Unemployment in the United States

Bibliographic data

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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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

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

Collection:: Economics Books

UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES fine human qualities latent in thousands of our underprivileged citizens. Mr. Jonas. Now, Mr. Green, that is what I am interested in: How are we going to bring that about? Mr. Green. Put these men to work and they will buy and use. Mr. Jonas. That is right. That is the problem. Mr. Green. That is the problem we are trying to deal with. Why not find them work: why not develop their morale, arouse their spirit? Mr. Jonas. Do not understand me to be opposed to this legisla- tion. Mr. Green. I understand. Mr. Jonas. But I am looking beyond this; I am looking at the fundamental situation. Mr. Green. I take it from your questions you are in favor of it. That is what I am dealing with. What we want to do is to put men to work to try and find work and in that way they will be looking up instead of down; they will want to buy and will buy. Mr. Jonas. I am trying to get you to say, in your judgment, what is the solution of that problem; how are we going to give substantial wages to these people who can not buy: how are we going to make consumers out of them? Mr. GREEN. My dear sir, the law of economics is inexorable ; it operates in spite of all we can say and do. There is no law that is so immutable as the law of economics. If we can put these men to work through the development of better planning, better agencies, if we can find them work, it will help. How have we come out of these other panics? After a long period of suffering. Now we want to accelerate the improvement in the situation here, to put them back to work, and you have the greatest consuming market in the world. Put them back to work and they will buy. Mr. Jonas. But if jobs are becoming scarcer year after year and year after year and there is more and more unemployment, because of this technological situation, how are you going to do it? Mr. Green. Why we won’t concede that situation is either neces- sary or —— Mr. Jonas. You won't concede there is a problem to be solved? Mr. Green. Oh, yes, I concede that; but I won’t concede it js necessary for us to have a constant army of unemployed. Mr. Jonas. I do not, either. Mr. Green. That is the point. Mr. Jonas. It is not necessary, but there is going to be some fundamental change in our economic situation if we are to remedy this situation. Mr. Green. What would you suggest? Mr. Jonas. I am groping in the dark. You are a leader and I am trying to get some help from you. Mr. Green. I am suggesting the best way I can. Have you any better way? Mr. Jonas. No, you have not suggested any. Mr. GREEN. We are offering some plan, some remedy; try it out and let us see what it will do. Mr. Jonas. I am in sympathy with that, but that does not touch the fundamentals. Here you are a great leader of the unemployed laboring people of America. I have respect for your judement. 14

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