Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-12

awakening TO our defense needs
may change the picture
DETROIT = Mid-DecembeF
jobless totaled $4,000 or 90
per cent Of the labor force,
compared with $1,000 or 81
per cent q year earlier. Mich
igan has 100000 jobless or ~
per cent. compared with 2.O00
or 4.8 per cent a year earlier.
Max Horton, State Employ
ment Security director, says,
ITS extremely unusual to have
such large-scale layofis this
early in the new auto model
year. Auto employment. av-
eraging $4,000 for 1857. was
at the lowest point In Q years .
Cutbacks In defense orders
and the effects Of automation
are blamed partly for the job
less trend. The State Employ
ment Agency estimates unem-
ployment will increase to about
100000 In mid-lo5s. The De-
troit Board Of Commerce looks
for gradual employment re-
covery leading to q fourth
quarter 1858 Job peak.
PITTSBURGH - The area
employment in November
was s22.300. compared with
933. TOO a year earlier: unem-
ployment was $4,000 compared
with $1,000. Hardest hit are
steel. transportation equipment,
electrical. and machinery man
ufacturing. Steel Arm ofiicials
say low production rate may
continue well into spring.
SEATTLE - The Pacific
Northwest is faced with grow
ing unemployment. hitting the
key lumber. aircraft and alu-
minum industries. Washington
State unemployed number co.
900. up 40 per cent from q year
ago. About 10 per cent OF the
work force has been idled. Air
craft contracts have been cut
back. Aluminium is affected by
q reduced market and by an
interrupted power supply In q
low-water year. Lumber is af-
fected by a national downtrend
in housing construction.
Paul Wiseman. state En-
ployment Security spokesman.
forecasts $4,000 unemployed In
February. almost double q year
ago. The paradox Is that more
are employed than q year ago.
Union leaders are demanding
q special session Of the Legis-
lature to deal with the unem-
Iployment situation.
CLEVELAND - Unempl0y-
ment compensation claim 5
numbered about $4,000 at the
year-end. the highest since
early 1855 and nearly so per
cent more than q year ago. A
Cleveland Chamber Of Com
merce survey Of 100 Arms Of
all types shows 10000 en-
ployed at the end Of December.
compared with 10000 q year
ago. but the work week Is down
to 38.8 hours compared with
40.6 a year ago. Layofis are
scattered. with none particu-
larry heavy.
The steel industry has been
hard hit at Youngstown. where
mills were down to Is per cent
Of capacity before the holidays.
and are now back TO So per
cent. Youngstown unemploy-
ment claims total more than
10000 with an increase Of al
most 5000 in the latest week,
the highest such figures since
the depression. Employment Is
high in Akron rubber plants.
but q drop Is expected.
ST. LOUIS - Unemployment
is figured at 10000 or 4.e per
cent Of the work force, up 1000
from q year ago. Layoffs are
scattered. Frank n. Mayfield
Of Scruggs-Vandervoort Barney.
Inc. q large department store.
says. Stores have about reached
the limit in using easy credit
as a sales promotion device. "
Alloys p. Kaufman. president
Of the st. Louis Chamber Of
Commerce, attributes q national
decline to the completion Of the
majority Of industry's major
postwar expansion programs.
DALLAS--The Federal Re-
serve Bank estimated that un-
employment rose by l2.400 from
October to November to lac. 400.
or Al per cent Of the labor
force. At the same time last
year the jobless rate was I per
cent. New aircraft. missile. and
component contracts are ex-
pected TO boom employment.
President l. F. Belts of the
American Bank. Beaumont, re-
ports that employment and
trade conditions are good on
the heavily industrialized Gulf
Coast with plants running near
capacity. A majority Of Texas