Evening star., 1934-07-25
Mr.. Allen-Explorer.

Commissioner Aliens picturesque
excursion into the world Of the un-
employed may produce something
more tangible and lasting than enter
tanning newspaper interviews. The
Commissioner was strongly impressed
by what he saw and learned. His
verbal report rings with blunt and
honest conviction which did not AL
low him to pull his punches:
] found beyond question that. as
to % per cent of the people you find
around relief stations and employ
ment agencies. all they want is a
Job.
found out our employment system
Is wrong from beginning TO end.
Around the employment stations run
by the Federal Government you will
find the snootiest people on Gods
green earth.
learned the power the Com
rflunistS have Is gained principally
because they will listen to people who
them and fight for them. That is eX-
actly the attitude the relief people
should take. but the relief people
won't even listen to you most Of the
time.
The crowds that gather around the
Communist orators are made up
largely of people who are curious and
who have nothing better to do. They
stand around listening to a speech
about overthrowing the Government,
and yet If somebody starts a whisper
in the crowd that there are jobs to
be had somewhere the crowd will melt
away and leave the orator talking to
himself.
Commission Allen Is impressed with
the idea of dividing the unemployed
into two classes-the unemployable and
the employable. He believes that
who cannot work should be put
on the dole, pure and simple, as
there is nothing much else that can
be done. For the others, he believes
the first step Is to "Set dynamite"
under the case workers and make them
use their brains and imagination about
creating work.
That, of course, is easier said than
done. The relief workers-and every
body will agree that a certain proper
ton of them are Just as ''snooty" as
the Commissioner found them-are the
victims of a machine. like the other
victims for whom they minister.
Brains and imagination are excellent
tools. But other fundamentally i'm
portant elements are proper organiza-
ton and money. So complex is the
problem of finding employment for
Americas millions that the solution
cannot come from the case workers on
the job, whose mechanized routine
and daily contacts may have lost for
them their ability to exercise ordinary
human sympathy The brains and
imagination must be used at the top
by those who are directing the relief
machine. They are the ones who must
eventually find the method of cutting
red tape that, reasonably enough, is
wrapped around the expenditure of
Government funds. But when the red
tape is cut there must be other safe
guards against the inevitable waste
and errors Of Judgment resulting from
a too liberal use of brains and imagi-
nation, especially imagination, by
every Tom, Dick and Harry who has
a job as relief worker.
The new "self-help' corporation
just formed in the District may de-
velop an outlet for the use of brains
and imagination that the existing
system of unemployment relief makes
impractical. Its specially is to be the
creation of work opportunities. other
wise non-eXistent, and bringing the
man and the job together. Its sue
cess will naturally be watched with
extraordinary interest, Commissioner
Allen has certainly got for himself
in one short week, more explicit in
formation of the nature of the prob
lem he must help to solve than he
could otherwise have obtained from
q year OF reading what other people
have TO say about it,