Evening star., 1924-11-09
BY l.. SETH SCHNITMAN.

There's an i'll wind that blows no
good and the World War was just
| such wind. In it's wake of i'll, the
| war, far beyond any other single
| factor. brought forward justificatio
or the existence of a meagre store of
certain business Information. Far
and away it was the war which
brought forth the necessity for more
| and more and more facts on business
! IA gust of wind, indeed, the good of
winch iS in increasing volume, being
| recognized by business leaders.
That the business horizon was far
from cheerful, in the gloomy days Of
| ls20-1921 there is no denying. but it
was under these auspices, when the
business weather exhibited signs of
clearing, that the collection Of cur
rent economic data respecting labor
market conditions was undertaken
by the Federal Government through
the cooperation of the various State
and municipal free employment
| agencies. Surprising it was that the
Presidents conference on unemploy-
ment in September of 1921 found it
self confronted with an amazing lack
of facts on the employment situation.
while of considerable significance is
the fact, or rather estimate. that dur
ing the Summer of 1921, at the very
bottom Of the postwar depression.
approximately 100000 persons were
unemployed. 1t is natural to suppose,
then. that employment bears direct
relationship to business conditions.
for when all are employed business is
prosperous. When the reverse is true
business is depressed.
What L. $. Data Reveals.
Since the middle of 1921 the United
States employment service has been
| collecting data showing the number
| of applications for jobs and the num-
Der of jobs open. as listed at the many
free employment agencies throughout
the country, data for the District of
Columbia being included. During the
year 1922, a year marking the re-
covery of business from the stagna-
ton of 1921, 2S,260 applications for
work were filed at the Washington
office, while during that same period
there were 1885 jobs listed as avail
able, equivalent to 800 applicants per
LOCO jobs, or to put it in another
way. lilo jobs per 1000 applicants.
Tho worker seeking employment in
w. could have exercised, and probably
did exercise, a rather wide choice as re-
spectS prospective job, for he was
in a favored position arising out of
the recovery of business and the con-
sequent demand for help-there were
fill them. The year 1928, likewise,
taking the year as a. whole, exhibited
the same condition in the labor mar
, ket, with more jobs than applicants
to fill them. But, although the sum
totals for 1922 and 1923 indicate sim
liar conditions, the monthly fiuctua-
tions show some very interesting and
divergent movements during the two
years under consideration.
reference to the accompanying
chart indicates that the volume Of
business in Washington in February,
1922. as seen from bank debts, re-
corded rising tendency from a low
point and this at a time when there
were 1,100 applicants for each 1000
jobs listed in the local employment
office. AS business continued its rise
the ratio of applicants to Jobs
dropped, until in June. 1922, there were
but sos applicants for each 1000 jobs
October, 1892. recorded rather sharp
decline in the business volume, while
November reflected an increase in the
ob-applicant ratio. bringing il to
1.O10 applicants per 1000 jobs for