The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-07
To HELP HARVEST
How to Solve the Harvest Hand
Problem.
1t is a Difficult Question in
Good Wheat Years.
ID. w. BLAINE HAS PLAN
BLAINE HAS PLAN
Pratt Implement Man Tells
How to Do 1t.
Would Have Assessors Find Out
the Number Wanted.

| nially originating ideas to help the
| grain growers of the wheat belt-some
of them good ones, too-comes forward
| with a plan to systematic the work of
furnishing harvest hands to the farmers
of the wheat counties the coming sum
| mer, and he is asking Secretary Coburn
to cooperate in the plan.
For the past two years the harvest
hand problem has been serious one in
the wheat belt, and will be still more so
the coming summer if the wheat crop is
up to the present prospects. Harvest
hands were imported by the train load
last summer, and even then it was with
difficulty that sufficient help was seclIl-
ed in some localities to save all of the
wheat. This summer the wheat acreage
is increased in the wheat belt and the
wheat raising area has been greatly ey-
tended. 1t takes in many counties now
that have heretofore raised little wheat
Counties which have heretofore contri-
buted harvest hands to the wheat belt
will this year have wheat of their own
to harvest and may need outside help
themselves.
Mr.. Blaine probably worried more over
the harvest hand problem last summer
than any other man in Kansas. He
gave out figures by the yard concerning
the number of men needed to take care
of the wheat crop, and he undertook the
task of supplying Pratt county himself.
But in doing it he encountered troubles
H.
secure a carload of harvest hands in
Kansas City and start them for Pratt
county, farmers along the road would
go to the train and take the men away
from him, and by the time they reached
Pratt there wouldn't be single man
left in his party.
Mr.. Blaine's plan is to have the town
ship assessors in the wheat counties
make a record of the number of for
eign'' harvest hands and teams each
farmer employed last year, and how
many he will probably need this year
in case there is a good crop AS the as
SCISSORS have to make returns to the
State Board of Agriculture, Mr.. Blaine
wants these figures included in the re-
port, and he believes they will furnish
a practically definite basis upon Wn1cn
to work in securing harvest hands. To
interest the assessors in his plan he has
sent the following recommendation to
the county clerks to be presented to the
assessors in the thirty big wheat coun-
ties of the state:
THAT the assessors in each township,
when assessing the farmers, make a
memorandum of the extra, nonresident,
men and teams used by him in the har-
vest of 1901, and the probable number
of extra men and teams he will require
for the harvest for 1902, provided his
crop of small-grain is a good or fair
one. This it is thought you can do with
a small amount of labor and time and
when you and the other assessors of
your county (and the other counties in
the wheat belt) make their returns to
the county clerks, that the total can be
summed up, giving the amount of extra
men and teams needed and with this in
formation in the hands of those who
will have charge of arranging to get the
men and teams, that the work can be
done more intelligently and Satisfac-
torily than when those in charge of the
movement, are compelled to make their
estimates on unreliable information,
we have been doing in the past, and in
so doing you will confer a great favor
h
in which you reside, as well as to the
farmers in the wheat belt of Kansas.
1.-The assessors returns are in by May
1, in ample time for placing the men
who will come in for the harvest" said
Mr.. Blaine in speaking of his plan.
but to make this permanent. ar
rangement, 1 am enlisting the services
of Secretary Coburn- In the blanks
that farmers fill out for the board of
agriculture each year, it is intended
that there shall be one space telling how
many men and teams he had in harvest
ing his last wheat crop, another will
tell how much wheat he has Sowed
compared with the crop last harvested
and another will estimate how many
men and teams he will need if he has
a full crop and how many if he has
light crop. We will then have some val
liable and approximately stable data to
work upon
1.-The Pratt county board of assessors
adopted this plan unanimously at once
continued Mr.. Blaine, "and / believe
other wheat cOunIleS Will 90 Ine same
For the past two years reasonably
successful effort has been made to
gather and distribute the men needed.
but it failed in many particulars, as the
number of men and teams required was
unknown and the means adopted for
making an estimate We're very unrelia-
BILE, and the great difference of opin-
ions expressed caused considerable doubt
in the minds of the public as to whether
we needed 5000 men or 10000 or 1000 or
5000 extra teams.
1.-The difference of opinion has pre-
vented many men and teams from COM
ing into the wheat belt, yet sufficient
amount of help was obtained last year
to save the crop with little loss. How
ever, this would not have been the case
if the weather through harvest had not
been very favorable Again, the urcer-
tainty OF the amount of help needed
prevented those who had charge of the
movement from getting a satisfactory
harvest hand rate from the railroads.
which could only be induced to give a l
cent per nile fare from Missouri river
and eastern points in Kansas to the
wheat belt but charged the regular
rates in returning This caused great
deal of dissatisfaction when the men
wanted to go home last season, many
of them expressing their determination
never to return nor permit any of their
friends to come to our assistance in
harvest. as il required practically all
the money they had earned in paying
expenses coming and returning
1.-The information could be used to
great advantage in convincing the rail-
roads of the necessity of extending the
territory in which the rates would be
effective. it would assist in convincing
them that not only low rate of rail-
road fare to the wheat belt is necessary,
but that a return rate must be arrsng-
ed for or the help cannot be induced to
come. The informa ton would also be
available in advertising to the public
our requirements. which could not be
questioned if gathered in such a relia-
bic way. also, each county would know,