Evening star., 1939-04-28
Roosevelt Appeals
For Jobs for Workers
Over 40 Years Old
Issues Proclamation
For Employment Week
Starting April 30
By the Associated Press.


HYDE PARK. N. Y, April 28.-As-
eerting great body of qualified
workers over 40 were mot sharing
as fully as other groups in employ
ment revival" President Roosevelt
issued special proclamation today
setting aside the week beginning
April 80 for Nation wide drive to
find jobs for them.
He called it Employment Week"
and the first day of the campaign
employment Sunday"
Churches, civic organizations
chambers OF commerce. veterans Or
ganizations, industry, labor and the
press were urged to observe the pc
riod Ito the end that interest in the
welfare of the older workers may be
stimulated and employment oppor-
tunity afforded them"
Text of Proclamation.
The text of the proclamation, Is
sued on his own initiative without
any directing resolution from Con-
gress, follows:
las industry and business make
substantial progress toward recovery
there are ever-increasing employ
ment opportunities for all groups. 1t
is important to our social equi-
librium that these opportunities BE-
equitably shared, and that no group
in the population shall feel itself
Disseminated against in hiring poll
eies.
1T is particularly important that
those men and women who have
reached the age where their family
responsibilities are at peak receive
their fair share of the new jobs, and
are at least allowed to compete for
those openings on the basis of their
actual qualifications. freed from the
handicap of an unfounded preju-
dice against age alone.
Able Workers in Group.
II am mindful of the fact that
among those over 40 years of age are
great body Of our most experienced,
able and competent workers; that
this group as a whole is not sharing
as fully as other age groups in the
employment revival; that many of
those over 40 have lost their jobs
through no personal failing but be-
cause of circumstances over which
they, and their employers, had no
direct control; that among those
over 40 and still actively in the labor
market are practically the entire
group of World War veterans (Whose
average age is 49,, group that is
surely entitled to look to our society
for security economic independence
"A committee of distinguished
representatives of industry, labor,
and the public has recently issued
its report to the Secretary of Labor
In which 1t analyzes the factual
basis for the alleged prejudice
against hiring middle-aged workers
and finds no good reasons that would
support the continuance of this
prejudice.
Appeals to Employers.
I'm view of these considerations,
I should like to ask employers
throughout the country to give spe-
cial consideration to this problem of
the middle-aged worker, to review
and re-eXamine their current policies
in order to determine whether ap-
plicants who are over 40 years of
age are being given a fair oppor-
tunity to qualify for jobs, and to
study their various departments and
processes with view to seeing where
the qualifications and abilities of
these older applicants could be
utilized. I want to urge social
agencies, labor organizations and
the general public to join in giving
this problem their earnest considera-
ton.
Nov, therefore, I, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, President of the United
States of America, do hereby declare
the week beginning April 30, 1899,
as Employment Week and do hereby
declare Sunday, April 30, 1899, as
Employment Sunday and urge all
churches, civic organizations, cham
bers of commerce, veterans organ
izations, industry, labor, and the
press throughout the United States
to observe that week and that Sun
day as Employment Week and En-
ployment Sunday to the end that
interest in the welfare of the older
workers may be stimulated and en-
plOyment ODpOrtllnitV afforded