Beginning May 1, 1924, the unemployed members of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Of Chicago will receive unemployment benefit from the unemployment insurance fund established May the first of last year.

This news was disclosed by Prof. John Commons, chairman of the unemployment insurance fund, who announced that the clerks in the office of the insurance fund are working hard to prepare all records necessary to this end.

The agreement with the Chicago clothing manufacturers to establish an unemployment insurance fund materialized after many lengthy transactions. Less than a year ago, in the month of May, 1923, the Amalgamated presented a demand for such a fund, to which both the employers and the employees were to contribute one and a half per cent of all wages earned. It took a long time for the bosses to grant this demand, but finally an agreement was reached last year that the fund was to begin in 1924. The date when payment of benefit was to start was not decided due to the fact that it was not known how long it would take to raise sufficient funds for this purpose.

During that time something occurred which no one could foresee. The slack season came on and in many factories the workers were laid off. This delayed the payment of benefits.

But now the chairman of the fund has announced at a meeting of the business agents of the joint board of the Amalgamated, that on May 1st they will be able to start paying unemployment benefit, and that the Amalgamated members of Chicago may celebrate May 1st both as an international holiday and the day when their organization established a reform which promises very much to the workers in the future.