VOL. XIII, No. 2.

WHOLE NO. 57.

The situation as respects unemployment resulting from the financial stringency through which the country has been passing became acute in Massachusetts early in January, and has probably been to an unusual degree aggravated by the abnormal weather conditions, the usual opportunities for the employment of common labor in the removal of snow and in the ice cutting and wood chopping industries being lacking. But while no comprehensive statistics of employment covering even approximately the field of labor in this State are available at the present time, there is evidence that the actual amount of distress due to existing conditions has been, in some quarters, exaggerated, and there have recently been indications that the situation has been growing better.

Undoubtedly the degree of unemployment in Massachusetts has not been so great as it might otherwise have been had not our employers, as a rule, endeavored to hold over as large a proportion of their employees as possible, believing that the period of necessary curtailment would continue but for a short time. This policy was adopted partly, it appears, because only a short time before difficulty had been experienced in securing as large a force of workmen in the several lines of industry as was required at that time, and not wishing to be subjected to a similar inconvenience in securing the necessary force of workmen the employers preferred to retain as many as possible of their workThe American Woolen Company,

men.

for instance, which has been curtailing for over four months, had kept some of its machinery running and is now operating upwards of 50 per cent.

In the boot and shoe industry the conditions are reported to be more encouraging than for several months past. At this season of the year the shoe factories are ordinarily engaged in making their spring and summer goods, and while there has been a decided falling off in the boot and shoe goods actually manufactured, a perceptible improvement has been shown in the past two weeks. The opinion of one gentleman interviewed by an agent of this Bureau, whose business interests enable him to keep closely in touch with the boot and shoe trade, is that from 75 to 80 per cent of the number of persons employed ordinarily at this season of the year are now at work, and he feels confident that within four weeks there will be a considerable demand for spring and summer goods to be furnished on short notice.

In a special article written for the annual financial edition of the New York Herald, on January 2, 1908, Mr. E. S. Grover, editor of The Shoe and Leather Reporter, Boston, stated that the shoe and leather conditions in this section of the country were sound and that the present outlook is good, despite the recent depression and dragging business. While that statement was made by him several weeks ago, he assures us that it would hold at the present writing. In but few instances have boot and shoe factories actually closed

down, although generally there was a disposition to run on short time and with a less force of employees; on the other hand, several large boot and shoe factories are very busy and have large orders ahead.

The shut-down of the Boston Rubber Shoe Company's plant at Malden for several weeks threw many men out of employment, some of whom were temporarily assisted by being given work by the State in the suppression of the gypsy moth, but now the factory in question is running on a nine-hour schedule and the Edgeworth factory of the same company is running on an eight-hour schedule. The concern

has some 3,500 employees. Weather conditions naturally affect the rubber shoe industry, but an officer of this company is quoted in the Boston Herald, February 12, as saying: "I think the employees of the company will have steady work for a number of months. Of course the scarcity of snow has affected us somewhat, yet, considering the conditions, I think that business is rushing."

Dispatches from other factory towns of New England announce the reopening of plants which had curtailed production by partial or complete shut-downs during the latter part of 1907 or early in January. Some of these establishments are resuming on full time, the Amoskeag Mills, at Manchester, N. H., being among those so reported and the restoration of whose schedule means a distribution among the operatives of some $25,000 a week. The Herald further reports as follows:

The Monadnock Mills at Claremont, N. H., have resumed a full time schedule. At Naugatuck, Ct., the plants of the Goodyear Rubber Goods Co. and the Goodyear Rubber Glove Co. have been reopened, and 900 operatives who have been idle since December 14 have gone back to work.

The Gorham Manufacturing Co. at Providence, R. I., resumed full time, having been on reduced schedule since Thanksgiving, and the big Edison Cement plant at Stewartsville, N. J., has resumed, with full time for one-third of its force.

A number of the mills of the American Woolen Co. which have been running on short time or been shut down for weeks are beginning to show signs of activity, and it is thought more machinery will be in motion within a short time than has been the case since November.

It is said the Weybosset mills in Olneyville, R. I., may run on full time soon. Wool sorters at the National and Providence Mills of the

company have been put to work, indicating The that other departments may be started. carders at the Sawyer Mills in Dover, N. H., have been called into the plant, and there has also been a renewal of activity at the Winooski, Vt., Mills.

The French & Heald Furniture Co., of Milford, N. H., with one of the largest furniture plants in New Hampshire, which has been running on a four-day schedule, is arranging for a full-time schedule to go into effect at an early date.

The most tangible statistics at hand upon the subject of employment are those furnished by the records of our State Free Employment Offices. (See Table II, below.) The number of men applying for employment at the Boston office in December was 5,669, while in January the number making application was 4,429; in December, 1,526 women applied for employment and in January 1,181; thus the total number of applications in December was 7,195, while in January the number was 5,610, a falling off of 1,585. Moreover, the number of registrations for help wanted, which gives some idea of the demand for labor, increased for men from 374 in December to 513 in January and for women from 488 in December to 501 in January, a total increase of 152. The number of positions reported in December as having actually been secured by the office for men was 297, while in January the number reported secured rose to 395. There was, however, a falling off in January of the number of positions reported secured for women, the number being 400 as against 425 in December; thus there was a net increase in the number of positions reported secured in January of 73. There were, however, more working days in January than in December. The total average number of positions reported secured per day in the two months was practically the same, namely, about 29, as against an average per day of 37 in December, 1906, and 42 in January, 1907.

As compared with the statistics of a year ago, it is interesting to note that the applications for employment registered at the Boston office in December, 1906, numbered 7,374, and in January, 1907, numbered 5,640, as against, as already stated, 7,195 and 5,610 in the corresponding months of this season. The number of registrations a year ago, however, was

doubtless somewhat abnormal because of the fact that the office had just been opened (December 3, 1906) and many persons undoubtedly wished to get their names upon the registration cards who were not actually unemployed at the time. It is also probable that in the rush of the first few weeks after the office was opened and before the keeping of the office statistics had been properly systematized numerous duplications crept into the figures.

While the free employment office statistics constitute the only official register at the present time that might be expected to throw some light on the state of unemployment, it must be admitted that there is no means of ascertaining the number of persons actually out of employment who may have failed to apply for employment because of disheartenment and a feeling that it might be useless to do so. It is in fact difficult to account for the falling off from 350 applications from men for employment at the Springfield office in December to only 74 in January except upon this theory, and it is perhaps worthy of note that the applications from women did not fall off in any such proportion. The total falling off of registrations in the Springfield office shows a drop from 387 in December to 104 in January. The applications for help wanted, however, kept up pretty well in the aggregate, the number that applied being only nine less in January than in December, while the positions reported secured fell from 212 to 141.

At the Fall River office there was an increase in the number of applications for employment from 51 to 98, and a gratifying increase also in the amount of help called for; similarly, 134 positions were reported as having been secured at the Fall River office in January as against 120 in December.

The aggregate number of applications for employment at the three offices shows a falling off in January of 1,821 from the preceding month, while the aggregate amount of help wanted increased to the extent of 183, or from a total of 1,182 persons wanted to 1,365. The aggregate number of positions reported secured for December by the three offices was 1,054, and in January the number was 1,070. The three offices taken together averaged 42 positions a day secured during December and about 40 in January.

Since December 1 an effort has been made to ascertain what proportion of the applicants for employment at our State offices have persons dependent upon them, and the results as shown by the record kept at the Boston office are interesting. From Table I, given below, it appears that 1,773 of 5,669 men seeking employment in December, or 31.28 per cent, had, according to their own statements, persons dependent upon them, the whole number of such dependents being 4,643 or an average of 2.62 for each man. In January, of the 4,429 male applicants for employment, 1,539, or 34.75 per cent, had persons dependent upon them, and the whole number of such dependents was 4,048 or an average of 2.63 for each man. Of the women applicants 332, or nearly one-fourth of the whole number applying in December (1,526), had persons dependent upon them; and the number dependent on each woman was more than one (1.55), the proportion shown for January being slightly greater. Aggregating the figures for the two sexes it appears that of the 7,195 applicants for employment in December, 2,105, or 29.26 per cent, had dependents; and of the 5,610 applicants in January, 1,809, or 32.25 per cent, had dependents. There was a total of 5,159 persons depending on these 2,105 applicants in December, or an average of nearly 212 each. The proportion for January was practically the same. If in computing our average we reckon in also those applicants who are without dependents, the percentage of dependents to the whole number of applicants is found to be 0.72 for December and 0.80 for January. The fact that in both months the applicants, both men and women, without dependents outnumber by a large majority those with dependents, affords some indication of the tendency of employers and society to discriminate in favor of the person who must find a living for or, in part, support some one. besides himself.

The classification of the applicants for employment into "skilled" and "unskilled" is necessarily somewhat arbitrary, and it must be admitted is not, in all respects, satisfactory. Yet taking it as it stands it is interesting to note that the falling off in the applications for employment from December to January was approximately the same in both the skilled and unskilled classes of male applicants.

Jan.

Dec.

It is proper here to define the distinction which is now made at the free employment offices between "applications for employment and “registrations." Up to December 1 last the two words were used synonymously. It had been found by experience, however, that to require all applicants to answer the numerous questions called for by the registration cards, and answers to which were necessary in order to properly facilitate the securing of positions and to give desired information to employers, was tending to an expenditure of time and clerical work on the part of the office force entirely out of proportion to any results which might reasonably be expected to accrue therefrom. It seemed, in short, a waste of office energy, which could be used to better advantage in other directions, to require our clerks to take down all the data called for by the registration cards, and in addition, to cumber the office files in the face of knowledge that it would be impossible to

secure employment for a considerable proportion of the individuals thus registered. It was, therefore, decided, in the interest of economy of administration, to discourage the registration of seekers for employment unless it was possible to give them at least some slight hope, based on actual applications for help from employers, that situations might possibly be secured for the applicant; no applicant, however, was refused registration if he insisted upon it. But this plan, while simplifying the work of the office and in no sense decreasing its efficiency in procuring positions for the unemployed, was defective from the standpoint of those who wished to make a careful study of social conditions for the purpose of ascertaining the facts which might lead to their betterment. In other words, it became apparent that mere regard for convenience in office administration was likely to furnish statistics which might be extremely deceptive if accepted as a basis for mak

ing comparisons and drawing inferences as to the number of unemployed.

This consideration seemed to be, after careful thought, of sufficient importance to warrant the adoption of a simple device for registering the actual applications for employment without unduly increasing the work of the office and unnecessarily clogging the files with comparatively useless and rapidly accumulating registration cards. The plan adopted consisted of a simple slip of paper upon which the applicant's name and address and two or three other brief data are recorded. These are now tabulated (Table I) and give some indication of the extent of the need for employment; and when it is thought worth while, viewed from the standpoint of the labor demand, to call in these applicants they are sent for, invited to give more complete information concerning themselves, and are then formally registered. This constitutes what may be called the "office registration," but henceforth in our published report of the work of the office the total number of applications for employment will be given in the statistical tables, as likely to furnish, all things considered, a fairer basis for estimating the amount of unemployment than when merely the "office registrations are taken into account.

There

effort is made to eliminate them. were, during January, a total of 5,610 applications for employment, or an average of over 200 for each working day; but while it is not, of course, a difficult task to sort out and eliminate from the slips at the end of each day the duplicates that may have been filed during the day, it would obviously require a very considerable amount. of clerical work to make certain that there are no duplicates in several thousand applications extending over a month. It seems improbable, however, that the number of duplicates should vary from month to month enough to seriously impair the comparability of the monthly aggregates.

In connection with the unemployment situation it is of interest to note the appreciable effect it has produced upon the enlistments in the Army and Navy in the Boston District which have been very considerably swelled as compared with enlistments a year ago.

The following table shows the number of applicants and the number of recruits accepted for service in the Army and Navy for the past four months and for the corresponding months of the previous year. A comparison of the figures

for both branches of service shows that in Boston and vicinity the numbers of applicants and of acceptances were largest in December and January when unemployment in industrial lines was most prevalent, and that the total number of applicants for the four months ending with January, 1908, was considerably greater than the corresponding total for the four months ending with January, 1907.

and Lawrence, Mass., and Manchester, N. H.