The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-03-09
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Unemployment

Three major domestic problems are to be tackled
promptly by the new national administration. Hoo
yer is busy with plans for better law enforcement
and is considering personnel for nonpartisan COM
mission to make thorough study of prohibition.
Arrangements have been completed for special
session of congress, opening the middle OF April TO
make limited tariff adjustments and to provide the
long promised relief for FARMERS.
The new administration cannot solve all the ma
tional problems overnight, of course, and it doubt
less would be a mistake to attempt too many re-
forms at the takeo Nevertheless there is one other
problem which deserves Hoovers immediate atten-
ton. That is unemployment.
How serious the unemployment and part-tirne EN-
poyment situation is no one knows. There is the
rub. There are no adequate national employment
Statistics and provision for obtaining such data
There is no machinery to handle the permanent ex-
cess labor supply in overmanned industries such as
COAL or in maladjusted industries such as textiles.
There is no provision for taking up the unemploy-
ent slack during periods of industrial slump by pre-
scheduled public works.
Even in the last five years there has been Sc
rious sectional unemployment almost every winter,
with bread lines and widespread suffering. Last year
Senator Wagner of New York and others in congress
sionaI debate estimated that about five million
out 81 work. If such situation arise in times OF
comparative prosperity what will happen during a
depression?
Practically everyone is agreed that unemployment
solutions of whatever nature effective to the de-
gree that they set up advance machinery for 1mme-
date use in an emergency. Since 1921 we have had
q series of federal state and private unemployment
and recommendations. On
But unfortunately nothing much has come of all
that effort. We are practically where were-
Now comes the senate committee on education
and labor with report the investigation ordered
by the senate a year ago. It makes seven specific
recommendations. These include:
J. Private industry should recognize its response
blity for stabilizing employment and the govern
ment should cooperate.
O. Insurance plans should be initiated by private
industries supplemented if necessary by states.
g. States and municipalities should perfect eff
cient unemployment exchanges and the government
should coordinate them nationally.
4. The United States employment service should
be reorganized
5. The government should provide efficient sys
tenn for collecting unemployment statistics beginning
with the 1880 census.
s. The government, states and municipalities
should adopt legislation without delay which would
provide system of planning public works that
they would form reserve against unemployment in
times of depression.
z. Further consideration well might be given to
two questions: The effect on unemployment Of In
dustrial developments, such as consolidation of cap
hal and the necessity and adyisabty Of providing
either through private industry, through the states
or through the federal governments system of old
age pensions.
These recommendations do not pretend to offer
complete solution. But they do provide beginning
They are not new. They follow in the main the gen.
era1 recommendations made by other commissions
including that which Hoover himself headed seven
years ago.
We hope the President will ask congress TO act at
the special session, and that he viii recommend
further the necessary cooperation of states and pr
vate industry.