The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-11-29
REPORT POINTS
WAY TO GREATER
OPPORTUNITIES
Russell Sage Foundation Issues
Report of Interest Affect
ing Country.


which points the way to greater en-
ployment opportunities for colored
people, which throws light on their
difficulties in securing jobs, and
which suggests possible means of les
sening these difficulties has just been
issued by the Russell Sage Founda-
ton under the title Public Employ
ment Offices-Their Purpose. Struc-
ture, and Methods" While the study
on which this report is based was
not confined to the employment prob
lens of any race, there is much OF
interest to students of race relations
in the findings and recommendations
of the Foundation with respect to
employment problems affecting the
country generally, and an entire
chapter in the report Is given over
to the problems of colored workers.
! The report recommends the estab-
lishment OF a nationwide system Of
free public employment offices, to be
operated jointly by the federal, state
and local governments, with the state
government as the chief unit of ad-
ministration. In the section discuss
ing the management of local employ
ment offices, the point is made that
placement work for colored people
can be done best by members of their
own race.
The Foundations investigators
studied employment conditions in the
north and in the south, in large cities
and in agricultural sections through
out the country. They find that race
prejudice is limiting very much the
occupations open to colored people;
until comparatively recently almost
the only lines of work to which they
| were admitted have been farm and
and common labor. This range of
employment should and can be great
ly increased through intelligent and
persistent educational work among
employers as to the suitability of col
| ored workers for certain other kinds
of work, together with discriminating
placement.
"If a colored man with good train
ing and ability is held down to a
common laborer's job because of
prejudice, he, industry. and the COM
munity all suffer an economic loss"
says the report.
| The report declares that southern
states, In an effort to restrict the
emigration OF colored labor to the
north, are through legislation and
license fees making ii increasingly
| difficult, and in some states impossi-
BILE, for private agencies to send
workers out of the state. There are
numerous instances, also, says the re-
port, "of the efforts of citizens to
prevent the recruiting of colored
| people for work in other localities or
states, some of these even going so
far as threats of violence to the re-
fTultiHS agent. L tHiS oPPooitioh Soh
| be removed through intelligent OPP
Grafton of public employment bu-
reaus, whose object is adjustment.
not mere shifting of men, and whose
tendency Is to place workers as near
home as possible.
Referring to migratory labor in
general, without special reference to
the colored race, the report says:
'The transfer from one section Of the
country to another of workers in in
creasing numbers Is an uprooting OF
home and community relationships
that must be looked upon with con-
cern. In the past we in the United
States have talked very loosely about
shipping men from one part Of the
country to another, as though the
desirability of shipment from an in
dustrial and social point of view
were unquestioned."
That race prejudice has handi-
capped the colored worker by limit
ing his choice Of occupation Is
Continued on page D