UNEMPLOYMENT: Sulphur & Molasses

The whole nation wasn’t sick by any means, but there were a few sore spots that needed treatment. In Government lingo, these are known as Grade E areas, with a “very substantial labor supply,” which is another way of saying that more than 12% of the workers are out of jobs.

Last week, at the President’s request, White House Troubleshooter John R. Steelman designated nine such areas: New Bedford and Worcester, Mass., Waterbury and Bridgeport, Conn., Providence, R.I.,Utica-Rome, N.Y., Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Muskegon, Mich, and Knoxville, Tenn.

The Administration’s remedy looked more like sulphur & molasses than penicillin, but it might ease the pains a little. The biggest spending departments and agencies of the Government were ordered to place as many Government contracts as possible in areas where unemployment is chafing the most—when it can be done without hurting any other regions too much.