Evening star., 1932-11-20


"A have filled waiting rooms of pri-
4 \ vate agencies there was appar-
ent, at the beginning of Fall, a
new and steadily rising note of opti-
mism.
These men and women knew, OF
course, that the lean years are not yet
over; that another bumper job harvest
such as that of 1929 is still long way
in the future. But they had taken heart
because here and there they say little
streams of work trickling back to the
parched lands, and certain industrial
areas, that had been brown and sere,
once more were roaring green.
The upward trend OF available posi-
tions began to be really noticeable in
most places in August. Though the rate
of increase slowed down in September,
reports from the country as a whole
continued to show a more than sea-
sonal improvement. Figures given out
by the Federal Labor Department on
October Is showed gain in September
of 3.8 per cent in employment and 2.6
per cent in pay roll totals over August,
the largest general increase in the
number Of industrial workers for more
than a year. October figures available
at this writing November u reveal the
upward trend as still going on. In fact,
there is ample evidence for President
Hoover's recent statement that more
than a million men returned to work
during August, September and Octo-
ber.
Many of the greenest spots of renewed
activity were located in New York and
other Eastern States, where the Job
drought had been most marked. Miss
Frances Perkins, New York State In
dustrial Commissioner and stern real
ist, reported rise Of SIS per cent in
factory employment between August IS
and September IS, which is 4 per cent
above the normal seasonal improvement
for that period. Some of this increase
may have been due to the staggering Of
work, but the figures meant. in human
terms, that In New York State alone,
40 600 persons who two months ago were
idle and despairing were hurrying to
work in the morning and coming home
with earned money in their pockets
Certain places in the State, especially
mill towns showed hustle Of activity
as In the old days.
White-ColIar Class Courageous.
The spirit and courage with which
the white-collar class has borne itself
during the long ordeal has been bright
spot in our national picture. Yet no
previous depression has hit the white
collar class, and especially the business
women, SO hard. In 1921, when there
were almost as many women in the
business field as there are now, 1t was
not impossible, as it has been for many
this year, to get a new job when the
old Job was lost. And when dropping
of employees began this time, the first to
go almost always were the lower sal
aried workers, girls mostly who had
nothing much in their pocketbooks with
which to meet the crisis but lipsticks
and rouge.
But after many dark months there
came, in August, freshening of inter-
est and hope, and long-idle clerks,
stenographers and statesmen asked
themselves, ITO whom will the first Jobs
fallp What can we do to be among the
lucky first to go bsck?"
The best places to find the answers
to some of these questions are the high
class employment agencies. The Jobs
obtained through them do not depend
on charity or political pull, but are a
true reflection of the laws of supply and
demand. Such agencies, about 70 per
cent OF which are in the Northeast and
20 per cent in New York City, have
come into being only in the last 20 or
Is years. Although under the continual
fire, direct or indirect, of organized
labor, which wants the legal right to
control the supply of labor to industry,
these private agencies have maintained
their position because of the funda-
mental American belief in the right of
individual contract, coupled with a sus-
picion on the part of the public that
| agencies run by the State would become
| mere machines for distributing political
! favors.
To get an intimate picture Of en-
ployment chances today the writer Wis
lted number of the leading private
agencies and questioned the men and
| women who sit behind the desks and
the files OF card catalogues, selecting,
asserting, connecting and interpreting
| labor and capital to each other.
Whlte-collar women, said these peo-
pie who have their fingers so closely on
! the pulse of employment, were going
! back to work in New York in greater
numbers than white-collar men. Al
| though their usual ratio is about 50-50
many agencies reported that more girls
than men were placed in September
and October. The reason? MANY firms
dismissed their women clerks and ste
| nographers first of all, retaining only a
| few, plus the men in key positions
When industry speeds up, these girls
are therefore the first ones needed back
Do those who have been out of work
longest get back first, as would seem
only fair? 1t would be pleasant to re-
port that they do, but it would not be
true. Except when employees have been
kept on the company's list and called
back by their firms, the job goes to the
best qualified.
Versatility and Extra Training.
Do versatility and extra training
help? Yes, especially among the
younger women workers. These are
the days when one person often must
handle the remnants Of three jobs
The girl who can take dictation, run
| a switchboard and operate an adding
machine has better chance of finding
q berth than the job-seeker who can dc