Evening star., 1930-06-08
Importance of Unemployment Surveys
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

that the results would show em-
ployment conditions In all grades Of
economic status.
In Baltimore the work was done at
the expense Of the city and State gov
ernments. The Maryland State COM
missioner of>labor and statistics was in
general charge of the work, but the
actual field work was done by the city
police. All families were covered IN the
survey, so no method OF selection had
to be employed.
How the cooperation Of non-goNern-
mental agencies can be utilized is Illus
trated by what was done in Philadelphia.
The Wharton School Of Finance and
Commerce undertook to make the
survey and received no governmental
assistance save the cooperation OF city
school attendance officers. These truant
officers interviewed families in 166
blocks In 10 school districts. These city
blocks were selected with an eye to the
economic status and the race OF the
residents, and therefore cross-section
of the employment situation IN all
classes was obtained. The Wharton
School did all the work OF compiling
the statistics after they had been gath
cred by the truant ofi1cers. While the
survey covered only 6.6 per cent OF al
Philadelphia families, 1t was regarded
as wholly representative.
How Should Unemployment Be Dehneda
An ingenious system OF inquiry was
employed in Buffalo. The New York
State Department Of Labor had general
supervision Of the work, but the actual
field work, the interviewing OF families,
was done by volunteer college students.
These students received no compensa-
tion, but, on the theory that the ex-
perience would be educational in itself.
they were given class credits IN accord
ance with the amount OF work done.
1t was considered by the school author
| tiles that students, particularly those
studying economics or sociology, would
derive as much benefit from this actual
contact with the raw material Of their
studies as they would from poring over
| text books in class
In Buffalo, too, the city was divided
| into nine regions, so as to give oppor-
| tunity for discovering the unemploy-
ment situation in every normal income
class. Seven per cent OF the total num-
| Der of families in the city was covered.
The need Of standardizing definitions
| Of unemployment also is felt by the
authorities. Different rules have been
followed by different surveyors. For
example, in some cases it is found that
q carpenter by trade Is out of carpentry
work. He has, however, a regular job
as q factory laborer. Such a man, 1t
is considered, should be listed as en-
| ployed, because he is drawing a wage
at regular work, even though that work
is not his trade. On the other hand,
bricklayer out Of work might be sur
veyed when he has work for only,
day or two, such as shoveling snow.
Such work, being of a very temporary
nature, is not sufficient to justify clas-
styling the man as employed. Nor
should tramps, beggars and professional
gamblers, whose unemployment at reg
ular callingS is known to be voluntary,
! be listed as unemployed, because the
sole value of unemployment statistics
lies in their comparative relation-that
| is, the number of those out of work
who normally are employed regularly.
Discretion should be used by enumera-
tors in discovering reasons for unem-
| ployment. It is only the worker who
wants work and who normally Is en-
ployed, but who, because of conditions,
is unable to find any kind of work
which he Is capable Of performing who
should be numbered definitely as un-
employed.
Enumerators should be selected for
their discretion and Judgment and abil-
1ty to interview families in q manner
calculated to get a true picture. Dif-
| ferent points Of view Of persons giving
information must be taken into consid-
Grafton. Many q woman thinks of her
spouse as on vacation or not really
working because he can dig in a nice
cool sewer all day while she has to bend
! over q Steamtng Washtub