residents; the former class may be divided into two classes the tramps, hoboes, vagrants, and professional non-workers, who are simply barnacles on the wheels of progress, and a menace to society; all of this class who are able, should be made to work at the "rock pile" or "farm colony;" the willing worker, who becomes unemployed through no fault of his own, should be assisted to get back to his home town, if possible; the permanent resident, provided he is a worthy employable, should be given every assistance possible. If he is unworthy, the "rock pile" or "farm colony " is the place for him. The unwilling worker is in a sense a parasite. These parasites would soon leave any community if they were confronted with the "rock pile." If he is willing but unable to work, every proper effort should be made to assist him.

Very many of our temporary residents or newcomers, including very many human derelicts and parasites, are attracted to the city as the result of the innumerable inducements, implied or otherwise, held out by our generous public benefactors to accept our hospitality. It must be admitted by every one who has made any study of the question of "relief work," that it is better to have a thorough investigation made of each case for relief, so that only worthy applicants may be assisted, than to have no expert investigation and its result indiscriminate alms' giving. During the past winter, there has been too much indiscriminate alms giving, with the result that we have an army of at least 100,000 unemployed, recruited from all over the country, who must live by some manner or means. These people must live somehow. If they cannot get it honestly, they get it dishonestly, and the producer must bear the expense. The sentiment that "it is better to give alms indiscriminately to ninety-nine unworthy people, than that one worthy applicant should starve," may possess merit, but it seems to me that we should provide ample safeguards around every form of charity, whether public or private, and be exceedingly careful not to do anything which will tend to increase the number of dependents upon society for support.

Every employable, who is willing to work, but who cannot find employment, or who is willing but unable to work, is entitled to every assistance possible from the regularly organized, permanent institutions. The homeless man and woman should be provided for

by organized society. I am strongly in favor of the " farm colony" for the fellow who can, but won't work. He should be placed upon the land where he would be producing something, which would not pauperize or bring him into competition with free labor.

My theory is that a very large percentage of the willing employable unemployed could be placed on the land. We can compel those who are able, but won't work, to go on the land. Many others would go if they were only properly advised by the government and given a little encouragement. Obviously, many people refuse to be exploited by land speculators and promoters, or to have their misfortunes capitalized by mercenaries. There are enough people who would gladly go on the land if given an opportunity, and this would relieve, to a considerable extent, the congested conditions in our larger cities.

“Idle land means idle men, and idle men mean poverty, sorrow and crime." On every hand we hear of schemes for the amelioration of the condition of the unemployed, and while a return to the land is not a new idea by any manner of means, it has not as vet received that serious consideration it deserves from those entrusted with the duty of solving "the problem of unemployment." Every dollar of money expended upon the land would more than repay for the cost of labor, because it would increase in value as the result of tillage and development, and no one could be pauperized by this method.

We should endeavor to adopt some constructive program by which to remedy the conditions of which we complain. You cannot do it all, nor can any one individual or organization. We should make an attempt at least to impress upon society the imperative necessity of doing those things which to our mind will result in the making of the better man, and a respect for our laws and civic institutions.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

MR. ALEXANDER H. KAMINSKY, PROBATION OFFICER, COURT OF GENERAL SESSIONS: When the judge in the Supreme Court or Court of General Sessions suspends sentence upon a prisoner he says to him, "I want you to lead a decent, honest and upright life and the probation officer will take care of you." When the State Board of Parole sits at Sing Sing and has before it the various

men who apply for parole, they say to the prisoner going out, "Go out and sin no more and make good." It sometimes occurs to me that as representatives of society they say this not only for the sake of the prisoner, but because they justly feel that if the prisoner makes good there is much less danger to the rest of society. If that is the case, let us see whether it is not our duty to try to find employment for the fellow that has sinned and give him a start. If it is true that conduct is nine-tenths of life, and if it is true that industry is nine-tenths of conduct, how can you expect a discharged prisoner to conduct himself properly if you deny him the opportunity of being industrious. I believe it is a matter of self-protection as well as only fair and just to give these discharged men an oportunity to make good.

I realize in studying this problem there are generally two problems to be considered, the problem of the discharged prisoner who is but a boy and the older man. If you deal with the man of forty or fifty, it is a question not so much of the kind of job, but of the job where he can get the most money, because he has his responsibilities, he has his family to support and look after beside himself. But when you come to deal with the boy it isn't a question of how much the boy will get, but the opportunity offered for the boy to develop himself.

Having determined upon this fact, that the problems are entirely different, we have set to work in our society and have succeeded in putting through an appropriation for a special man whose work will be mostly with the boys and whose effort in the work will be to put the round club into the round hole, getting a suitable job for the boy, a job where he will be interested, where he will be given an opportunity to use his mind. Just as soon as you get a boy, who is fitted to do a different kind of work, carrying bundles, he will do what many boys do, leave his work and walk off. There isn't any use in doing that sort of thing. You will be spoiling the employers and employees.

The first thing we want our man to do is to study the boy, and once he has made up his mind as to what kind of boy he has, then it is his problem to find a job that will fit. If you can do that, 50 per cent. of your trouble will be solved. Once you get a boy the job which he likes, it is pretty plain sailing, you can give him

all the advice and all the companionship you want, but if he hasn't the right kind of a job he will come back on you just as sure as anything. That is why I feel it is too heavy a task if you put a boy on probation without giving him a fair opportunity of getting a decent job.

MR. THEODORE C. TRIEPER, PROBATION OFFICER, COURT OF SPECIAL SESSIONS, BROOKLYN: I would like to talk about three classes of my probationers. I find that the foreign-born probationer usually gets work the quickest. The next is the probationer born of foreign parentage, and the laziest of the lot is the son of the native parent. I find that the boys we get on probation usually suffer more or less from a fatigue. A book that coincides with my experience is the book by Josephine Goldmark on "Fatigue and Efficiency," a most valuable book that every probation officer should read and be familiar with.

With the probationers I have had, as a rule, the boy wants a certain kind of work; he prefers outdoor work; he wants a certain salary. I tell these boys, "Now, you get any kind of a job that you can, but you get to working." Many of these boys ask for a reference. They have no references; they have had short positions. We find that many of the cases we investigate have been out of employment from two weeks to six months. I say to the listless fellows, "You look here; if you rely on me to get you a position you may get left." I make them get the job themselves.

About two years ago I had a bright Jewish boy on probation who was born in Russia. He was placed on probation for stealing from his employer. He worked in a bakery. A week after, I saw him and he told me he had a job in the Bronx. He came again two weeks after that and told me he had had two other jobs since then. I asked him, "How did you do that; how did you manage to get these jobs?" "I get up at four o'clock; I ride down to the StaatsZeitung building; I get one of the first issues and pick out the job I like and then I get there by five or half-past five."

You will find that your experience has been the same as mine, that the foreign-born probationer is the one who will take any kind of a job. I have had a boy on probation for three months and after a month of idleness his father put him out.

The boy

reported to me. I found him disheveled and unkempt and I procured a home for him in Brooklyn. He stayed there a week and a half and was put out because he disturbed the quiet of the place. He came to me and I got his father to take him back. Then after a week he secured a position earning three dollars a week. He came and said, "I think my job is going to terminate at the end of the week; they are not giving me enough to do in the place." I said, “William, if you give up that job, I am afraid we will have to return you to the judge and get you a position where you get no pay."

I find that the great difficulty of these boys is their fatigue, a condition which is caused oftentimes by the use of cigarettes, by over-indulgence in sexual matters, also by congestion, homecrowding, poor food and such things. I find anybody that wants a job and is not too anxious as to the price and labor they are to perform can easily get it.

MR. JOHN J. SHANAHAN, PROBATION OFFICER, CHILDREN'S COURT: It has been my experience in investigating cases in the juvenile court that over 50 per cent. of the boys between fourteen and sixteen years of age have not worked within three months of the time before being brought to court. They have working papers and they seem to think that these working papers give them a license to loaf, and that they are immune to arrest by the truant officer. The Board of Education should make some rule that would compel a boy to have a job to go to before granting these papers, and the papers should be granted conditional to his holding that position.

A great many boys, of course, secure work as soon as they are given working papers, but they either lose the job or give it up. After three months of loafing and hanging around pool rooms and corners, they arrive at the Children's Court. This is a question for the school authorities to take up.

MISS OLIVE M. JONES, PRINCIPAL, PROBATIONARY SCHOOL: The suggestion is a very pertinent one indeed and one which we have been trying to put into effect for at least five years. When I