Evening star., 1934-08-02
The Finding Jobs Campaign.

It ODJettiFts VI btc pfoPDsOA hfN
a. Job campaign OF course commend
themselves to every thoughtful eiti-
zen. On the same page Of The Star
on which appeared the report OF
Commissioner Aliens conference with
those appointed TO plan the cam
paisn another article related the in
creaSine cost. per case. OF relief in
the District. There are some 20 900
cases" on the relief rolls now. and
the cost per case had risen In June 10
$32s4. as compared with the cost in
March OF $3.50. Along with the in
creasing cost OF relief per case. the
number of benenciaries has as yet
indicated no tendency to diminish.
The cost Of direct relief in the Dis
trict has grown out OF all proportion
10 other expenditures.
While the increasing cost per case
may be difficult to explain, there is
little difAculty in understanding why
the relief rolls continue so crowded.
When unemployment was rapidly in
creasing in 1891 the Commissioners
undertook, with the financial aid OF
the Community Chest. 10 place people
In Jobs and to maintain q semi-oficial
agency devoted to that purpose, But
when public relief began this ae-
tivity faded out of the picture. There
were increasing demands for funds
for direct relief, and the Board Of Pub
lie Welfare set up and maintained
strict standards which had TO be met
by those receiving relief. Establish
ment Of the C. w. A. let the bars
down completely, and there was an
immediate increase in the number OF
those receiving relief and applications
from those who had never applied
before. In the meantime. private ef-
forts toward increasing employment
and placing men in jobs subsidized.
The Federal Government had taken
over the business and was apparently
prepared TO meet any and all de-
nAnds. Discontinuance OF the C. W. A.
has had no spprecisble effect on les
senins the burden OF relief. for, in
principle at least, C. w. A. lives on
under another name. The only way
relief rolls will ever diminish is by
putting reliei recipients in regular
employment.
A cycle has been completed and once
again the Commissioners are to lead
a movement OF citizens TO create jobs.
Success in this effort is absolutely i'm
perative, unless the alternative OF con-
tinued public relief and its tremendous
and unceasing drain on public funds
is TO be chosen 1t is estimated that
some $4,000 employsble persons are
now receiving public relief. II as
many individuals could be persuaded
to give at least one job, the problem
would be simplifed.
1t is not as simple as that of course.
The great ma jority Of unemployed rep
resents unskilled labor. In the justi-
ned effort to prevent exploita ton OF
cheap labor at starvation wages,
rather arbitrary lines regarding wage
scales have been drawn which, aban-
donine altogether the laws OF supply
and demand, actually prevent some
employment, for the theory has been
that it Ia better to pay a dole repre-
sentative OF fair wages than to permit
private employment 81 low wages. Mr..
Persons of the Federal Employment
Center suggests that too much EN-
phaSiS is placed on hiring people from
the relief rolls, the inevitable result
is that job seekers will elamor for pub
lie rehef in order to become candidates
for employment
There are innumerable other COM
plicstina factors. II Commissioner
Aliens campaign results IN eenterins
public thought and attention on the
problem, and the absolu@ necessity of
taking men and women IN jobs of the
rehef rolls. q great deal viii have been
accomplished. One fears now that
I the prevailing idea Is that the Fed
eral Government can handle the job
alone-an idea that IS as false as il
/ IL dangerous.