Evening star., 1932-11-05
A, F. Of |, REPORTS
INCREASE IN Jobs
ANDBUY|NGPOWER
Employment Advances Are
Cited CoincidentaI With
Hoover's Claim.
100000 FOUND WORK
DURING SEPTEMBER
Trade Union Reports for Part of
October Declared to Reveal
Further Gain.

Colncldental with President HOOver'S
statement in St. Louis last night that
employment in this country was in
creasing at rate of 100000 workers a
month, the American Federation of
Labor in its monthly survey of business
said increases, both in jobs and buying
power, have been noted during the last
three months.
Mr.. Hoover declared that since the
adjournment of the Democratic House
of Representatives, last July, down to
the present moment, over 100000 men
had gone back to their normal Jobs"
In September, 100000 workers found
at least temporary employment" the
union reports for the first part of
October" Labor added. show a further
gain in employment"
Figures From Doak.
Secretary of Labor Doak said his de-
partment furnished President Hoover
with the figures for his St. Louis ad-
dress. He declared further that his
Statisticians had taken reports from
more than $4,000 establishments for
August and September and had sup
piled the President with figures show
ing increases in each of the 16 major
industrial groups.
Mr.. Doak declined to make the figures
public until they had been released
by the White House While President
Hoover did not go into this detail in
his statement last night, it was under
ctN I,A iCht nit ln IN, hi
address at ST. Paul tonight.
The departments records show that
after a sharp decline in employment
during July, an increase of 0.5 per cent
was noted in August, and there was
an added increase of 3.5 per cent in
September
However, the heaviest gains in the
16 groups during the two months were
noted in seasonal industries, especially
canning and preserving. This caused
the Labor Federation to sound warm
ing that there remains total of TO-
100000 unemployed workers, and that
this gain has had little permanent sig
rificance as relief for the unemployed.
unless the usual Winter lay-offs can be
prevented"
Fall Lay-offs.
For the last three years" the state
ment added, from 100000 to 500, 900
have been laid off from October to
January"
The survey said unions reported 25.4
per cent Of their membership out of
work in July, 25.l per cent in August,
24.8 per cent in September and "a per
cent in the first part of October.
Even these small gains" it added,
have increased workers buying power
and retail trade shows the effect In
July, department store sales were 80 per
cent below last year; in August the
margin was decreased to "a per cent,
and in September to 18 per cent"
The decline in workers income in
1882 was estimated by Labor at s25,-
100000 900 as compared with 1929, and
the decrease in retail sales for the same
period was estimated at S20000000 900.
In citing these decreases the federation
called upon business men to create jobs
and raise wages as the only sure way
to bring about a continuing economic
revival
Business has gained this Fall for
the first time since the Spring of 1881"
Labor said, adding that the revival
reached a little more than normal sea-
conal proportions. However, it noted
this revival was checked in mid-Octo-
ber and business did not go forward,
the federation said, into a marked up
ward trend.
I'VE cannot expect large gains in
business while buying power is at so
low a level" Labor warned.
Replacement Upturn.
1t classified the revival this Fall as a
replacement upturn," which was felt
particularly in the lighter industries
shoes, textiles, clothing, food and print
irg. This indicated, it held, that those
who have been at work have at least
been forced to replace worn-out goods.
Firms do not yet see." Labor as
serted. enough business ahead to war
rent large production increases or in
vestments in new machinery and con-
Struction which would give large orders
to the metal industries and put men to
work. In the So-called heavy or basic
industries therefore-iron and steel,
machinery, automobiles, metal mining
production increases have also been
confined in general to essential replace
nent of machinery and TOOLS"