Virtually on the eve of Christmas the United States to-day faced an unemployment situation more serious than ever, Private and governmental agencies were struggling to ect the national emergency.
The American Federation of] Labour emphasized the gravity of the situation when it issued a statement declaring: that the holiday weason this year finds the United States with 5,300,000 people who fare normally employed unable to find work of any kind.
Further, the American Federa tion of Labour states that at this Christmastide there are 300,000 more people without employment in the United States than there were 8 month ago.
Reaction to the Labour Federa-
Washington, Dec. 26, Allegations that there have been Teakages of valusbie: information from the despatches of British diplomats in the United States to the British Foreign Office are contained la the report of Mr. Hamil ton Fish, the Chairman of the Commiitttge of the House of Represent" tives' which has been investigating communist activities in the States, The report alleges that informa-ion from British diplomatic de-
Bers of the Soviet Sceret Service and quotes a statement of M. Agabekoff, a former attache to the Soviet Legation at Teheran, that reports from the British Embass; at Washington on United States activities were a "permanent source of information to the Ogpu.'
The statement continued ish diplomats unwittingly render valuable service the to Soviet through their detailed reports to their Foreign Office—Reuter. tion's announcement was swift, the White House President] Hoover announced that the Government has adopted, and will pursue, Policy of maintaining the highest prevailing wages for those employ-[ed in carrying out construction pro-acts under its control. This a nouncement, made by the President, guarantees that persons employed by contractors engaged in Government work will receive the highest wages prevailing in the districts in which they are working.
Hard on the announcements of} the White House and of the American Federation of Labour came a statement from the Department of War bearing the news that it has alloted G.$25,000,000 to be used for rivers and harbour improvement work throughout the nation.
This money will be used to ex-[podite projects in which many people can be employed and thus further stimulate unemployment reief activities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.