The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-01
Unemployment at 100000,
Labor Research Survey Shows
CWA Unions Fight for More Jobs
Conservative Tabulations
Show How Green
Falsified

NEW YORK. 49, Sixteen million
workers are entirely without Jobs IN
the United States, In addition 10
those 1obless who are on the tenn
porary emergency relief rolls Of the
c. W. A. and on federal projects,
soon to be fired, the annual estimate
Of the Labor Research Association,
Just issued, shows.
This yearly estimate confirms the
estimate Of the Daily Worker that
at least seventeen million workers
In the United States are totally Job
less. The thousands Of G. w. A.
workers fred in recent weeks were
not included in the L. r. A, total
Of those unemployed.
Figures Conservative
The new survey Of the 1. R. A. is
based on official government indexes
Of unemployment. It Is checked up
by such estimates as that Of the
Alexander Hamilton Institute. which
showed a flgure Just above 1900, 900
co. March 1888
The figures seem very ConserYa-
tive. The estimate for unemployed
coal miners, for example, both
anthracite and bituminous, totals
only 10000. Bourgeois sources have
placed the number between 250,0O0
md 100000. (See New Republic Of
August 30, 1889
How Green Falsifed Figures
The L. r. A. estimate refutes the
figures given out by William Green,
7 president Of the A. F. L., who b.
distorting and doctoring figures, ar
rived at the figure Of only 1O,7o2 900
unemployed. The statement Of the
L. r. A. on how Green distorted the
unemployed figures, follows:
1. The A F. Of L. does not
correct the census of unemployment
Of April /, 1880, which together with
the census Of occupations serves as
/ the basis for its estimate. Yet 1t IS
generally conceded, even by conserva-
/ i've students Of this unemployment
census, that the figure Of slightly
I over 100000 for unemployment on
April l, 1880, is decided underState-
ment.
Figures on FarInsfx
2. "A. F. Of L. estimate counts as
employed those living with rela-
! tives on farms. They have food
and shelter, but are not earning
enough to provide other essentials
is the reason it gives for including
them. In A. F. OF l.. estimate, in
creased unemployment among farm
hired labor is balanced of against
increase in family workers This
is done on assumption that many
farmers cannot keep any hired labor
and therefore have to use members
of the family to do the work. This
is a correct statement but, US often
happens in such cases, 1t distorts the
real situation.
1.-THE distress OF farmers does not
result only in cutting down hired
labor Farmers - both owners and
Observation-Disclosures their farms as a
result Of bankruptcy and fore
closures. Thus while Unemployment
among farm labor does increase, il
| is not offset by an increase in family
workers. On the other hand, url-
employment is increased by The
plight Of agriculture itself and the
consequent unemployment Of former
tenants and farm owners and their
/ family workers.
Increase Forgotten BY Green
8. Since April, 1890, when the
census Of population was taken,
| there has been a natural increase in
those seeking gainful employment.
This increase amounted to over D.
500 600 by November, 1888. The A,
F. Of L. recognizes some increase
here, but its figure is only 1,400, 000.
It's method Of computation seems to
! be incorrect. In the American
FederatiOnist, october, 1888, it de-
| scribes its method of finding in
creases in those seeking gainful em-
ployment as follows:
This is combined from two
sources: l. Monthly Labor Depart
ment reports on immigration. show
ing the number Of working men ano
women entering and leaving the
! country; 2. Birth and death records,
taking births Of 16 years ago TO give
( those coming Of working age. minus
deaths Of the current year, and tax
ing 1913 per cent Of this figure since
this is the normal percentage of the
population seeking gainful employ
ment.
Figures ON Population
Thus, instead of taking current
increase in total population TO whicla
the S9.a per cent could be properly
applied, since 1t represents the ratio
Of painfully occupied persons to total
population as revealed by the 1880
census, the A. f. of L. applies this
percentage TO g smaller number-a1
estimated increase in population Ii
years OF age and over.
THE figure thus derived by A. r.
Of L. is more than a million below
the Labor Research Associations es-
innate Of 2,5S5.000 increase in per-
sons seeking employment. In derive
ing cur figure we assume that ths
increase in numbers 'gainfully oe-
cupied' Cor seeking employment has
continued since 1880, with the Same
average yearly increase that is shown
for the decade 1o2o-19s0. During
these ten years the number in
creased by T,216,O00. In three years
and seven months from Anril /, 1880
(date of census), to Nov. /. 1888. the
increase on this basis would be a.