AMERICAN EX-SOLDIERS WORKLESS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17127, 23 April 1921, Page 12

AMERICAN EX-SOLDIERS WORKLESS.

\ VAST ARMY IDLE. (FKOII OPR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) SAN, FRANCISCO, March 29. ■ There were. 400.000 veterans of the World War out of work in the United States on March Ist this year, according to an estimate received by the American Legion. This is a reduction of about 100,000 from the "peak" of' more than 500,000 jfebless ex-service men in the country shortly after 4ast New Year's Day, and the Legion reports state there is promise of further improvement. The survey of the national situation on which these figures are based was made by the "American' iegion Weekly," official publication of former .khaki heroes,, an organ which states that the unemployment situation as affecting the veterans '.'appears to have taken a turn for tho better." ♦A chain of employment agencies operated by the Legion in every State has done much to relieve the situation, says the Legion officials. The Legion has 'been instrumental in obtaining work for : veterans, in discouraging the migration of unemployed men toward the great .industrial centres, and has encouraged a movement from cities to the farms. It has demanded that workers Avho left their positions to go to war should en'joy seniority rights on a par with those of military age who stayed at home. Ex-service men have suffered more in proportion to their numbers than other workers, according to the Legion's-sur-vey, because of the operation of seniority rules and efficiency standards. Nearly a year is required for the returned veteran to get back to his old stride in industry, according to the testimony of large employers of labour. Another thing; that has handicapped the ex-sol-dier is his restlessness and* nomadic ten- l dencies, both products of the strain and circumstances of war service.

Throughout the a:gricultural Middle West a general movement from the cities and towns to the farms is reported. The average ex-soldier had little taste for agriculture when he came back from the war. It was hard to keep 'em down on the farm after they had "seen Paree." They chose to work in the small factories or stores in the'neighbouring county seat, where, in 1919, jobs were plenty and wages high. When, thdse. jobs began to go there was at first an exodus toward the larger cities. The Legion strove to discourage this. That movement has about spent itself, and farmers throughout the West now. report little difficulty in getting help, arid except in the larger cities there are few ex-service men reported out of work in the Middle West. ,The South, reports . improvement. Dixie has been burdened with a larger, quota of winter "floaters" than usual this year, according io reports. Some are now finding farm work in the South, others Ware drifting north, largely to •settle on farms. The Pacific Coast, a land where there are the three great seasonal occupations of fishing, lumbering, and fruit-raising,.has been able to decrease the number of jobless veterans by half In two months, according to advices from there. In Washington State there were 7000 unemployed veterans on January Ist, and 2000 on February Ist.