The monitor., 1928-02-24
UNEMPLOYMENT INCREASES
Workers Shift from City to City to
Find Work

1 laJlOnS department OF the national
Urban league, ''has unemployment so
greatly affected the country as at
present For Negro workers, who are
frequently the first to be discharged,
the situation has resulted in suffering
and disproportionate number of APP
| peals to relief agencies. Detroit APP
pears to be the only exception of the
large cities that reported improve
ment for January. One office in
Cleveland was able to place only 1876
Negro men and women out of total
of 2,177 applicants. The Department
of Public Welfare of Philadelphia re
ported the most depressing period
within the past 10 years. New York,
where unemployment conditions have
so greatly disturbed the whole state
that the governor has asked the state
labor commissioner for a report on
conditions, ''is experiencing one of
the most pronounced periods of un-
employment it has known since 1921.
Charitable organizations are receiv-
ing more calls from jobless people
than at any time since the war" In
Chicago, the labor situation among
Negroes was regarded during the
month of January as "quite critical"
and unemployment mounted during
the month.
Restlessness of Negro Workers
From Los Angeles to New York
and from Boston to Tampa reports
show that the restlessness of Negro
workers, who in vain attempt to find
work move from city to city, is one
Of the perplexing problems social
agencies face. Through the middle
west there is a continual movement
between Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago
and Milwaukee Between Indianapo-
lis, Cincinnati, Columbus and Pitts
burgh the restlessness is quite evident
and in all parts of the south where
there are more stable resources to
support Negroes faced with long pc
RODS of unemployment there is also
an unusually large number of incl
dents of wandering from place to
place.
Ameliorative Efforts
I'm Pine Bluff, Ark, a mass meet
ing was held which was addressed by
an editor, a lawyer, and a banker
representing the white people in the
community and dentist representing
the colored people in the community,
when emphasis was placed upon i'm
proving the occupational opportuni-
ties for Negroes. Appeals were made
for living wage, jobs as drivers,
porters, ETC., which are now given to
whites, although formerly were given
to Negroes, and for better pay for
women workers who are so underpaid
"that they cannot keep clean and de-
cent" The Y w. C. A. of Indianap-
oils conducted four-day industrial
institute to stimulate public thought
on the matter of the low economic
level of Negroes in that city, The
St. Louis Urban league carried on an
intensive weeks campaign when en-
ployers were interviewed, meetings
were addressed and radio talks were
delivered on the point of widening
the occupational field for male and
1 fAn Ia hn
committee of the Cleveland Welfare
league began to crystalline sentiment
in favor of placing Negro workers
with public utilities. The New Jer-
sey Urban league of Newark inspired
the training of colored applicants for
appointment as policemen, one of
whom was called for service. In
Lansing, Mich, where conditions were
reported at a standstill a group of
Negroes appealed to the Community
Welfare Fund to institute some kind
of organized effort that will bring to
the attention of the public the fail
ure of employers to hire Negroes. A
group of colored workers in Harlem
are seeking to organize a Negro
Foundation of Labor, hoping there
by to make demands for skilled jobs
at standard wage.
Evidences of Progress
'Tn Akron, Ohio, Mayor G. Lloyd
We'll appointed three colored girls to
operate elevators at the Municipal
building, the first to be so employed.
A Negro manager was appointed at
the new Regal theater in Chicago
where the total number of colored
people employed is said to exceed
100. In this city also stock girls
entered loop shop for the first
time. A report from the Tampa Ur-
ban league states that since Christ
mas more people have been placed in
domestic service than in previous
months and the more encouraging
fact is that there has been a slight
! increase in pay. From Louisville,