Unemployment in the United States

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Monograph

Identifikator:: 1828236179

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-226169

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Unemployment in the United States

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: United States, Government Printing Office

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: II, 193 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of Mr. William Green, president of American Federation of Labor

Collection:: Economics Books

36 UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES Mr. SumnERrs. Instead of men being fired, provide some means of selling more to the farmers and to the laborers so that they will have a little bigger house than they have had before. Mr. GreeN. You hit the nail on the head that time, Congressman. Mr. Sumners. That is what I am interested in. Mr. Green. It is a matter of consumption and the establishment of an equilibrium, a balance. Mr. Sumners. We are in the situation, as I view it—1I come from Texas, and we are in the situation there, in so far as the unemployment matter is concerned, and that is what I am interested in and do not want to get too far afield, that there is no rainfall on the headwaters’ Mr. Green. I appreciate that. Mr. Sumners. There is a big flood in the river, but there is no rainfall on the headwaters. Mr. GreEN. And a depressing condition existing in the agricultural industry aggravates the industrial situation in the cities. Both of the problems are linked, as I see it, and we have to face it some way or other; evade it as we may, we have to face the issue because it is so linked and interlinked that it is impossible to disassociate. Mr. Yates. I understood you to say a while ago that the present facilities of the States, the different State employment agencies, are wholly inadequate to meet this situation. Where could we obtain information or a tabulation in regard to what the States are trying to do? Mr. GreEN. You can secure that through the executive depart- ment of each State. Most all of them have industrial departments; some of them are industrial relations departments. And you can find out through the Federal director, who is here in the room, I think. Mr. Yates. I was concerned to note your statement that they are wholly inadequate. Mr. Green. They are wholly inadequate; I make that statement. I do not think that is too strong. It is wholly inadequate and surely any one in touch with the unemployment situation in the different States will realize that fact. It comes home to you. 1 appreciate you members here, serving in the Congress of the United States, remotely situated, perhaps, from these centers of increasing unem- ployment, will probably not realize it as we do ; but we come face to face with it and I want to say to vou, in all sincerity, that it is tremendously serious. Mr. McKeown. Mr. Green, has it ever been suggested that we might undertake to defer or declare a rest period for a while in our patent office on these labor saving machines in this country? Mr. Green. Well, I had not thought slong that line. Mr. McKeown. Well, Japan, as I understand it, refuses to permit any labor-saving machine to be introduced in her country, on account of the man power and the necessity to use the man power. Now I am wondering if that suggestion has ever been made or any study given to the proposition in this country as to whether or not it is more valuable to have improved machines, or more valuable to have our men employed. Mr. Green. Well permit me to remind you what I said just a while ago, that we have been able to absorb in industry, in the newer in- dustries, practically all the men who were displaced through the introduction of machinery, up until probably a year or two ago.

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