Unemployment in the U.S.A.
It matters little whether what Mr. Lamont, the Secre- tary of Commerce, considers "the highest point of abnor- mal unemployment" in America is represented by 6 or 8 millions. The marginal variation of estimates based on the January census of 19 cities is of little moment, though the revelation that last spring's official figures deliberately suppressed hard facts may shake the public's imperishable optimism. The alleged slight improvement in the situa- tion since January may or may not be real. It is in any case not on a scale to alleviatethe painfully evident distress from which workers, from the labouring,. to the " white- collar" class, are suffering. Municipal funds have hitherto borne 75 per cent. of the burden of relief, and life now running dangerously low. A strong body of public opinion, led by Senator Borah, is pressing for a special session of the new Congress. This is the last thing Mr. Hoover wants ; but it is difficult to see how the country's return- to prosperity, on which his re-nomination as President depends, can be secured without some more positive recognition of a state of emergency. It would, incidentally, be interesting to get some idea of the unem- ployment among machines. The boom left America's economic structure top-heavy with plant.
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