Third, in case of short jobs, take the man in the office at the time of the call, or the one who can go first.

SUMMARY OF APPLICATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT AND FOR HELP, AND POSITIONS SECURED THROUGH THE FIVE FREE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICES OF OHIO, FOR THE PERIOD 1890 TO 1905.

The State of Washington has no statutory provision for free. employment offices, neither is there any legislation directed against the evils of the private agency. Everything of this nature in the State is founded upon city ordinances, or, as in the case of Seattle, an amendment to the city charter. There are three cities that have undertaken such measures, namely, Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane. The study of the situation in this State is therefore a study of the three municipal offices of these cities.

SEATTLE.

The first municipal employment office in the United States was opened in Seattle in April, 1894. It was "inaugurated as the result of the almost unanimous vote of the people in amendment to the city charter" in that year, and its immediate justification was found in the prevailing business depression which threw so many men out of work. The demand was therefore economic, arising from the side of the labor supply, and the control of the private agencies had nothing to do with it. By a separate ordinance the city undertakes the control of the private agencies, of which there are about twenty. The enforcement of this ordinance is placed in the hands of the city commissioner of labor. Generally speaking, the private agencies of Seattle are well conducted and employers speak in high terms of the services rendered by some of them. For this result the commissioner's control must be credited in some measure, and the success and popularity of the public office has had a salutary effect upon their business methods. While the ordinance in question requires no bond to be given, it will be observed that this method of control resembles that of Illinois.

The success of the Seattle office in the number of positions secured is extraordinary, far surpassing that of any other office in the United States. An examination of the following table shows the results accomplished from the organization of the office up to 1904:

STATISTICS OF SEATTLE FREE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICE, 1894 TO 1904.

The maximum record is that of the year 1903, when 30,306 positions were secured, a monthly average of 2,526, at a cost to the city of 4.88 cents per position. The cost per position for the whole period amounted to only 6.22 cents. In the report for 1901 it was estimated that the cost through private agencies was about $1.25 per position. Considering this estimate true for the whole period, 1894 to 1904, the saving to laborers by the Seattle public employment office has been $240,812 on the 202,738 positions secured. Such a record is satisfactory even if every position secured has been a short job and the labor unskilled.

Seattle, like Minneapolis, is the center of a labor market which fluctuates periodically. The demand begins to increase along in March, and by the month of July amounts to about three times that of the winter. During July and the following two months it continues high, then gradually declines as the rainy season approaches and outdoor work becomes disagreeable. The labor supply, on the contrary, is more abundant in the winter, as the "floaters" come down from the more inclement mountain regions to the eastward, and a great many come from Alaska, hoping to pick up sufficient odd jobs to pay expenses. The net result is very brisk business for the employment office in the summer, when the demand is in excess of the supply, and comparatively dull times during the winter, when ditching, grading, and excavating are impossible because of the rain.

The variety and numerical importance of the positions filled will be seen from the following list of positions secured for males in 1904:

POSITIONS SECURED THROUGH THE SEATTLE FREE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICE BY MALE APPLICANTS IN EACH OCCUPATION, BY MONTHS, 1904.

To

Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. tal.

Deck hands.

Electrical wiremen.

1

1

4

2

452

40

96

154

3

34

80

147

Iron workers..

2

జ: 5:

115

91

26

20

-8-18 23

མཎྜ་བ་ནིཉྩ

39

31

2

90

33:2

13

27

628 1,453 1,738 1,541 1, 139

472 437 730 1,289 1,087 1,236 2,303 2,715 2,381 1,523 931 565 15,669

It is estimated that as high as 40 per cent of the positions are long jobs, or at least several days in length, many of them, especially those requiring more skill, being of much longer duration. The positions filled were those requiring unskilled labor mainly, as an examination of the table will show. They were filled by American labor almost exclusively, not Asiatic. When it comes to hard physical labor, neither Japanese nor Chinese can command as high wages as whites. In the foregoing the work of men only has been considered. The positions furnished to women for each month of the year 1904 are

shown in the following table. The results achieved will be seen to compare favorably with those for men, especially when it is remembered that a large number of Chinese and Japanese are employed as domestics.

POSITIONS SECURED THROUGH THE SEATTLE FREE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICE BY FEMALE APPLICANTS IN EACH OCCUPATION, BY MONTHS, 1904.

To

Occupation.

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. tal.

The Seattle free employment office differs from every other one in the United States in the manner of the appointment of its personnel. The commissioner of labor of Seattle is secretary of the civil service commission of the city. His assistant, who has charge of the free employment office, is selected according to civil service methods, as is also the clerk. In efficiency of management the office compares favorably with any in the country.

The office makes no record of applicants for employment except for skilled positions. These are registered by card and renewal is required every two weeks. When a man is sent to a position he is given a slip which is a means of identification to the employer. If the employer is within the city this slip must be signed by him in case of engagement, and returned within three hours. If outside the city city a postal card is sent to the employer to be returned with a similar statement. No positions are recorded without positive and definite information. A copy of the slip is shown below:

THE CITY OF SEATTLE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT Office.

SEATTLE, WASH.,

Το

The bearer,

has been sent from this office as an applicant for the position of in your employ. Please state in the space below, over your signature, whether you engage this person, and the bearer will return this notice, that I may know whether to keep your name on the list of wants.

Yours, respectfully,

By

Labor Commissioner.
Ass't.

I (have or have not) employed the bearer.

(Sign here)

All persons sent from this office for positions in the city must within three hours (office hours) return and report the results of their mission, or forfeit their right to further consideration by the labor commissioner.

To the employer.-Please do not recognize applicants claiming to be sent from this office unless they present this blank, properly signed.

In regard to the fact that the office omits the registration of unskilled labor the commissioner has the following to say in his report for 1902:

In this western country the registration of each applicant for employment would be of comparatively little value, because so many persons seeking work have no permanent abode. The better plan, as it seems, would be to register those who are permanently located and who seem to be especially qualified along any given line, and request others to make frequent calls at the office when seeking employment. We have found that by this means we can obtain the desired result as satisfactorily and much more promptly than by other method's. For the above reasons it is practically impossible to keep track of the applicants for employment. It would require two additional clerks to do this work together with the sending of necessary notices to appear for employment. Our records, as shown by the printed report for 1901, give the number of positions supplied; that is, the total number of persons called for by various employers. This is practically the same as the number of positions filled, although it is impossible to keep an exact record of places filled, because where the employment is at a distance from the city we are not able in all cases to receive word to that effect.

The expense for the year 1904 was $8,507.79, about $5 per month being allowed for postage, stationery, and advertising. The work for the first eleven months of the year 1905 shows the following results:

POSITIONS SECURED THROUGH THE SEATTLE FREE PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT OFFICE BY APPLICANTS OF EACH SEX FOR ELEVEN MONTHS IN 1905.

Tacoma is a city of upward of 37,000 population, with industrial conditions similar to those of Seattle. The free employment office was established June 26, 1904, and during its first year secured 6,000 positions, at a cost to the city of $900. This does not include rent, since the office was located in the city hall.

The cooperation of the employment office with other branches of the public service is of interest here. The superintendent has observed that when he "has a good month the police department has a poor month," and vice versa. The police department has noticed the