Evening star., 1932-05-19
NORTHWEST AREA
SITUATION BETTER
Minnesota Economics Show
Conditions Are More Cheer
full Than Elsewhere.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

MINNEAPOLIS, May 19.-People IN
the Northwest do not know how lucky
they are. Their economic situation Is
so much better than that in other parts
of the country that the relatively small
amount of unemployment plus pros
poets of good grain crop makes MIN
nesota appear decidedly more cheerful
than any other State this correspondent
has visited.
Diversified farming saved Minnesota.
Variety of dairy products and develop
ment of some industries in the north
ern regions has made this State less
dependent upon wheat than it was 20
years ago. 1t is when the DakotaS
produce premium wheat, however, that
the twin cities, with their elevators and
-four mills, begin to show signs OF
activity.
The talk now is that Spring wheat
will bring a premium OF at least 10
cents. This may mean very little to the
fastener, but it is like El Dorado to
the Northwest, especially since the cost
of production has been materially re-
duced.
Olson Pictures Conditions.
Gov. Floyd Olson, among others here,
gave me an interesting picture of con-
ditionS in the State. He appeared to
have a clear grasp of economic and
agricultural problems confronting Min
nesota. He believes that permanent
prosperity will never come until prices
of farm commodities are fixed by law.
He admits the difficulty in doing this
within a single State, and recognizes
that it is a national problem. Gov.
Olson is a Farmer-Laborite. He re-
Gently attracted attention by his alb
sence from President Hoover's dinner
to the Conference of Governors.
Il never received any formal invi-
tation," he related, "and, SO far as
know, no other Governor did. The Sec
retary of the Governors Conference
merely announced that we were all in
vited, and I told the secretary that
could not come, as l was leaving on
10 o'clock train that night
The incident is being made political
issue in Minnesota, opponents OF Gov.
Olson contending that the Governor
snubbed the President, and that an
invitation from the White House is a
command and should not have been
declined, to all of which the blond and
peppery Governor replies, Il didn't
know we were living in monarchy"
Taxpayers Hard at Work.
Although the agricultural counties of
this State have been gradually making
q readjustment over the last few years,
there are some important things going
on out here which are of deep S1gnlf1-
canoe. First of all, there are taXpay-
ers' organizations working hard in most
counties for revision of budgets; second,
horses are scarce nowadays and their
price is going up, because farmers are
unable to pay the upkeep on tractors,
and until they get better price for
their crops they are going back to fun
damentals in tilling the SOIL
An unemployment survey experiment
Is being conducted by the University OF
Minnesota which will inevitably attract
Nationwide attention. 1t is known as
the Institute of Unemployment. This
is an agency set up by the university in
cooperation with all State employment
bureaus and with industry. The pur-
pose of the survey is to make an
analysis of a typical number OF unem-
ployed persons, studying their back
ground and qualifications on the one
hand, and seeking to find in industry
Jobs that are particularly suitable. In
other words, scientific job in redis-
tribution and placement is being at
tempted on small scale, but with an
interesting discovery that will be valu-
able to all States in handling unemploy-
ment.
1,500 Find Jobs.
Thus out of 1900 persons registered
at the institute jobs have been found
for $500. The work is costing $500 900,
and Is expected to be completed within
two years The money has been fur
nished by the Rockefeller Foundation
and the Laura Spellman Fund. DR..
Lotus V. Coffman, president Of the
University of Minnesota, told me that
the survey has proceeded far enough to
indicate that simple system could be
devised for establishment in every
State, making possible a redistribution
not only of white-collar workers but of
all classes who are now unemployed.
He seemed to think that with disor-
ganization created by chronological un-
employment it would be more than ever
necessary in the future for industry to
cooperate with properly co-ordinated
placement agencies.
1t is refreshing to find Minnesota
still maintaining her tradition of pro-
gressive ideas and looking forward to
an agricultural equilibrium at a not far
distant date.
(Copyright, 1922