Evening star., 1923-11-11
BUSINESS IN j. s.
TURNING UPWARD
Washington Officials Report
Gains in Past 80 Days.
$4,000, 900 Workers.
BY HARDEN COLFAx.


Business throughout the United
States appears to have turned def
nitely toward the better during the
past thirty days, according to reports
on employments of workers received
here this week by various govern
mental and trade organizations. The
tendency toward slowing down in
number of lines has been checked,
and. except for the situation in the
textile industry in the east and south,
the country as a whole, in the light
of these reports. was more active in
October than September.
Private observers here couple with
the improved employment conditions
the upswing in prices in the stock
market.
Idleness among unskilled workers,
which first became slightly apparent
toward the end of summer, is on the
decrease. In many cities, the reports
state, the surplus of common labor
has been absorbed, except in the
larger cities, where the negro work
ers who came north during the past
ten months now are finding them
selves, to a considerable extent, out
of work.
Labor Surplus Smaller.
Nowhere does there appear to be as
large surplus of common labor to-
day as there was ninety days ago, ex-
cept in certain Pacific coast districts,
and even there the trend is toward
increased employment.
Building construction is reported to
have shown little. if any, let-down.
Reports from every large city in the
country, with few exceptions, tell of
a call for more skilled workers than
can be found. In Philadelphia the
shortage of painters is reported as
large. There, as in Detroit and Cleve-
land. the surplus of negro common
labor is virtually the only surplus to
report among skilled and unskilled
wage workers.
Throughout the United States. how
ever. the white-collar worker is more
numerous than the jobs TO be filled.
Industries More Active.
In Pittsburgh there is slight
abatement in building construction,
reports indicate. but the demand for
common labor continues good.
Baltimore reports the usual curtail-
ment of labor employed in main
y.
Otherwise there is little unemploy-
ment.
Sixty days ago officials in Wash
ington were a bit concerned over the
tendency to restrict Industrial ac-
tivities throughout the country. The
big white sheets on which the. gov
eminent charts the monthly situation
with respect to employment and in
duStrial activity had shown a swing
ing curve upward since the summer
of 1921. 1t reached it's peak, ap-
parently. in Nav of this wear From
that time it showed a slight tendency
to swing downward. September
found the curve still bound DOWN
ward. although the recession was
slight
That has been changed in the
record for October. The curve is
turning upward again, indicating
more general employment and greater
volume of business. Specialists here
believe that it will continue upwa rd
and that there will be virtually no
unemployment next winter. Two
months or so ago they were not so
sure about that.
43,OOO.OOO Workers In L. =.
The psychological effect of the in
crease in stocks is regarded here as
a strong factor in creating a better
tone 10 business. Various trade or
ganiZationS are working on survey
of employment which. when COM
plcted, promises to be of unusual in
terest. Preliminary figures indicate
that the number of work ers employed
at the present time in the United
States is nearly $4,000, 600. This fig
ure, however, may be upset in the
final computation. In 1919, census
bureau figures indicate, the number
of employed workers was slightly in
excess of 41.000,0G0
If the forthcoming survey holds to
the 43,000,000 total. it will be ap-
parent that business is about per
cent better than it was during that
year of great activity, and that no.
where in America need a skilled or
unskilled worker go without a job.
Copyright, 1921