Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-05
EMPLOYMENT SERVICE
INTENTS CITED BY DOAK
Secretary of Labor, in Radio Forum,
Foresees National Organization
for Providing Jobs.

Public utilities. especially railroads
and many other business activities, are
vitality interested in this problem. Con-
seuuently in approaching a considera-
ton of employment problems through
out the country as whole, 1t is eVl-
dent that a centralized or Federal free
| employment service must first be es-
tablished and maintained in order to
make effective any cooperative system
| of co-ordinated employment agencies
in and among our several States. Such
a system is not only logical, but the
proper one to be established.
Unfortunately. during the last session
of Congress a controversy arose as to
what should be the proper plan for a
National Employment Service. bill
was presented and passed by both
branches of Congress. sponsored by Sen
ator Wagner of New York. which had
as its object, in large measure, State
aid through allocating the larger amount
of the money appropriated by the Fed
eral Government for distribution among
the several States. The Department of
Labor sought either to have amend
ments added to the bill or to have sub
stituted therefor a plan which would
be more adaptable, more practical and
more suitable for present nesds and
more readily adjustable to meet the
country's needs in the future. How
ever, these efforts were unsuccessful,
and Congress passed the Wagner bill,
which the President vetoed. Congress
did, however, make provision by an ap-
preparation for the Federal Employment
Service, by which the Department of
Labor was given an additional $4,000
with which to augment its activities.
This additional appropriation, when
added to the appropriation already
made for this service, affords an avail
able total in the amount of 1888 600
With expansion and reorganization of
the entire Federal Employment Service
now possible through the utilization of
the amount granted by Congress, the
Employment Service Is now being rap
idly expanded, and We are actively en-
gagged in establishing the machinery by
which an efficient and national employ
ment system may be made effectively
available.
HOover's Action Lauded.
Until, however. the details of the CO.
ordinated plan are made public. and the
country can view with satisfaction the
newly created and expanded Federal
Employment Service, 1 am sure every
one will be interested in the circum-
stances surrounding plans foStered by
the proposed Employment Service legis-
lation which the President wisely re-
jected because of the present emergency
and the urgent need to keep intact, I'M
til a better machine had been perfected,
the present Federal service, which has
been built up through years and out of
great experience.
Had the Wagner bills provisions been
adopted, we would have been compelled
in the midst of our emergency to- aban-
don the present service and to destroy
its interstate character. so vitality essen
tial to Federal function. And in the
AZ independent States there would have
then existed no practical method of eff
fective control of Federal employment
activities. AS matter of fact, the pro-
posed bill presented no new idea It's
provisions had been proposed and re-
jected at different times over many
years.
When I was appointed Secretary of
Labor, the President directed me to en-
deavor to find a practical basis for
strengthening the present EMPLOYMENT
Service. and after diligent study 1 be-
came convinced that the best public in
terests would be served through the
maintenance of our present flexible
interstate system, which stimulates CO.
operation with the States, permits free
dom of action to meet local and
regional needs and, in fact, after ade-
Quate expansion and reorganization, as
permitted through appropriations of the
Federal Congress, would continue to OPP
crate upon the experience which the
Department of Labor had gained through
a decade of employment activities.
To my mind, it would have been a
dire calamity which would have permit
ter the destruction of all the practical
machinery set up by the Federal Gov
eminent in the past. Indeed, it would
take months and even years to work
out the plans proposed by the Wagner
bill. 1t would have meant delay when
employment agencies, of tested value,
were needed.
Present Service Outlined.
The present Federal employment serv-
ice, up to March Z, 1881, had, in CO.
operation with State agencies, aided in
the placement of over 1900, 900 persons
in employment; and in addition to its
general functions it contains two spe-
cial divisions, namely, Nation wide serv-
ice to agriculture and Nation-Wid serY-
ice to war veterans Both of these
special services would have been i'm
mediately abolished by the Wagner bill,
with no provision for their continual
ton. AS it is, they are still helpfully
functioning, and the plans now practi-
cally completed contemplate an eff
GENTLY augmented and expanded special
RESORTS.