Mr. KELLEY. Assuming it were on the basis of a year, it would give you about 110 of these offices? Mr. JONES. Yes, sir; on that basis. Mr. KELLEY. On the basis of three months it would give you about 450 offices? Mr. JONES. We are figuring this on the basis of about seven months. Mr. KELLEY. Or about 250 offices, is that what you have planned? Mr. JONES. We do not know yet how many offices we will be able to establish. It will depend upon the attitude of the communities. If the community does not show a spirit of cooperation, if a community feels that they are not interested in their problems, then why should we be. That is the way we feel. We feel that they must cooperate with us and then we will cooperate with them. We will help them if they are willing to help themselves, but we are not going to spend any money unless they feel it is their problem, too. Mr. KELLEY. And the $200,000 on the basis of your Delaware experience would open up about 250 offices for six months? Mr. JONES. Yes. Mr. KELLEY. Did you intend to use this $250,000 for any other purpose except that?" Mr. JONES. For the emergency purpose. We have not any other purpose. May I read, Mr. Chairman, this statement of our plan and policy for expending this $200,000. This is addressed to the Director General of the United States Employment Service. The CHAIRMAN. You may put that in the record. (The statement referred to follows:) Hon. FRANCIS I. JONES, Director General United States Employment Service, OCTOBER 22, 1921. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C. SIR: In response to your call for a conference "for the purpose of formulating plans and policies dealing with the emergency unemployment situation" we have given careful consideration to the methods whereby the United States Employment Service can render the most effective service in carrying out the recommendations of the recent conference on unemployment called by the President. The report of the committee on employment agencies and registration of the President's conference, approved and adopted by the general conference, states that"It is strongly of the opinion that the work of the unemployment conference can and should be greatly aided in its work by the United States Employment Service. It finds, however, that the employment service is crippled by lack of funds. It therefore urges that Congress be asked to appropriate $400,000 to enable the United States Employment Service to operate in the interstate field by (1) Cooperation with the emergency employment agencies erected by the States and municipalities. "(2) Informing States in which there is scarcity of labor of the situation in States where there is surplus of labor of the kinds desired. "(3) Securing and compiling information on employment opportunities throughout the country." Your committee has confined itself to the consideration of the period from the present date until June 30, 1922, and if funds are made available as recommended by the President's conference committee, your committee unanimously recommends the following plans: "1. In any State in which an employment system now exists or may be established all Federal employment work should be carried on through the State official responsible for the supervision of the public employment work within such State, by "(a) Making available for use by such State official a limited amount of money for the purpose of providing one or more thoroughly competent organizers or supervisors of employment offices, where, in the opinion of the director general and of the State official, such supervisors are necessary. “(b) Making available for use by such State official a limited amount of money for the purpose of employing one competent worker in any new office which the local community or the State may finance and support satisfactorily. For example, the State director of one of the most important industrial States reports that applications are now before him from 14 cities for assistance in organizing local offices, and the State is absolutely unable to meet this demand. Similar conditions prevail in other States. (c) Making available for all cooperating offices, however financed, the franking privilege and also blanks and standard forms. Furthermore, the Federal Government should make available office equipment where such equipment is now the property of the employment service and is reasonably accessible. The Federal Government should not be expected to purchase new equipment or to rent office quarters. "2. In any State in which no State employment system exists, or may be created, the Federal Employment Service, in the discretion of the director general, should be expected to assist in establishing an office in any locality which will satisfactorily finance the undertaking, maintain reasonable standards of work, and cooperate with other offices. Such assistance may well be limited to trained guidance in installing the office and furnishing some trained worker through the emergency period in addition to the franking privilege, blanks, and forms, etc. "3. The director general should have a small force of well-trained and thoroughly competent men to keep in touch with State officials having charge of public employment work and to assist in establishing new offices under the direction of such State officials, or under the direction of the director general in municipalities in States without an employment system. "4. The Federal Government should, through the office of the director general and through State and municipal offices, provide for the collection, compilation, and circulation of statistical and other employment information. Such information will be most helpful in developing and maintaining satisfactory standards of work, and will greatly facilitate interstate transfer of labor, or prevent such transfers as may bring hardship to applicants for work. "5. In each community where a public employment office exists, such office should cooperate fully with any emergency committee created as recommended by the President's conference, to meet present conditions and the public office should be made the centralized point at which applicants for work and jobs available are listed. In many cases such offices will need strengthening by the local emergency committee. "6. Your committee believes that no attempt should be made in any city to register all unemployed, but that a central place (or in larger cities several places properly coordinated) should be provided at which all seeking work may be registered and all available jobs listed, and every opportunity for work discovered, and the applying workers referred to such jobs. "7. Your committee heartily concurs in and desires to emphasize the findings of the President's conference that: "Competent and impartial executive direction and staff personnel is essential, in order that applicants may be properly selected on the basis of fitness for specific work, and thus the confidence of employers and workers be secured. "In selecting personnel for the serious business of this emergency work, no consideration should be allowed other than fitness for its performance. "Energy and skill in management of the service will certainly facilitate the connection of men with work, and will more directly locate and develop opportunities for employment otherwise not ascertained." Respectfully submitted. FRED C. CROXTON. FRED KLEINSMITH. The CHAIRMAN. Now, will you be kind enough to supplement what you have already said in giving us the States with which you cooperate by telling us if you can, and if you can not give the information now you can supply it later for the record, how many officers each of those States has, including the municipal officers? Mr. JONES. I have not that information here but will be very glad to supply it for the record. I would also like to put in the pay roll at the time I took office and also the pay roll of to-day. |