The Washington times., 1923-06-26
WORLD + AGING
PROBLEM IN
JOBLESS
While U. s. Needs Workers
Europe Is Overrun With
Idle People.

WINE AUSElCdu INDUSTRY Is
crying for more labor, practically
all Of the nations Of Europe face
the most alarming and serious
unemployment problem since the
world war, reports to the De-
pertinent of Commerce today
showed.
Millions Are IdIe.-
Contrasted with q shortage OF
100000 in the United States, more
than 2,Ss6.o0O men and women ,un-
employed roam throughout central
Europe.
Great Britain. by far, has the most
unemployed, variously estimated at
from 10000 to 1,750, 900. Germany.
torn by financial disorder and In.
dustrial choas. has 900 1000; italy.
$4,000; Belgium, 10000; France.
10000; the Scandinavian countries,
Russia, Poland, Czechoslovak and
the Levant reporting large numbers.
Cause Of Unrest.
Four factors. fundamentally, have
caused this great labor unrest, with
It's consequential harmful reflex on
industrial reconstruction and deuel.
opment, the reports said. Theee
are:
/. Currency Quotations and fin-
ancial instability.
q Inability to dispose of surplus
population owing to immigration re.
strictions on the part of those conn
tries which had formerly taken q
considerable portion Of surplus
workers.
-. Loss OF markets, caused by de-
creaslng purchasing power
4. General Industrial breakdown.
Inc problem is SO serious in
Great Britain. where 1t is called
the basic difficulty of INDUSTRY
that moves already are being made
to- force emigration to the British
colonies. Thus far, however, con.
siderable disagreement has been
found with the Dominions over the
type OF emigrants to be sent OUT.
and the matter win be brought up
CRITICALLY at the imperial economic
conference next fall
Army Saves France.
Were it not for the large stand.
ing army which has diverted men
from productive labor, France, too,
would be hard hit by unemploy-
ment, the reports pointed out Much
the same situation prevails in Bel
GUM. which, because of its size. Il
able to transfer labor from one
section to another rapidly, and thus
swallow up the unemployed
Italy faces an almost continuous
surplus labor supply, because of its
increasing population and its COM
paratively small resources, it was
said. There, too, efforts are being
made to dispose OF labor outside the
frontiers.
A general breakdown of financial
systems, coupled with virtual indus
trial stagnatfon because of the
French occupation of the Ruhr, has
made OF Germany q lively i1otbed Of
labor unrest, the reports stated.
Shortage OF Coal.
Lack Of Ruhr coal for industry,
uncertainty on the part of foreign
buyers, and disorganized transpor-
tation conditions which followed the
'catastrOphy boom of last year
forced unemployment to high fig
ures, the reports said.
Aside from financial disruption in
Austria, there is q further connpli-
cation in the abnormally large num-
Der or the Government employees in
Vienna, where the government ma.
chinery, originally established for
the Austro-Hungarian empire has
not been reduced in proportion to
the enormous loss Of territory. In
the reorganization large numbers of
the employees are being released and
places must be found for them in
commerce and industry, !" the re.
ports declared.
Throughout the Scandinavia
countries and in the Balkan states.
the reports stated, "a decrease Of
wages in order to meet world mar
ket conditions, combined with an
increase Of prices Of commodities.
especially from Great Britain and
the United States, essential to the
population, have resulted in inter
mittent labor unrest. a reduction
of production, and an increase of
unemployment"
Until commerce and finance, and
industry are restored there can be
little hope for betterment. the re-
ports indicated. Emigration might
help, but, it was pointed OUT this
is slow process and then probably
would not be a permanent cure.
For the time being, at least, the
reports held no hope for an i'm
mediate solution, indicating that
Europe alone must work out the
problem-a problem which has thus
far proved a veritable bugaboo.