Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-07-16
THE WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
scARcITY OF FARM LABOR.

SCARCITY OF FARM LABOR.
The Grand Forks Herald breaches a
timely topic and n worthy the i'm
mediate attention of the business peo-
pie of the state, when it says:
a. question, the seriousness of which
is but half realized by the farmers of
the northwest. is the question of labor.
At the present time there are no lab
orers in this section Of the country,
not enough for haying operations, and
thus far no steps have been taken to
get more men into the country. One
thing that initiates against the farm
ers of this section is that last year
there was a failure of crops and the
1aborers that have been in the habit
of spending the fall months here went
elsewhere, and though there was but
little demand for additional help here
there were not enough men available
to supply the small demand. These
men will naturally go this year for
work where they receive it last year,
and unless immediate steps are taken
by the farmers, business men and
newspapers of the state to induce men
to come here for the harvest and
threshing, the farmers will be con-
fronted by the most serious situation
regarding labor that they have ever
experienced. = ~:
The situation at the present time is
very peculiar. The haying is now on
and many men could be given employ
ment, as the hay crop is heavy, but
there are no men to be had. As a:
rule at this season of the year there
are men standing on the street corners
waiting for the farmers to come in for
help, but the farmers come to the city
in vain. AS faras the haying is CON
cerned most of the farmers can manage
to get along with but little help in
taking are of the crop if the weather
continues fine as at present, as the hay
matured earlier than usual this sea-
son, thus giving the farmers more
time than ordinarily to put up what
they need. But on the other hand the
hay crop last year was almost a total
failure and every spear of old hay was
used long ago., SO that the farmers will
be compelled to put up a greater guam
tity this year than for a number OF
years past & ...a =
The trouble will commence in earnest
however. when the harvestis on (which
will be but a matter Of but a few
weeks. Regardless Of what the wheat
yield will be in the great wheat belt Of
this section, the fact remains that the
straw will be the heaviest.in years, and
this straw will all have to be handled
This will require thousands Of labor.
ers, and the question is, where are
they to come from? .
One OF the features of the case thai
is not realized by the farmers and
JE4 "a" ~. Ny 49,
many Of the business men who have
felt that the 1aborers would arrive or
the ground in due time, is the genera,
prosperous condition that exist all owe
the country, calling for an inrmens.
amount of labor, and cutting off tn,
sources OF supply to this country. II
the past, for instance, there have beer
hundreds of laborers from Michiga,
who have come to the Red river vale.
and the Dakotas for harvest ant
threshing, as a rule spending about 81
days here and returning home late j,
the fall with a good stake" but from
information received recently Their
will be far less than usual come from
that state on aceounto o the properou,
conditions that prevail there and til,
act that there is employment TO
practically all the people at home a
good 8