The new system of labour exchanges was inaugurated on Tuesday.
The divisional clearing-houses are in London, Glasgow, Dublin, Cardiff, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Nottingham, and Bristol. To these clearing-houses returns are sent regularly from the various exchanges. The clearing-houses in turn pass on the information to the national clearing-house at Caxton House, Westminster. Considerable crowds visited all the exchanges on Tuesday, and in some cases the staffs had to be reinforced. The object of the exchanges is, of course, to increase the mobility of labour,—to place labour on the spot where it is required. If any disappointment was expressed by applicants on Tuesday because they were not immediately given jobs, it was entirely owing to a misconception of the nature of the exchanges. The exchanges cannot create jobs. When appli- cants are willing to take work at a distance from their homes their railway fare is paid for them, when necessary, and the cost is collected from them later out of their earnings. All the chief sources of employment are brought into touch with the exchanges by telephone, and there are rooms in which employers can interview applicants for work.
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