Evening star., 1941-09-16
Youth Finding Il Hard
To Get Defense Jobs,
Williams Reports
N. Y. A. Chief Describes
Training Program in
Radio Forum Address

brey Williams, N. Y. A. administra.
tor, in an address broadcast las
night in the National Radio Forum
The program, arranged by The Star
was carried by National Broad
casting Co. network and was hearC
locally over WMAL.
The text OF Mr.. Williams ad-
dress follows:
From the summer OF 1885 and uE
to the present time, 1t has been cost
ing each one of you in my radio
audience about II cents year fol
operation OF the National Youth Ad-
nainistration. In those six years
that expenditure on the part OF each
citizen has made it possible for you
TO provide opportunities for 1000 00(
American young people. Two mil
lion of these youth are students
whom the N. Y. A. has given the
chance to work their way through
schools and colleges. The other g.
600 900 are out of school and unem-
ployed youth for whom the N. Y. A
has provided useful work and the
background OF practical experience
essential for jobs in private industry
That. IN summary, Is where your
II cents year has gone-to provide
opportunities for 4,00000 Ameri-
can youth.
Even in past years, in the days
when 100000 young people were
looking for jobs and finding none
there were some who questioned the
wisdom of your investment in young
people. Today, with defense employ
ment-and with thousands of young
people IN service in the armed forces
there has developed an easy COM
placency that any one can get a job
who wants one-that We need not
worry about youth any longer-and
a question is raised whether your in
vestment in the N. Y. A. is still
essential
These are the days Of essentials,
for young people and for all of us,
and jobs are one of the first. How
do our young people fare in regard
to jobs?
Many Still Unemployed.
A years experience with the de-
fense program has compelled many
of us to revise our ideas about en-
ployment prospects for youth. A
year ago it was widely predicted that
the first year of defense would
''break the back of unemployment
by creating 100000 to 100000 jobs.
To-day We know that the actual in
ber predicted. Forecasts of the i'm
mediate end of unemployment were
premature. AS the Secretary OF
Labor has pointed out, there will
still be a reservoir of unused labor
in July, 1922
That is one of the most important
facts facing American youth today
Despite increased defense employ
ment, large numbers of them are
still unemployed. 1t is unfortunate
but true. that at a time when the
Nation is making every exertion tC
use all its resources for production
one of its best reSourceS-itS young
people of working age-remains in
large part idle and unused.
Why is this true? You and I are
concerned because the progress OF
defense production is vital. We are
interested because we have sons and
daughters and what happens to any
American youth may happen to our
own. Young people themSelveS-at
q time when we are calling for speed
and still more speed-production and
still more production-want to know
why they are denied chance to
work.
To date, something like Sc billion
dollars has been appropriated or au-
thorized for defense purposes, To
become the arsenal of the democra-
cies we are Transforming old indus
tries and creating new ones. Fac
tories and yards which had been
producing peacetime articles at a
peacetime tempo have been. con-
verted into defense plants and are
feverishly turning out guns, planes
and tanks and ships. 1t has been
tremendous effort. Its effect has
been felt in all sections of the coun-
try and at all levels of society.
Jobs Went to the Skilled.
But this enormous effort has not
vet reached great numbers OF young
people who are in the labor market
trying to find work.
The answer as to why this is so IS
not an easy one. We know that the
needs of defense industry have gre
ated thousands of new jobs. We
know that large numbers of new
plants had to be built, that Others
had to be expanded. But we know
also that much of the demand for
the work has been concentrated
concentrated both by geographical
location and by specialized occupa-
ton.
The lions share Of defense orders
naturally had to be awarded To
plants which were already in opera
tion at their existing locationS-and
the labor force had to be drawn
from the existing supply OF skilled
and experienced workers who alone
could do the highly specialized work
required.
1t Is well known that prime de-
fense contracts have not been evenly
distributed among the several States
During the 13 months ending in
June of this year the War and Navy
Departments, fighting for speed and
economy, awarded almost one-third
Of all announced major prime con-
tracts to three States. These same
three States contain only one-siXth
Of the Nations youth population
SIX States, with less than one-third
OF the youth population, obtained
more than one-half of all defense
contracts. At the other extreme, "a
States, with considerably more than
ene-fifth of the Nations youth, were
awarded only about one-twentieth
OF the prime defense contracts. !
am not here criticizing the War or
Navy Departments. I am discuss
Ing how these things affect young
people
Defense orders, that is to say, have
been concentrated in the large urban
and industrial areas where youth