Evening star., 1928-02-12
The Unemployment Situation.


The Unemployment Situation.
To tell a bread line or a man hunting
for a bread line that unemployment
conditions throughout the country are
not as bad rs they might be- that there
Is no national emergency comparable to
1921 when Eve or six million men were
out of work and that better prospects
are ahead. is conducive to tangible re-
suits, but they are apt to take the form
of brickbats and chunks OF mud heaved
at the source of such oracular remarks.
One may regard with disapproval the
action of disorderiy pickets In New York
on Friday who descended upon q con-
ference called to discuss unemployment,
carrying with them placards reading,
Gov. Smith. we want food. not figures:
I'VE want work. not words: Surveys
do not pay rents" and We want work
or wages" But such disapproval is
highly seasoned with sympathy.
Unemployment Is a specter that can
never be completely obliterated from the
rosiest of dreams. and 1t has q habit
Of stalking In when least expected or
desired 1t Is making its presence
known now in various sections Of the
country. and the usual cries Of alarm
are heard But its extent Is largely a
matter of guesswork. Gen. Jacob S.
Coxey. ubiquitous leader OF "Coxey's
Army" reports that twenty-five per cent
Of the factories from Minneapolis to
Boston are idle. . statement that in all
probability is grossly inaccurate. TAX
ing 100 as q base figure in the year
1923, the United States Employment
Service index statistics on factory en-
ployment are: December. 1926, sos:
November. 1927. $50; December. 1927.
e51. The Metropolitan Life Insurance
Co. estimates factory layons as II in
December Of 1927. as compared to IL
In the same month OF 1925. The
United States Employment Service fig
ures on rate Of applications per 100
Jobs are las In December. 1927, as COM
pared TO l34 tn December. 1895. The
Detroit weekly employment index for
the last week In January showed an In
dustriai employment In that city Of
323 seq for the last week In January. as
compared with 2l5.60l for the corre-
spending week OF 1925. The Depart
ment OF Labor Is now making q survey
the results Of which may be known in
o few weeks and which allow more
definite conclusions regarding Nation
wide conditions
Except for the seasonal slump which
makes itself felt after Christmas and
begins 70 recover In March, those ia
nailtar with fundamental causes Of un-
employment are unable TO fix RESPONSE
bility for the wave that Is reported In
some sections Of the land. The theory that
Q slump occurs In a presidential election
year has been exploded as ,nscientifie,
The Mississippi and New England foods.
together With the shutdown IN the Ford
plants. may all have had a contribu-
tory effect. But outside OF these. from
which recovery already has begun. there
are no important economic changes
which would have thrown great num-
bers Of men out OF work. On the other
hand. the volume OF construction
throughout the country has kept It's
upward trend. Unexpectedly exceeding
IN 1927 the figures for 1925. and with
no indication OF a letdogn for at least
eight months The States have big
bodybuilding programs awaiting the
advent Of Spring Here In the Capital
the building trades are better OH nov
than last Summer. and further i'm
proyement IL expected in March.
The Presidents conference in 1921,
called 70 consider the emergency Of that
year. dealt with it In two ways. First.
II set up a propaganda for actual pre-
yention, through proper agencies. OF
want and suffering Secondly. it un-
certook the compilation OF those tire
GDt1e facs and figures which bake no
bread today. but tend 10 supply IT to-
morrow no conference could. OF can.
90 more. The exhaustive report on
business cycles and unemployment
which grew Out Of the 1921 conference
explains some of the basic reasons for
the phenomena Of rscurrent booms and
siumps, together vita recommendations
for their avoidance. Mr.. Hoover has
just announced the appointment Of an
other committee which viii determine
facts relating 10 shifts of employment
changes Ia methods of production In In
custfy and agriculture. khifts In price
levels and otisf kindred subjects, by
such surveys business viii become more
informed shout Itself learn ~ note
osnger signals ahead and steer course
sadzfclngiy. The Federal DDYernfnen,
Gan make no nlofe valuable couhibu'
tion toward isAseniDg the evils of uH'
employment than by tile compilation
Of such facts NO cure can bs found
ihst does not consider ths causes
though the CAUSES may require yesrs sl
effort before making themselves known
--~~~v~-e-~-es7-s s~sss~ s~e.r7r,~-re-'r-e
10 many prominent men rguTs IN th'
oil inquiry thst The cDurtfngp, resembles