Evening star., 1925-02-14
SURPLUS OF LABOR
IS NOW REPORTED
Unemployment Held Largely
SeasonaHUSual Winter
Let.Up in Building.
by J. G. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK, February 14-Con-
siderable unemployment 10 beginning
to make itself apparent In various
sections Of the country. This. how
ever, is not worrying bankers, busi-
ness men or economists, since 1t is re-
garded as largely seasonal. They hold
it carries no indication of a drop in
industrial activity or in the prosperity
of the country as a whole.
Nevertheless, there is a surplus OF
common labor in certain parts Of
Pennsylvania and the East, in the
Midwest and Northwest. Texas has
excess Is reported along the Pacific
slope. New England textile plants
are not running at full capacity de-
spite some Improvement and bitumin-
GUS coal miners are out of work In
several localities.
Trouble II Sectional.
These facts are due, in many in
stances, not to lack Of jobs for work
ers, but lack Of jobs in the particular
section where the workers are con-
gregated. The severity of the Winter
in some districts has put a check on
| activity, even though conditions in
the industries involved would natur-
ally call for increased production.
L
zinc fields of the triState district
Steel production also has been ham
pered by weather to some extent.
Floods following on the heels Of
heavy storms and ice jams have
caused plant tie-ups in several sec
tions of the country and have played
| part in the interruption of power
transmission from hydro-electrlc
plants. Less trouble than usual has
l nN
power this year than ever before, due
to the hooking up in superpower
systems OF hydro-electric and steam
plants.
Seasonal Building slump.
In spite Of the efforts Of construc-
| ton men and architects, building still
shows a slump at this time of year.
Construction programs are being held
up temporarily, and this Is affecting g
| the industries which produce building
materials. The cement mills, the out
put Of which normally is used within
fortnight Of shipment, are slowing
down for q time, although stocks in
reserve are not sufficiently large to
cover more than about Ave weeks
normal requirements. Lumber mills
Of the Northwest are going on a cur
| tailed schedule OF five days week.
The large railroad projects are
progressing slowly.
All indications point to the speedy
betterine of these conditions. At best,
even in time OF extreme prosperity.
from to 10 per cent of the workers
of the country are idle, and this in
creases to - and 15 per cent in times
of de pre- ssion. The figures may be at
tributed In large part to the urge of
the. itfnerant worker to move on
ha n
not open.
Textile Trade Improves.
The textile situation is slowly bet
terinK in New England and more
workers are being added to payrolls.
This Is true of the steel plants and
factories of Ohio and the midwest
also. The textile situation at present
reveal one of the situations which are
the despair Of economists. Workers
| in the wooden and cotton mills of New
England have been complain ing for
months Of unemployment and have
| been begging for work. In the silk
| mills OF Paterson. n. j., where manu-
| facturers now are pressing produc-
| ton, workers are complaining no less
| bitterly because they are asked to
work overtime at overtime pay.
Places On Farms seen.
In few weeks farm activities will
be under way and will absorb hun
dreds of thousands of workers. The
automobile factories are gradually
adding to their working forces. But
the work on the roads will be the
most potent factor in absorbing sur
plus labor this spring. The road
building projects are innumerable in
nearly all sections. Millions of dol
lars will be spent on highways and
| work will begin just as soon as the
| weather settles.
| The sheep shearers who follow the
clipping season north each year have
already gathered in Arizona. where
| shearing has started. Metal miners
are well engaged and there is even
| a shortage in some camps. So long
however. rs production capacity of
| the bftuminous mines remains far
| above consumptive demand there is
sure to be some unemployment among
! the soft coal miners