Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-06
FARM LABORERS ARE SCARCE
State Finds 1t Difficult TO Secure Help on
Farms at Various Institutions.
PRIVATE PARTIES PAY HIGHER WAGES
Dimculty f. Experienced in Keeping
Inebrintes nt the Various Asy-
Iums, as the Law Permits
of No Restraint.
tFrom a star Correspondent

CFrom a staff Correspondent)
DES MONIES, April 5.-(Special)- 1.-THE
state Of iowa is for the first time finding
that 1t is dificult to maintain It's small
army Of employees at state institutions be-
cause OF the sharp competition from pri-
vate demand for help, and at the state in
stitutions more dificulty is experienced
than ever before in securing competent
persons to assist in the work. At the var
ious institutions this year much more land
will be farmed than ever before, as the
state board has added many hundreds of
acres to the state farms by reason of the
appropriations for that purpose made by
the last legislature. 1t is found to be hard
to secure men to manage these farms and
especially to take the more responsible
positions because the price being paid by
farmers for help Is so high. Old and COM
petent employees are reported resigning
from the institutions this spring to accept
employment elsewhere. This extends to al
most every department. The appropriations
made by the legislature for support of the
institutions is found to be not sufficient so
that better wages can be paid, and the cost
of all materials and supplies made use Of
by the state is so much larger that the
estimates of the state board as to cost have
to be watched with the utmost care to
prevent a deficit. The board finds 1t very
dif1cult to meet all expenses under the
circumstances The state will this year
raise a larger amount of food and animals.
The farm at the Industrial school at FL
dora is plentifully supplied with hogs and
a large number Of pigs are being raised.
Cattle and horses and sheep are being
raised on many Of the state farms and there
is much fruit planted, so that in a few years
they will be more nearly self-sustaining
than before.
Many Inebriates Escaped.
The reports made to the State Board of
Control from the state institutions show
that during the month Of March there were
forty-four of the big colony Of inebrlates
who escaped from the institution. The re-
port shows that a hospital for the insane,
where there is no restraint whatever and
none is allowed, is not a At place for the
keeping of the victims Of drink. The re-
port shows that at the close of March there
were 1903 inebriates at Mt. Pleasant, a
decrease Of twenty-six during the month.
Six were returned from escapes, fourteen
were received for a first time, Ave we're re-
turned from parole, one was readmitted.
seven we're discharged on governors parole,
! one was discharged on parole Of the court
and forty-four walked away. At Cherokee
there are ffty-nine inebriates, an increase
Of six. Twelve were paroled and twenty
admitted a first time and only two escaped.
The insane at Mt. Pleasant the first of the
month numbered 1896. an increase of nine.
At Clarinda the insane numbered 914, an
increase of one. At Cherokee there we're
6O7 insane. an increase. OF. two. At. Glen
J wood there were 9S2 feeble minded, an in
crease of four. At Eldora the inmates of
the Industrial school numbered 514, an in
crease OF two.
Celebrated the Eisht-HOur Day.
President Holden, of the State Federation
Of Labor, while engaged in work for the
bureau of labor statistics at Oskaloosa and
Bussey during the past week had a pleasant
experience In the last named city on the
occasion of the fifth annual celebration by
the miners and other union laborers of the
beginning of the eight-hour day. The cele-
bration was in the Methodist church. and
the pastor, Rev. Mr.. Wilson. who was
formerly a member OF the Brotherhood of
Railway Trainmen, had prepared an un-
usually fine program for the occasion. The
laboring men made 1t a holiday in Bussey
and the school children and the churches
and everybody participated. Rev. Mr.. Will
son presented the local union OF miners
with a handsome oil portrait Of John Nit
chell in an ebony frame on a handsome
easel, and the union men nearly went wild
with enthusiasm. The incident is regarded
by President Holder as indicating the ex-
tent to which the union movement is TAX
ing hold in Iowa and attracting the atten-
ton of all classes.
New Magazine Experiment.
e. H. Rockwell, one OF the most I~nsistent
Of the Bryan democrats, who attended the
banquet in Des Moines last week, an
nounced while here that he is soon to
commence the publication at the little town
of Pennington, where he runs the Farm
ington Herald, of a monthly magazine to
be called THE Christian" and to be run
"as Jesus Christ would edit It," 1t is to
be edited in fact by M. l.. Hostetter OF
Chillicothe, Mo-, who is said to be a very
brilliant writer. The magazine will devote
much space to temperance work.
Railway Accounts.
Dwight Lewis. secretary of the railroad
commissioners OF Iowa, returned from Chi
oago where he attended the meeting Of the
committee of the National Association Of
Railway Commissioners and assisted in the
preparation Of an extensive report on the
method of securing uniform accounts and
reports. The committee will have another
meeting in June to complete the report.
This committee will report to the national
association later and the report will be of
vast benefit to all railroads ard to all raj
way commissioners.