Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
Facts About Unemployment
CONTINUED From First Page

what hard times" do to those VIII
must earn their living with their hands
I have seen thousands of men stamped
ing toward mill gates on the mer
rurnor that men are to be taken on"
have seen heads of families trying Il
support wives and "stepladders' of chill
dren on the wages of ore or two days
work q week; mourning store bills TO
the bare necessities of existence over :
period Of months, hardly paid during |
brief period of employment before an
other time of slack work" came along
7 have seen children OF honest, INDUS
tfious men, pale, undernourtshed boy
and girls without shoes or warm cloth
ing, picking up coal along railroad
tracks to keep a fire In the stove al
home
I think have some knowledge Of
the feelings of men IN the cities, thu
"'white collar" men standing before
newspaper of1ces waiting for flrst edi'
tons with possible help wanted ads
tramping the streets day after day
and unable to get work.
These things I saw. knew, and ex-
perienced In my boyhood ana youth.
recall the business depression Of 1907
when those who were fortunate enough
to have work often were paid in
"scrip"--which stoTekeepers were glad
70 accept. Then came the depression
Of 1921, when between 100000 and
100000 men and women were out OF
work.
In the present unemployment situa-
ton what has the Government done
what ID it doing, to meet conditions?
To answer that question properly II
a necessary first to determine what
conditions 1t is we are trying to better
and the causes Of these conditions.
IdIeness Not So Extensive.
IN the first place, it can be said that
the extent of unemployment now is not
nearly so great as it was in 1921.
In the second place, it can be said
Just as confidently that the employment
situation has improved since the first
Of the year.
In the third place, It can be said, or
the basis Of known conditions and
facts, that there is every reason x
expect greatly increased employment
opportunities within the next few
These are not mere statements Of
hopes, based on optimism alone. They
are conservative, well considered state.
ments, founded on definite knowledge
Of facts
The administration at washington
has been accused Of "wfistling to keeL
its courage up while passing through
the unemployment graveyard" want
to meet that accusation with facts.
The first point want to make il
that we do have facts to back up oul
opinions. For nearly Is years the
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the De-
partment Of Labor has been obtaining
figures every month showing employ.
n1ent in the principal manufacturing
industries Throughout the Nation
From $4,000 factories and plants VIZ
regularly collect information as to the
number on the pay rolls and the wage:
paid In addition we have access tx
the labor reports made by the railroads
n the Interstate Commerce Commits.
SION, covering more than 100000 EN-.
ployes. Furthermore, we have reports
Of States which make careful surveys
Of employment conditions within then
boundaries, and whose factory inspec-
tors and other State agents know what
the condition of industry actually are
Other agencies Of the Federal Govern
n1ent, such as the Department of Agri-
culture and the Department of Com
merce, have means of determining the
extent Of employment, both In the cities
and in the rural sections.
Not Over 100000 Idle.
The result is that we know unem-
ployment now is less than one-ha1f OF
that which existed during the two
previous important depressions. The
Nations 100000 or 100000 people
normally working for themselves or
others have suffered some decrease, un-
$~0ss4onably, but there is every SOUND
reason to believe that at least 43 900,
goo men and women are gainfully en-
ployed.
We know that in three-fourths OF
the States the increase In uY1employ-
ment, as compared with other years
Is small. In only IL States has there
been serious increase in the number
OF Jobless men and women. The index
o. employment dropped from more
tnan S8 per cent in October, 1929, Il
~ per cent on December 80. BY Feb
cent.
These statistics demonstrate that our
optimism Is based on solid facts, and
not on mere hopes or expectations. It Is
true that we cannot tell with absolute
accuracy the exact number, down tc
the last man, Of the unemployed ir
this country. But in the 1880 census
Tor the first time we shall obtain a CON-
plete enumeration Of the UNEMPLOYED
and that will be helpful in the future
"a dealing with the problem Of the
jobless.
Twenty years ago, Carroll d. Wright
the eminent statistician, stated that we
always had 100000 unemployed in
this country, regardless Of the times
THESE figures have been accepted by
statlsticians since then as accurate. To
headline the fact that 81 100000 men
are out of work" is startling. Yet q
committee Of the Federated American
Engineering Societies reported In 1921
In the best years, even the phe-
nomenal years of 1917 and 1918 at the
climax OF wartime Industrial activi-
ties, when plants were working to ca
pactiy and when unemployment reached
its lowest point in 20 years, there was
. margin Of unemployment amounting
70 more than million men. This mar
GIN Is fairly permanent; seemingly one
or more wage earners out of every 40
are always out OF work.
Problem Is World wide.
All over the world nations large and
small have been engaged with the same
problem. From italy, as this is writ
Il blamed for Italy's jobless. List OF
unemployed is growing" In Great
Britain early in February ! 100000 were
listed as unemployed; 1900 more than
Q week previous and 100000 more than
the year preceding. Under date OF
Marcn the number OF German jobless
was given In press dispatches at $780,
900. From Spain, from Argentina, from
Australia, from Brazil, from British
Malaga, from India, China, Japan ano
the Netherland East Indies, come re-
ports through our Department of Com
merce that business generally is below
normal and unemployment above nor.
NAL The whole world, then, Is in one
Of those valleys of its economic ex-
tStence, largely unexplainable, but sure
20 be succeeded by peak Of prosper
tty."