The Connecticut labor news., 1924-11-01
ONTARIO PLANS TO FIND EMPLOYMENT
 FOR IDLE WORKERS
Prime Minister Calls Conference at Toronto; Situation Worries
 the Government.

Ottawa, Nov IA provincial un-
 employment conference-or rather a
 round-table discussion of remedies for
 the relief of unemployment during the
 coming winter-was held at Toronto
 last week between representatives of
 the urban municipalities and the On
 tario government
 The invitation to the conference, is-
 sued by the prime minister of Ontario,
 Hon. Howard Ferguson, was sent to all urban. municipalities in the province
 and when the conference opened over
 50 delegates were in attendance repre-
 senting g. municipalities, including all
 of the larger industrial centers. The action of the prime minister was large l 1y the outcome of an interview between
 tfle minister of labor, Hon. Dr. Forbes l Godfrey, and representatives of a few municipalities the previous week, who
 urged on the provincial government the
 necessity for carrying into effect the
 recommendations of the Ottawa unem l ployment conference, held early in 1 September.
 Representation to the Ontario con
 ference was confined solely to munich
 pa1 authorities, no other interest hav l ing been invited to take part in the
 discussions. However, some of the
 municipalities did have as part of their delegation an officer of the central la 1 bor body III their respective localities. ] It was decided to request the On-
 tario government to CD .inaugurate an intensive campaign of Buy Made in
 Canada" @ Appeal to citizens to pro vide at least one extra job per week during the coming winter for the un- employed (3) Institute and carry on all public work to provide labor >for the unemployed; (4) Continue work now under construction with full comple- ment of employees. during the winter months; (5) Immediately undertake and continue during the winter, with full complement of men, work that has been provided for during the past ses- sion Of the legislature; (6) Call for tenders at once for work which plans and specifications are already in hand; IG) Shorten the work day so more workers may be employed; (8) Assume 25 per cent of the cost of the ex- pense of emergency relief. CIhe municipalities agree to assume 50 per cent provided the Dominion and pro vincia1 governments assume the bal ance) 60 Re-establish the employ ment service council of Ontario; 10) Regulate immigration until it is proved that there Is a reasonable demand tor labor and that 1t is possible of being absorbed.
 Unlike the Ottawa conference, there were no serious clashes and everyone seemed anxious to find way out of the difficulties. The prime minister was very sympathetic and stated definitely that the Ontario government was doing everything possible to relieve the situa- tion. and about $2,oO0,000 would be spent during. the coming winter upon work which was not immediately nee essary.
 Turning to the resolutions or recon mendations adopted y/the municipal representatives, the premier expressed himself as being in complete accord with the first seven. Referring tp the problem of immigration, he said:
 q do feel that in the matter of i'm which lies largely within the jurisdiction of the Dominion govern ment, some. check is advisable. So far as this government IS concerned its 1n- structions to its agents abroad are to 1 the effect that only farm help is wanted here and that mechanics can not be ab- sorbed at present"
 Tn the meantime the unemployment situation in Canada shows little inn As winter approaches the problem is becoming more and more acute and no relief is yet i'll sight. In Montreal, the largest industrial center in Canada, the private charitable agen- cies have declared that they are unable l to cope with the situation and ask that l of caring for the families | of the unemployed Conditions in Mon | trea1 are very little different from those existing i'll almost all industrial eenters and 1t is generally agreed that during he coming winter there will be more unemployment in Canada than at any period since the war. H. themselves of the opportunity to elect