Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10
THE LABOR PROBLEM
As Serious in the Wheat Belt
as in the Mines.
BEEN MET IN KANSAS
A FARMER HAS GIVEN TIME TO
ITS SOLUTION.
Enormous Working Force Required
This Year to Harvest the
Grain.
BEEN MET IN KANSAS

| Written for The Evening Star by W. r. Draper.
The demand for labor in the great wheat
! belt of the west promises to be quite as
great during this years harvest time as
| ever, and the problem of meeting the de-
mand is already occupying the minds of
| those directly interested. Less than a score
! of years ago few farmers would think of
| sowing more wheat or corn that their own
| regular help could gather at harvest time.
| The most a farmer in any community
| would do was to call few of the neigh
bcrs to assist, If the grain threatened to
ripen too fast during the cutting of the
same. The importing of labor was I'M
thought Of
But today the wheat belts of the north
west and the southwest afford a striking
contrast to the relatively small industry of
those days. Hundreds of acres in one field
one farmer operating twenty-five binders
and employing a hundred harvest laborers,
was beyond the widest dreams of the old
time agriculturist. Yet this is common
enough in the wheat-growing districts to-
day. And just so long as the individual
farmer continues to raise large areas OF
grain the labor problem will confront him,
though the harvest hand" problem has al
! ready been worked down to a fine point in
some great grain raising communities.
System in Wheat Raising.
In Kansas there is quite as much system
about the harvesting of the great wheat
crops as there is in the turning out Of steel
from the mills of the Pennsylvania iron
region. The laborers of the field need not be
skilled to perfection like those of the shops,
yet harvesting requires no little training,
and the most tremendous physical exertion.
David w. Blaine, farmer of Pratt coun-
ty, Kan, has arranged a plan to furnish
10000 extra men every year to the Kansas
| farmers. His scheme is simple and has al
ready proved valuable, though it has been
in operation only three years. In 1901 alone
| 1t saved several hundred thousand dollars
to the farmers of Kansas and better re-
suits are expected the present season. This
saving has been accomplished by securing
help in ample time.
Mr.. Blaine began three years ago by ad-
FertlSlnS through the daily press for har-
vest hands" to go to his home community
Pratt county, and assist himself and neigh
bors In caring for surplus grain. Thou
SANDS OF idle men in the cities read the in
formation and hurried out. He turned the
surplus over to the railroad companIes and
to that farmers where most needed. Prior
to that farmers Of Pratt county had been
depending upon neighborhood help; if that
We're not forthcoming the wheat must die
Oh rottinS before it could be got into the
stack. Overripe wheat cannot be allowed
to stand in the field more than a week be-
Two years ago Blaine improved upon his
idea of advertising by purchasing more
space and having the harvest hands go 10
Kansas City as central point; from there
TO be distributed to wheat growers as they
called for them. But not one fourth enough
men answered the advertisements and
farmers appealed in vain to the Kansas
City employment bureau. Last wear Blaine
began earlier. He asked all of the farmers
to meet in their respective communities
about month before harvest and decide
upon the number OF men they would need
These reports were sent to him. and as
result he appealed for 5000 laborers and
5000 teams. The state employment agency
at Kansas City agreed to take care of
the harvest laborers and send them into
the wheat belt as Blaine directed. He
prepared list of the needs of every COM
munity, and as rapidly as the laborers ar
rived at Kansas City they We're sent on
But he neglected to send a specified num-
Der of men into each community, depending
upon the county reports. So, while the
majority of the farmers Were supplied
those living in isolated portions of tho
state were neglected and the harvest hands
were all employed before they reached their
destination.
Plans for This Season.
This season Blaine secured even more de-
tailed reports of the needs of the farmers
as early as April, getting the names of
the farmers and number of hands they
wanted in every township. He also Sc
cured a report on the condition of wheat at
that time. By keeping a close watch on
the weather report he will know in June
whether the number of laborers shall be
diminished or increased as compared with
the supposed needs of three months pre-
vious. Ever since he has been sending
circulars to the various employment agen-
cies in the United States stating that
10000 men, 1000 women and 5000 teams
can be used in the Kansas fields, begin
ming in June and lasting thirty days or
more.
A general distributing agency has been
established at Kansas City, another at To-
peka and still another at Wichita ins the
very center of the wheat belt, where the
farmers can meet and employ their help.
Wages ranging from S1.50 to $50 per day
are paid for eight hours work double pay
for extra time. On moonlight nights
should there be any prospect of rainy
weather in the near future, the whole
force of harvest hands may be found toll