The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-03-05
Attacking Unemployment

There is serious unemployment in the country.
Every one admits that now Whether the figure is
three million or six no one can know, because OF the
lack of federal statistics.
What can be done to meet the present emergency?
Probably nothing. It is too late. Except for made
ouete charity. the iobess and their families must
continue to suffer. With the coming Of summer and
seasonal employment, conditions will improve.
The question is not what be done now to
create immediate employment The question is what
can be done now to prevent of this situa-
ton next winter and the next. The present enler-
gency is due to our failure two years ago, in sim
lar though milder depression, to plan and prepare
for today.
This at last is being recognized by congress Thanks
to speeches by Democratic and Progressive senator's
such as Wagner, La Toilette and Couzens, the senate
committee promises speedy action the Wagner
bills Tor federal unemployment statistics and creating
employment exchanges.
Those measures are not cures but they will give
the government and industry for the first time the
facts and instruments for a diagnosis CT our unem-
pIoynent diseases, which not one but many.
Meanwhile, the secretary of labor and the secre
tary of commerce. by the very nature of their jobs
might be expected to contribute something solution
OF this basic problem Instead, their official employ
nent statements this winter have been disproved by
later federal statistics, such they are.
Now comes Secretary of Labor Davis with new
statement. It is SO utterly inadequate and mislead
ing that we must assume Davis is speaking for himself
and not for the administration.
Davis proposal for passage of the public build
ings bill to provide Jobs is good, but only drop in the
bucket. For the rest he tries to capitalize unem-
ployment to pass the worst high tariff bill in his
tory.
sble today for creating unemployment than any other
factor" says Davis. We have no patience with such
a deliberate evasion OF the facts.
Davis knows there is static unemployment in this
country even in prosperous years. of more than one
million, regardless OF the tariff. Davis knows that
other millions are being added to the army of jobless
by machine made unemployment, which has nothing
whatever to do With tariff delay.
Davis knows that we just have suffered one OF the
worst stock market crashes in our history, which has
shaken business, without any connection with tariff
delay
Finally. Davis knows-if he has read the speeches
o. Herbert Hoover-that the difference between pros
verity and bread lines in this country is that 10 per
cent of our production which is sold abroad foreign
trade now threatened by the high tariff bill of the
,cpublican old guard.
Conditions are bad today. But they will be much
worse unless the senate coalition defeats the industrial
srf increases Such increases would provoke boycotts
q our exports abroad and would violate the Hoover
campaign pledge against a general tariff rise
That President Hoover will rest on the Davis state
eat IS uncomfortable Facing the coming crisis last
ISL the President appealed to business leaders to
stabilize employment and wages Through no fault OF
his and in some through no fault OF employers.
instead Of the planned sterilization got, in fact
Widespread unemployment.
Presumably the President is maturing plans to pre-
vent unemployment next winter. Congress can help
by pushing through the Wagner bills.