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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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 51 ir "Q Take the hosiery industry, for instance, which is now suffering from over- production. It would not have the least difficulty in selling its product if the thousands of women who want silk stockings could buy enough to satisfy their needs. The cotton industry would not be calling for drastie curtailment if wage earners could buy all the cotton goods they need for clothes and household supplies. Automobile manufacturers could keep on expanding production instead of reducing, if the 7,000,000 families who have no cars were able to buy. And so with other industries. Here is an immense potential market for our goods. Developing this market will mean higher living standards for thousands who have not yet shared in American prosperity. It will mean human progress along with industrial progress; the creation of better homes, happier families, a higher quality of citizenship, greater opportunity to develop the fine human qualities latent in thousands of our underprivileged citizens. The market of the future is with the wage earners. Mass production calls for mass buying, and our problem is to make it possible for the millions who are not yet customers to buy according .to their needs. How can their buying power be financed? ADVANCE PLANNING AND REGULATED CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC WORKS TO MEET CYCLICAL UNEMPLOYMENT ar b Nn 1 1 n vy 'S Vv | » {=~ ir The American Federation of Labor has repeatedly indorsed the principle of deferred programs for construction of public works ready to be initiated when there is need to meet unemployment rising with cyclical business depressions. Such programs would provide employment for many and would stimulate indus- tries furnishing the materials for construction and indirectly aid other industries. Initiation of public construction undertakings would check or retard depression forces. Such a proposal has been before Congress a number of times. Although the principle has been discussed for years and generally approved, the depression last year came upon us without provisions for initiating local or national programs. During the severe unemployment crisis of 1914-15 and 1921, programs of construction of public works were launched after depression had developed and unemployment was serious. The President’s Unemployment Conference of 1921 achieved the formulation of a cordinated plan for dealing with unemployment and crystallized the proposal to anticipate cyclical unemployment through deferred plans and the machinery to initiate their execution. We realize that not all public works can be deferred to serve as a balance wheel to industry and that cyclical unemployment must lock for relief through the speeding up of construction undertakings already under way. The measure now before this committee would provide a Federal agency to be charged with the responsibility of providing employment during periods of business depression. The American Federation of Labor wholeheartedly in- dorses it. NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT SYSTEM WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE STATES The most constructive aid that can be given the unemployed is to help them to find jobs. This service can be done efficiently through a national organization. At present it is left to local undertakings or private initiative. A privately operated employment service is managed to bring in profits—a worker's mis- fortune or necessity is its opportunity. When a worker’s finances are at low ebb he must pay a fee for a job. Losing employment is often due to no fault of the worker, but to the nceds of industry or to social or scientific progress. The consequences of unemployment are felt in interdependent industries and markets. On the other hand all society benefits when workers prosper. To tell workers where they can get jobs for which they are suited, seems the obvious thing to do. Industries could be served efficiently and quickly by a national employment service. Such a service would be a boon to workers. The American Federation of Labor heartily indorses the bill before the com- mittee providing for a national service with the cooperation of the various States. Such a service would meet the normal needs of industry and workers as well as help in meeting emergency situations. An adequate national system of em- ployment services must establish the standards and practices to be followed in local offices.

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