Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-25
HARVEST HELP NEEDED
Labor Situation in the Wheat
Fields of the Northwest
Is Very Bad
BUMPER CROP MAY BE LOST
Farmers Unable to Secure Sufficient
Help to Save the Big Crop of Wheat
That is Now About Ready for the
Harvest-Homestead Will Give
Some Aid.

some HiC.
Minneapolis, July 25.-dn the light OF
the labor situation, the prospect of
bumper crop is menace to itself. 1t
is the same old annual summer story
of lack of men. but intensified this year
because OF the heavy acreage i'm sight
and the tremendous railroad develop
ment that is using the services of
thousands of men that otherwise
would help out in the harvest Agents
are securing the states as far south
as hands can be secured. The men are
being shipped north, transportation
free, in preparation for the harvest.
While this is going on, neither rail-
roads nor labor agencies are hating
at anything TO get men to work OH
railroad extension and betterment
work. Wages are high and transports
tation is free. Altho it is to the in
terest of the railroads to see the har-
vest cut, their first thought now Is to
get the new lines finished in time to
carry the new crop.
Many Will Jump Jobs.
Hundreds of men are being carried
into the northwest for railroad work.
however, who have no intention of en-
gazing for longer than the two weeks
preceding harvest, unless the railroad
contractors bid higher than the farms
ers to keep them. The situation is
creating tremendous competition for
labor and the farmers are straining
every nerve by hook or crook to get
ready for the grain cutting.
Some relief is to be afforded In the
harvest labor situation by the fact that
help will come from an unexpected
source this year. Hundreds of home-
steaders who have taken claims this
year in North Dakota will have no crop
to harvest, and time lying heavily on
their hands. they will probably get
into the fields.
Railroad and labor men who have
been approached in regard to the labor
situation and the harvest shake their
neads and say it is the same old story
with the added contingency Of big
crop. The labor agency managers say
that there is not the slightest excuse
for any man to be out of work. They
explain the fact that lot of men can
be found loafing about Bridge Square.
by the statement that they simply will
not work. Representatives of the em-
ployment agencies are securing the
streets for laboring men and are Ship
ping them into the Northwest free OF
charge and without questioning them
too closely as to whether they will
stick by the work they are hired for or
destination. More men" is the cry
everywhere Wages are attractive and
work is plenty, but men are scarce.
Won't Go to Work.
One hundred men wanted for the
harvest fields and not one man willing
to take the work, this is the situation
Staff Captain w. III. Good.
ing. manager of the Salvation Army's
industrial home.
There are at least ten jobs for
every. man loafing around Bridge
square said Captain Gooding today
"The difficulty is to set them to take
them. Every evening you can see the
employment agents walk along the line
sitting on the curb, offering good jobs,
and see the men shake their heads.
They will crowd about some loud-votc-
ed street speaker and applaud him
when he tells how the laboring' man
has no chance. but they fade away
when brought face to face with job
which will pay them good wages. We
have had at least 10C applications for
men to work in the harvest fields with
i'm the past week but have refused to
try to fill them, as the regular agen-
cies are having a hard enough time
to fill their orders without our enter
ing into competition.
'tAt our hotel on First avenue s the
same conditions prevail. Every morn
ing the man in charge turns out all
able-bodied dodgers and tells them to
get out and hustle; if he did not, they
would sleep there all day. The other
day a man came in here asking for
help. and when l told him we had no
men, he accused the army of keeping
the entire lot of Bridge square loafers
i'm idleness. That is unfair, for we will
not help any man who is able to help
himself. Those men would rather sit
on the curb and swear at their luck
than do the hard work necessary to
earn money"
Sturdy men from old England,
brought over to save the bumper wheat
crop will be found in the northwest
harvest fields in short time. The
Canadian Pacific road, familiar with
labor conditions in the United States
and the Dominion, and foreseeing
trouble i'm the combination of labor
scarcity and bumper crop, has put
into effect very low rate from Eng
land with return privilege in Noyem-
Der. These men will land at Quebec or
Montreal and will be rushed out to
Winnipeg. Some will no doubt come
into North Dakota later on, tho their
first efforts will be expended in Mani
toba Alberta or Saskatchewan. No
material help is expected from them
on the American side but indirectly
their presence will relieve the situation
and prevent so great rush OF Amefl-
can labor across the line, thereby leav-
ing more men in Minnesota and the
Dakotas to finish up the work. Prob
ably 1000 men will come over.