Evening star., 1941-01-20


Il Department of Labor shall be to
foster promote and develop the welfare OF
the wage earners of the United States, to I'M
prove their working conditions and to ad-
vance their opportunities for profitable en-
ployment.'
That mandate has been followed since the
department was set up in 1913 and Will con-
tinue to be followed not only in the interest
of men and women who work but IN the
interest of the people as whole.
In keeping with this the department has
been particularly active in the last elghl
wears The record shows notable achieve
ment in planning and working out programs
designed to overcome unemployment. Here
are some of the programs which have ema-
mated out of the Department OF LABOR
continuous study of this problem:
An immediate recommendation was made
carly ir, 1888 that there be some quick relief
in the way of Federal appropriations TO assist
the States and localities in meeting the
primary relief needs of the people who were
then unemployed and had been unemployed
for a long time in the emergency OF general
DEPRESSION That helped and saved many
iobless from want and from despair.
The recommendation for a program OF
straight pubic works the justification for IT,
ann the basic figures and information came
out of the Labor Department. The concep-
tion of finding special work for those who
could not be absorbed on straight pubic
works also sprang from meeting OF LABOR
leaders, Government officers and others IN
the Department of Labor early In 1888. lhaI
meant much to many of our people
The Wagner-Peyser Act, which established
well-euupped free public employment ofhces,
also came from recommendations OF tne De-
partment of Labor as method OF taxing
care of the effective placement OF persons
looking for work where there was work to be
had so reducing the loss and waste OF poor
placement of the job hunting. That agency
has found millions of jobs foI those without
work.
THE Public Contracts Act, which requires
not over 40 hours and a fair minimum pay
on Government contracts in manufacturing
sprang out of the recommendations OF the
Department of Labor advised by confer
ence committee of State labor department
officials and labor leaders. That act mas
aided thousands of workers on Government
contracts.
The Wage and Hour Act, which was the
first effort to establish on a Federal basis
floor to wages and ceiling to hourS grew
directly out of the recommendations OF the
Department of Labor, advised again oy
conference of State labor departing mt officials
and labor representatives That act has I'M
proved the lot of thousands OF under-palo
wage earners and by reducing hours mas
made Jobs for hundreds and thousands IN
private industry.
I1nennlovment compensate tion which is an
adjustment for the loss of wages due TO the
accident of unemployment had its origin IN
the studies and recommendations OF the De-
partment of Labor and its advisory COM
mittee That has aided men and women all
the country who nave lost JopS Through
no fault of their own.
Contributory old-age insurance for the
future and Federal assistance to the States
for providing od-age assistance to aged
needy persons also came out of the actlvltles
of the Department of Labor through the
recommendations of. the Presidents Com
mittee, of which the Secretary of Labor was
chairman That Social Security program has
been of ineStimable value to men, women
and children all over these United States.
The basic information and recommended
tions for the development of the G. G. G. hao
its inception in the Department of Labor
That agency has not only been helpful tC
many. young men and to their families, but
it has added greatly to the wealth OF the
Nation
THE department will continue to utiliz
its facilities independently and in CO
operation with other Government agencle
during the coming year to the end that tn
progressive. useful and needed program out
lined above may be carried on in the interes
of the wage earners of the United States ant
the American people as whole.