Montana labor news., 1937-05-06
RE REINFORCEMENT
SERVICE IS REAL
AID TO WORKERS
Millions Are Placed in Jobs

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ployed wage earners varied but con-
sentative estimates placed this total
as eleven million. Realizing that the
worker, anxious to secure employ
ment, must have some opportunity
and place where he might apply for
this work, the President asked the
Congress to expand the limited ia
cilities of the Department of Labor
to meet this need.
On June 6, 1888, the bill known
as the Wagner-Peyser Act became
law and incorporated in this act was
the establishment of the National
Unemployment Service. The func-
tons of this service, as originally
planned, called for aid from the
states and counties desiring this
service. Funds for personnel were
provided by emergency federal leg
islation and the space and furnish
ings for offices were to be supplied
by the states and counties wherein
offices were to be established.
State Offices Well Organized
In every case the personnel was
chosen from the locality of the Of
fees and in August, 1888, the Ma
tional Unemployment Service began
to function in Montana with r. R.
Purcell as director and Walter T..
Bridges as associate director and
definitely in charge Of the Montana
service. Offices were also opened
in each of the Sc counties with a
manager in charge, counties were
grouped into 8 districts, each dis
trict under direction of a supervisor.
Unemployed residents we're asked
to place their applications for work
in their own county and indicate
their qualifications and experience
for available employment. Forms
for this application showed the
name, sex, address, marital status,
number of total and partial depend
ents, education attained, union affil-
iations and an outline of the physi-
cal characteristics of each applicant.
A brief summary of previous work
experience and qualifications COM
pleted the application.
In all applications the applicants
own statements were accepted, no
investigation was allowed to prove
or disprove the accuracy of any
statements. Persons claiming to be
war veterans were required to sub
NIT proof in the form of an honor
able discharge certificate from the
service and persons born outside the
United States were obliged to pre-
sent naturalization papers when
claiming citizenship. All informa-
ton was confidential and not to be
divulged outside the service without
orders from the Secretary of Labor.
Many Workers Placed
Inasmuch as the National Re-em-
ployment Service employs but a
limited number of persons it has
been conducted mainly as a liaison
agency between employers and the
Unemployed. 1t has performed this
service on many of the federal and
public works emergency projects
since 1888.
Nationally more than 100000
persons have been placed in private
employment since 1888 by the Ma
tional Unemployment Service and
during this same period it has placed
more than IA million persons on
public works. In Montana, figures
show a decided annual increase in
placements both public and private.
During 1886 Montana placed 60, 966
persons through its National Re-
employment offices and of this num-
Der 1913 wer assigned to private
industry at better than security
wages. Silver Bow County figures
for the same period show a total
placement of 5,357, of which 2,416
were referred to private industry.
Unions Have Aided Employment
At the beginning of the service
many workers and employers were
skeptical of its purposes and value
and were reluctant to use its facili-
ties. This attitude has undergone a
complete change and today the
workers, individually or through
their unions and the employers have
the greatest confidence in this serv-
ice and are more than glad to use it.
In Silver Bow County all crafts
and trades are well organized and
it can be written to the credit of
these organizations that they have
maintained very friendly relations
with their county office here which
feels that the unions have been very
instrumental in the success of the
Silver Bow County office. On all
work under the jurisdiction of this
office local workers have been as
signed first and all openings have
been filled by Silver Bow County
residents whenever available and
qualified. Very few placements have
been made here for out-of-county
workers and these only in extreme
cases where local workers were not
available for the jobs. To offset the
small number of non-residents