New Britain herald., 1930-10-28
Community Chests Seek $5,Wo,000 In 20 Cities to Aid Unemployment;
 J.J.Raskob Urges Fiive-day Week
Proposal Fits in With Stag
 ger System of Employ ment - Inquiry Shows
 250,00O Children Have Jobs Adults Might Hold.

Washington. Oct. 2S (UP)-The prospect of a fund of millions ot dollars to relieve human suffering this winter created optimism today among government agencies strug- gling with the unemployment situa- tion,
 Colonel Arthur Woods prepared to return during the day from New York to resume personal charge ot activities as chairman of President Hoover's emergency committee on employment. During Woods ab- sence in New York, recruiting CO., operation there, offers of assistance and collaboration have been shower ing upon the White House.
 Outstanding among the recent de- velopments is the revelation tha. community chest efforts in 22C American cities are being directed toward raising $55,000,000 for relief work. Officials realize vast sums must be found to prevent distress or even death from cold and hunger They believe the community chest campaign will be of tremendous help.
 Urges Fiye-Day Week
 AS these heartening developments added vigor to the federal campaign there was widespread discussion ot the proposal of John J. Raskob democratic national committee chairman, for universal five-day Geek. It fitted in with the emphasis piacedsby Woods, Secretary of War Hurley and others associated in un- employment work here upon the stagger system to make available jobs go further. This plan of stag gered hours, already in operation on some private and government works, provides for reducing thi working week so that two men may be employed part time in place 0; one at full time.
 The question "who has the jobs ir this country?" also raises interest ing matters in connection with em' ployment of women. President Hoover estimates that for everJ family in the United States there are one and quarters persons employed. Census figures indicate that many of the added family breadwinners are wives
 More Wives Taking Jobs
 The number of employed wives
 10 census discovered 1,920,2S1 wives gainfully employed-and that does not include homework or anything of the sort. At that time 9 per cent of all married women were working.
 In 1910 the percentage was lO.7; 1900 5.6; and in 1890 4.6. The in- crease n has been considerable an steady. Census officials say the de- crease from 1910 to 1920 was due principally to the fact the latter enumeration was taken in mid-wln- ter instead of the spring and that the method of enumeration had been changed somewhat. Flgures for the 1880 census have not been classified so far with respect to em- ployed wives, but it is expected thf number will show an increase. lr 1920, 23 per cent of all the womer employed were married.
 25O,OOO Children Employed
 In this connection it is pointeS out by Grace Abbott of the labol department children's bureau tha1 25O,OO0 children between 14 and + years of age are employed and doubtless, in many instances doint work which otherwise would be per formed by adults.
 Inquiry here does not indicate any effort will be made to separate mar ried women from their jobs. It i> likely, however, that in providing emergency employment this winter one member of a family will be more likely to get work than two.