Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-31
RAILROADS SUFFER
Harvest Fields Take Most of
Available Laborers Now.
NORTHWEST A MECCA FOR WORKMEH
Since Harvest Time Has Come Thou.
sands of Men Are Hurrying to the
Dakotas and Surrounding States
Seeking Employment.

AT this time of the year the harvest
fields of the northwest offer lucrative
employment for few weeks, and as
there are not enough men residing in
that part of the country to do the work
the Dakotas and the nearby territory
have become big Mecca fer harvest
hands or those who want to be harvest
hands for the good wages paid by the
owners of the extensive fields of grain
in the vast northwest. Because of the
harvest the railroad companies are
having much trouble obtaining men to
! do their construction and section work,
and as they have great deal of this
work to do in the summer, as a mat
ter of course. the roadbeds are suffer
| ing not little.
| The recent heavy rains in the north
| west have caused washouts and dam
aged grades on the various railroads,
SO that many extra men besides the
regular gangs, are necessitated to re-
pair the damages. Besides all this
many of the roads are relaying steel
and doing resurfacing, and there is
general rush to have this work COM
pleted before fall when the heavy
movement of grain begins.
Good wages are always paid for har-
vestng in the north. This is neces-
sary to procure the laborers. The
grain all riDens at once. The farms
are much larger as 4 rule than Iowa
farms. and the farmers in the north
are fewer. SO that they cannot depend
on punching together in neighbor-
hood and helping each other in the
i harvest season, as is the case further
south. 1t becomes necessary to offer
big inducements to outside labor to
come into the north for the harvest
season. For harvesting $3.50 and So
per day and board is paid in the north.
The railroad companies are paying
but S175 per day, and the workmen
must pay $3.50 and Sd per week for
his board, so that it is quite to be eX-
pected that harvesting would be pre-
ferred among the laboring element.
1--WE could use 300 men for railroad
work right now said
railroad employment agent re-
rently "The railroad companies
urge us to get men, but we find it i'm
possible At Heron Lake, Mimi big
job of relaying steel is going on and
. at California Junction, south of Sioux
City. steel is being relaid and resurfac-
! ing done. and the forces of men are
very small The roads are anxious to
get the work done before the fan bus
mess starts. The Northwesternl need.
E ed several hundred men to repair
, wasnouts and damaged tracks in the
central part of the state, and found it
.. necessary to take $50 men composing.
their regular gangs On this division to
, do the work.
Men by the thousands are focking
\ n Thew mr. i,,tn
the Dakotas and Minnesota. These
men migrate like the birds. They start
in down in Texas, where the grain rip
ems first, and keep moving north until
they get to Winnipeg.
Iowa points along the Missouri are
shipping out men by the hundred ev-
cry week, and Omaha and Minneapolis
are sending them by the trainload into
the harvest fields. They come to the
employment bureaus to take advan
tage Of the harvest rates offered by the
roads. The recent measures adopted
by the Milwaukee railroad to prevent
, free riding on their trains is causing
, large numbers of men to pay their
fares. They seek cheap rate. The
most of them have plenty Of money in
their pockets, but they say there is
no use paying for riding when they
can ride for nothing.
'The great majority of the men do
not buy tickets because the roads pre-,
vent their riding free, but they get to
e the harvest fields Just the same. Those
o who call upon us tell us of "a scheme
= which has been adopted by the men
who are determined to ride free. They
buy tickets to some nearby station and
s get off there. Then they wait for the
0 next train and beat their way from
: there They know that the extra force
8 of police officers employed by the road
in keeping the trains cleared are sta
7 toned in the cities only, and that it Is
. no trouble to board train at small
town. There are lots of bad men
C among these gangs who would not
: stop at any deed to steal their way on
i, train. This element induces the
). more honorable fellows who are
/, amongst them to become bold and beat
their way, too Our sale of harvest
e hand tickets has greatly increased.
II nevertheless since the roads have un-
+ dertaken to stop free riding.
a The schedule of rates for harvest
n hands is much lower than the regular
S rate, and harvest hands get the same
S class of service as other passengers,
e. but there must be parties of more than
v ten to get the low rate.
e Some of the men who go north ev-
e cry year at this time simply so to rob
IS people, said the agent.
e They know that much money
will be changing hands, and they will
IS work little here and there just to
e, be with the men and steal their money.
If Some are grafters and gamblers, and
lel go along to swindle the workmen out
t. of their money"
'el -------------------------
le A dress suit on hot night exhibits