Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-01
HEARINGS RESUMED
ION UNEMPLOYMENT
President Green Says g.
TOO, 900 Were Out Of Work
During February.
N The Associated Press.


sAmerican Federation of Labor. esti-
MATED today before Senate commit
i tee that 100000 wage earners were
sout of work in February. losing over
fs40o, 100000 in pay envelopes.
Green was the first witness as the
scommerce committee returned to con-
ssideration of the unemployment ques-
stion.
He said in the first three months Of
this year those out of work lost well
nigh $1,000, 600, o00." He explained
that this estimate on losses was based
on the theory that the men standing
idle might have created more than
81 900 900 900 worth Of wealth.
Could Turn Business Tide.
"The country as a whole, as well as
the men themselves is that much
poorer because these wage earners were
not employed in productive work,
This much wealth, he said, would
undoubtedly be more than sufficient to
turn the tide of business from recession
to advance" - a. T.,
comes Of wage earnerS in three monthS
means an approximate increase OF
per cent IN the total national n1conls
Tar that period of time" he declared
Green was testifying in favor OF the
Wagner proposal to set up machinery
for longtime planning OF puolc WORKS
The Wagner plan would create
commission to study public work con-
stYTIction. This commission would DC
given . $50, 0o0, 900 appropriation.
Two other witnesses.
..... ,,,o,,Id he made for
the collection Of Unemployment m
formation and for the creation OF
FEDERAL employment agency.
TWO other witnesses were calleo tOI
+odav,s session. One, Miss Helen Han
If philadelphia, warned the commlUIee
that her picture would be q ore one.
In connection with her duties WIN lLle
National Federation OF Seeti trneet;E
she has made q Nation-Wloe lnvesLI.
cation of the effect of Unemployment
an fhe family, she said, Distinguishing
h.tu.een the result of the breadWlnnerS
losing job permanently ana
temporarily. - +ns
conclusions I have drawn, MES nali
Seid care based on unemployment con,
dttions in the so-called prosperity period
~ 1908. rather than on those OF tne
present emergency and it is depressing
Mrs. Charles Marquis Merrill, who
x,yrites under the name Clinch Cal
kins, was the other witness. Sne no"
"a engaged in writing book on t1s ma T..
terial Miss Hall gathered IN STUDIES III
more than 500 American cities.
10th women Endorsed the wagner
Tp,rnina to the history of unemploy-
Soent president Green said 1t hao peen
\ recurring problem since the pegninhie
of the factory system. .da-
The first answer-charity- HaI.
uuate to meet workers neeuo.
asserted. "and left us quite unprepare11
- meet the next mounting wave OF
unemployment"
Per Cent Unemployed.
eThis is indeed a grave problem,
he fold the committee after declaring
his ORGANIZATIONS figures showed tna1
during the past ~ months unempioy.
ment among its membership did not
fan below per cent for all trades ana
rose as high as 20 per cent. =,
Green called most Signihcant MS
a~tiynate that average unemployment
did not fall below per cent ourlns
the months of 1929, in which peace
time production reached new hign rec
ords In "a industrial centers.
The federation's unemployment pro-
cram Green outlined under three sep
9rate headings: fact finding, nousIriaA
measures and remedial measures.
He urged that the unemployment CEN
ton with the decennial census TAX
ing give "the total picture Of unemploy-
rnert." DISTINGUISHING between part-ume
work and iobblessriess. He also urged
a Federal agency to supplement- TINS
periodic information, asserting tnat
present methods do not give the ful
measure Of unemployment.
Among industrial measures Green
proposed sterilization, pointing out m
plished with cooperation between work
ers and industries.
For Employment Service.
He also urged recognition by industries
of what he called the vital partnership
which wage earners bring to a produc-
ton undertaking.
Green Endorsed Federal employment
service ito connect workers wanting JOBS
with work opportunities"
workers out of jobs, he said, have no
money to pay fees of private agencies:
Workers displaced by archaeological
changes need special employment coun-
sci and vocational training opportunl-
ties, he added, and there should be Jop
analysis agencies to establish Joo re-
quirements in order to ind work Wnlch
older men can do.
Urging deferred programs for con-
struction of public works, ready to be
initiated when needed" Green said that
although such a program has been
much discussed for years and generally
approved, the depression last year came
upon us without provisions for initiating
a constructive program together with
the machinery for putting it into
operation"
Labor Is fully persuaded" he asserted,
"that unemployment can be eliminated
as a social and economic problem. We
have organizations necessary to con-
tribute to its solution and are ready 70
cooperate in working out constructive
methods. Unemployment is the most
serious drain on industrial progress and
q serious social waste" he said.
This Year Serious.
Green asserted that approximately
one worker in every four was "out OF
work" during February and that unem-
ployment this yea rwas the most serl-
Gus we have experienced in the three
Winters we have collected figures"
puring the past year unemployment
has been steadily mounting over the
previous year." Green said. Since Oc-
tober it has increased from IL to % per
cent, due to a business depression. This
huge unemployment has, in turn, re-
tarded recovery from the industrial re-
cession of last Fall"
The total volume of wage payments
to workers in manufacturing industry,
Green said, has dropped IA per cent
since the stock crash and payments to
railroad employees have fallen II per
cent.
In building trades, 43 per cent, or APP
proximately one out of every two, were