The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-08-20
U. S. EMPLOYMENT SERVICE

w problem of the administration, federal
izaton of our Employment Service followed quick
ly. Under peacetime conditions the Service was
on state-federal basis, with ma iOr emphasis on
state type of clearance machinery was set up
in recognition of the fact that industries are
organized on a nationwide basis geared to inter-
national markets Undoubtedly the wider the
basis Of information the better the service the
employment agency can give.
Few people outside the industrial world real
iZe how much migration in search of employment
there is in the lives of Wage-earners. The build
ing trades men expect to keep moving to con-
struction jobs, but the factory workers also live
in the midst Of change of production and the rise
and decline of companies. High wages and new
industries are magnets that draw workers from
all parts Of the United States.
Following the executive order of the President
federaZing the Employment Service, the Social
Security Board asked increased appropriations
from Congress to enable it to perform the addi-
tional services necessary to meet war manpoWer
problems in addition to normal functions
Mobilization of Womanpower and scarce skilled
workers is major war responsibility of the
agency through which manpOWer orders must
clear
When the Employment Service was national
lied the Social Security Board took over the whole
personnel including some performing work under
unemployment compensation, in order to inte-
CRATE and streamline related services In order
to check the high turnover in office personnel the
Board pushed for funds to bring salaries up to
the federal level. However, directors of unem-
ployment compensation came to Washington to
oppose the proposal and persuaded Congress to
take action to restrain the Board from paying
salaries to any persons giving more than half
their time to unemployment compensation ad-
ministraton. Since the Board allots the funds to
the states to pay for the administration of un-
employment compensation, this action seems to
suggest that these administrators were influenced
by motives separate from administrative eff
cheney
Some OF these same state administrators
visited Washington when a proposal sub
mitted to Congress to supplement unemployment
compensation provisions with federal funds in
order really to meet the needs of victims of Dri-
ority unemployment during the big changeover
to production. They showed their hands by
charging that the proposal sought liberalization,
which it conspicuous y did not.
The A. +. of L., Of the proponents of the
bill, believes that unemployment compensation
must be fedcrazed in the best interests of wage
earners but was not misguided into believing we
could obtain objective by that nature.
1t is a great pity when administrators of labor
law unite with employers ShOrtsighted interests
TO defeat efforts of workers TO protect them
selves. These same state administrators Of un-
employment compensation are busy spreading
propaganda against proposals necessary for an
adequate social security system. If they in
the employ Of opposition to labor they could not
serve more effectively.
Due to this activity thus far, the United
States Employment Service is handicapped in per-
forming essential war work.