The Topeka state journal., 1903-06-19
Mr.. Gerow's Figures Revised Up
to Date.
Big Problem Now Confronts Kan
sas Wheat Farmer.
MUST LOOK TO EAST.
There Are Not Enough Men In
the West.
Harvest Hands to Be Divided
Among % Counties.

T. B. Gerow, director of the state free
employment bureau. has received final
estimates as TO the number OF outside
harvest hands TO be needed this year
Already the harvest has commenced
along the southern border of the state,
so these estimates viii stand The total
number now foots up to 2S.100.
1t is difficult to understand how great
an army this is. If it were possible 10
secure this great army and all were to
go to the wheat belt on the trains, they
would fill 469 cars. counting SO men to
car which would crowd them- Fit-
teen coaches make an extremely long
train. especially when loaded with 50
men each, yet with trains that long ir
would require 81 trains to carry these
men and the last train would have 10
coaches in it
Barton county alone would take five
such trains except that the last one
would have 13 coaches instead Of 10
Just think of FIVE long special trains
running into Great Bend carrying no
body but harvest hands-a string OF
coaches more than half a mile long and
each loaded to the guard rails with
handsl Ellis county. away out on the
western edge of the wheat belt, Will re-
ouire half that many
These figures give some slight IDEA
of what the demand for harvest haha7
in Kansas really IS this year ~ cdi1
also be seen that it viii be extremely
/ difficult in tact Impossible 10 secure al
! thar have been asked tor. Just now
/ the railroads are using thousands OF
men in repairing damage TO their tracks
/ bv the fOo0s Other industries are Us
! ing thousands more, but lneSe late1t
may be III better shape WITHIN d Wees
or two. This means that the nome sup
4 plv of extra laboIeTs IS already ehliiv-
/ ed and that the harvest hands mus
come from the east w nlie the nai s.,s.s -
has already commenced in the southern
counties the full pressure for HANDS "lA
not come for about two or three weeks
All thar time the men Will stil oe ein-
ployed in the south. but tne a. -
will also have extended all over tn7
state. The demand for thresners VIII
also have commenced by that time IN lna
south. ,-. o.. g
Director Gerow is now looking to p 81
7 01lfS ana Chicago ana points east -
send hands to the harvest fields ne
has received promises from the Tree
e,,,nIoxn1ant agents in those cities u
aid in the matter as Tar as possio
and now he is taking the question o.
rates uo with the railroad eompanlss-
The only harvest rate maze 50 -
to aDoly east of the Missouri river was
to apply on the first and thlro lues-
DAYS of June. but these dates haF c
already passed. and the floods put ths
rates out of force. Now Director FeroW
has asked the railroads TO grant a
taTve~t rate of one cent mile from
ST louis and Chicago He has written
to ". B. Townsend, general passengsr
agent of the Missouri Pacific. at 81
7 o,1is asking him 40 take the matter
up and also to John Sebastian, general
trahic manager Of the Rock Island. ask
ing him to take it up with the western
/ Passenger association. This rate has
already been ordered from Missouri
points to the wheat belt. beginning :
June % and continuing to July 10.
The railroads are greatly interested
in saving the wheat crop. because II
means increased tonnage for them IN
all directions. They will not only haul
the wheat and -four out of the state.
but they viii also haul agricultural i'm r.
plements and other things needed by
the farmer into the state
The rs. .120 men asked for by the wheat
belt will be divided among % counties.
The final estimates of the number OF
hands required by counties are as fol-
lows. 2zands