Evening star., 1932-07-24
Seeks Concerted Action of
Big Business to Boost
Employment.
ORDERS NEW SURVEY
OF JOBS SITUATION
Accepts Bid to Meet New England
Council - Cites Experience in
Spreading Available Work.
BY THEODORE c. WALLEN.


President Hoover is sounding out
business leaders of the Nation to see
what can be done to increase industrial
activity and employment with the aid
of the machinery he put through Con-
gress. The conversations have pro-
ceeded far enough to assure some presi-
dental move soon to encourage large
unity of effort within industry itself,
while the Federal Government is main
tanning its greatest era of construction.
A series Of White House conferences
like those which brought industrial and
financial leaders to Washington for
common counsel after the collapse of
the security markets in 1929 is among
the proposals mentioned, but the Presi-
dent is represented to be approaching
the business world with an open mind.
offering to take the initiative, or merely
to cooperate, in any way its leaders
think wisest
The Presidents acceptance yesterday
of the suggestion of Gov. John G.
Winant of New Hampshire, that he dis
cuss with the New England Employ
ment Conference its plan for shorter
work weeks as means of distributing
available jobs, will give him an oppor-
tunity this week to consider some of
the problems he has in mind with
leaders from that section. The i'm
portance he attached to that meeting
was demonstrated by his immediate in
struction of the Departments Of Labor
and Commerce to resurvey the situa-
ton and the experience of industries
using such plans in preparation for the
discussions with the New Englanders.
Presidents Statement.
In announcing the survey, the Presi-
dent issued the following statement:
II have been requested by Gov.
Winant of New Hampshire to receive
| the representatives of the recent con-
| ference in New England to discuss their
| conclusions upon the fve-day week OF
shorter work hours as means of wider
distribution of employment. / welcome
the opportunity to do so. In the mean
time have instructed the Departments
| of Labor and Commerce to Immediately
resurvey the present situation and ex-
perience of the industries now using
such plans.
AT the White House conferences with
| employers and labor over two years
] ago the general policy Of spreading
available work over the largest number
was adopted and has been consistently
/ followed by a great many industries
! The same action was further spread by
the Presidents Employment Committee
| conferences held last Fall. We have,
therefore, large amount Of actual eX-
| perience.
There are many different methods in
different industries to spread work
! through shorter hours. Some of them
have adopted the f1ve-day, the four-day
or three-day week; some have adopted
siy-hour shifts. some are staggering
| employment, some are using the fur
| Tough plan for salaried employees; some
| of them have suspended night shifts
some are using the flexible week, de-
pending on the volume of business. In
TACT, many varieties of attaining the
same end have now been developed, and
welcome the opportunity to review ne
situation and see what further SIS
can be taken.
The New England Conference he
| made constructive suggestions and W
| our accumulated experience we shous
be IN position for new stage for action
, py further conference between en-
ployers and labor representatives"
Would Bolster Confidence.
Busines men who have been inter
viewed on behalf of the President have
concluded that his primary objective is
to bolster confidence through mutual
exchanges or otherwise, on the theory
that lack Of confidence is the back log
retarding business improvement.
The underlying thought is that the
Federal Government now has done its
utmost in this direction and that it is
time to bring industry itself into the
picture. The vast expansion of the
cridt facilities of the Federal reserve
system, the paving of the way for resi-
Dental construction through the home
loan discount system and the easing OF
funds through the expanded program
of the RECONSTRUCTION Finance Corpora
ton are among the instrumentalities
cited as being put at the disposal Of
business by the Federal Government.
The President is represented as ad-
herring to his fundamental philosophy
that the Government should go no far
ther than to help existing institutions
and the people they represent. While
willing to have the Federal Government
help business regain its feet, he is
against anything tantamount to putting
the Government into business.
While it is recognized that there Is
no use expecting the banks to lend So