Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-09

Mr.. Daniel Willard, the well known
president of the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad, addressed the National ,Insti-
tute Of Social Sciences last Saturday
in New York and announced that while
all the statistics of the Department OF
Labor. regarding employment, are
"fraRmentary and inconclusiYe," he is
convinced" that there are more men
and women at present out of work lii
this country than the public generally
is aware of"
The question is as to what "con-
vinced" him, since the Government
statistics are so "inconcluSive." A mere
bunch, even to a railroad president, il
not in itself very conclusive.
The Department of Labor makes no
pretenseS at guessing how many are
idle throughout The country, although
1t does take limited regions for inves-
tl4ation, and arrives at some Judgment
section" or single city or some master
lines of industry. To make any in
vestigation that would be final and
comprehensive would require a census
Of all workers for gainful wages, and
that would cost mere than $4,000, 600
each time it was undertaken. Congress
has made no such an appropriation.
IA tIle dChilONleuBcu dDScIiCc "a az
tual data of unemployment 1t Is open
season" for all sorts of guesSers 10 an
nounce lunches, ranging from one mil
lion to eight million idle wage earners.
When the guesser happens to belong
to an opposition political party the
guess comes near 100000 whirh is
nearly one-third of all the wage earners
in America-an absurd guess, Of course.
y Il
There is one line of remedy for un-
employment III industry which is urged
by Mr.. Willard, but which, in reverse,
must add TO the demand for more de-
bentureS, or other farmer relief. 1t is
the project to make life on the farm
more attractive and more satisfying, to
the end that larger percentage OF our
people may wish TO avail themselves of
the advantages and opportunities en-
joyed by the independent and prosper
Gus farmer who lives on and cultivates
his own soil"
Would Mr.. Willard say that, If he
read today'S Congressional Record and
discovered the crying need Of more
relief" for the farmers? Why, then,
does the Senate vote bonus on the
export of farm SURPRISES, so as to main
tain artificially the farm prices and cost
Of food, to the American consumer. for
the support and relief" of present
farmers at the expense of taxpayers
including wage earners who rent their
homes? What Is, then, the logic of in
creasing the number of farmers and
farm SURPRISES? If and when, argue
the supporters of administration poll
cies, the proposed debentureS are neces-
sary for the present farmers, will their
addition to farm rewards not stimulate
increased SURPRISES? Then will not the
Willard proposition to induce more in
dustrial workers to HE them to the
prosperous country. to create addi-
tional farms, not still further add TO
farm distress" and increase the de-
mand for debPntureS, and add a tax
supported class to America similar to
the dole-supported in England?
While Mr.. Willard disavows knowl-
edge of what the solution of unemploy-
ment really is, he urges development of
| our foreign trade to increase foreign
demands for our products, and also he
| urges "stabilization of private industry"
and the planning of public works by
both State and Federal governments so
as to form a reserve OF work against
times of depression.
That idea has often been urged, yet
it is not always feasible. say its critics,
to adjust public works to the con-
Venience Of the wage Garner. For eX-
ample, today, the Government needs a
vast number of new buildings to house
Its various departments. Their con-
struction at any time will give employ
n1ent to mechanics In all the building
trades. Should they be postponed now
to an indefinite future, because it is
found that the building mechanics do
not at present suner from abnormal