de-
pendents, experimenting this by
charity. Employers are urged to
apply to the city for labor, which
is supplied from this gang.