The following are the various branches of the City Colony—­

    (1) The Regimentation of Labor.

    (2) Food for all—­Food Depots.

    (3) Work for all—­Labor yards.

    (4) Shelter for all.

    (5) The household Salvage Corps.

    (6) The Prison Gate Brigade.

    (7) The Drunkard’s Home.

    (8) The Rescue Home for fallen women.

    (9) The poor man’s Metropole.

    (10) The Emigration Bureau.

To these no doubt will in course of time be added many other branches.  In the meantime this is in itself a sufficiently extensive programme for some years to come.  How we propose to elaborate each of the above, will be found in the following pages.

CHAPTER IV.

THE LABOR BUREAU.

One of the most painful sights with which modern civilisation presents us is the enormous and increasing wastage of valuable human labor.  The first step towards remedying this gigantic and alarming evil will be to ascertain its extent.  This we propose to do by means of our Labor Bureau.  Here all classes of out-of-works will be welcomed, from the respectable well educated intelligent youths, who are being poured out of our colleges by thousands, to the most squalid specimen of a Lazarus that lies at our gates desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fall from our tables.  All will be sorted out, sifted and regimented, or organised, into distinct corps, which will in time no doubt develope into legions.

The Bureau will not, however, stop short with simply ascertaining the extent of the evil which exists.  It will at the same time turn its attention to the examination and regimentation of the channels which already exist for the absorption of that labor.  For while it is true that there are vast quantities of unutilised labor, and that the present supply of labor greatly exceeds the demand, it is also true that for want of suitable arrangements for bringing together capital and labor, the capitalist also frequently loses time and money, either in searching for labor which he cannot get, or in resorting to labor of an inferior quality, where labor of a superior quality would bring in much larger returns.

Into the pre-existing channels it would be the first aim of our Labor Bureau to pour the labor supply of the country.  And experience would probably enable us to widen, deepen and lengthen these channels in such a manner as would prove profitable to both employers and employed, as well as to the nation at large.

When, however, this had been done, it is alas! only too certain that we should still have left upon our hands a vast amount of surplus labor, for which we should next proceed to dig out new and profitable channels.  The problem no doubt bristles with difficulties, but that is no reason why we should sit down before it and fold our hands in despair.