The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-19

bloI4I4+lt Ibi us tAi''A~' a. i''
agricultural fund. A question mas
arisen as 10 the prosperity" behelit I"
b. derived by the farmer rom iht
establishment Of 81 department. o. I'M
migration. ana whether shch behclit
woIld iusttrv the allotment Of $4,000
from The agricultural fund. The fol-
Loving discussion IS relative to:
First. the farmers need Of labor;
second the probability Of relief under
the operation Of the proposed inmi-
grafton bill, Third the justification Of
I'm allotment from the agricultural
fIud.
GJ. In general wav we all know
That farmers need labor ana need it
keeu!y, and the data collected by
secretary Bruncr, Of the department
Of agriculture. shows q dehnite de-
mand FOR farm labor from - counties,
or about 80 per cent Of the state,
ana an aggregate Of Approximately
81, 900 farm labOrciS needed by those
only who sent estimates. This indi-
Gates an actual need of perhaps go
600 to 100, 900 at the present time.
As compared with the need OF
u~factuTtrs. the bureau Of labor csti-
mates the numbcr Of farm labprefs in
the state at $50 900 and the number
Of labOrcrs employed by the
turing interest at 10000. From the
best available sources il is estimated
that the manufacturers need about
10000 to $4,000 additional laborers.
They are approximately u per cent.
short, While the farmers are about 20
per cent. short. IN actual numbers
the needs of the farmers IS six times
greater than hat Of the factories and
mills. If the manufacturers suffer a
loss Of IS to 20 ncr cent in the ca
pacity of their mills for the lack Of Ia
Dor 10 not the farmers suffer equally
for the lack Of labor, which compels
them to leave good land lying idle,
and do they not suffer worse when for
ack of labor they lose maturcd crops
which cannot be harvested. How
many North Carolina farmers Will
plant their crops this spring With the
assurance Of having enough labor TO
properly cultivate and harves them2
O.. win the operation of the bill
tend to relieve the farmers need for
labor? Assuredly yes. This opinion is
based on actual experience during the
last two years in bringing immigrants
10 thiS State and locating them on
small farms. There is at present Il
very large movement of foreign farm
cr ~ciniSraGtS to this country most Of
whom settle in the North and West
because FOR many years the great tide
Of immigration has taken that path
ana their relatives and friends, already
settled, point that way. THESE farmer
immigrants come TO America largely
because they seek to escape the bur
den of taxation which has fOr genera
tjons kept them down to a bare exist
cncc with absolutely no chance to i'm
prove their condition.. america and
''Thc Land of the Free are express
sipns of very real meaning to them.
While Il small percentage ave
money enough to purchase land, the
larger humble are poor and avail
able only as laborers or tenant farm
erS but all have the ambition to ulti-
mately their own little farms, and
will work hard and faithfully to at
ain that end. They are as keenly anX-
ious for schools and churches as our
own people and their immediate Ell
fort is to learn our language and GUS
toms. The farmer immigrant is the
best element now entering the coun-
thy and emphatically worth having.
The proper application of this bill is
the most effective means of bringing
this desirable element to the State as
it will enable our State agents abroad
To select only the best and to ship
them directly to our ports.
The direct shipment to the port
nearest ultimate destination is of the
ouside ports-whether New York,
Charleston, OF Norfolk, we will get
what other people don't want.
The essentials is to furnish our
agents abroad with schedules Of oc-
c~upations. wages, accommodations,
ctt., 80 lldl TIE prospective immigrant
may, before leaving the other side,
know definitely what to expect, and
this can be done quite as we'll for the
farmer as for the manufacturer
If the farmer will TAX the trou-
bic to make known his needs and
hat he can offer, he will benefit al
least as much and probably more than
the manufacturer
(3). Such being the situation, is
there q sufficient justification for an
allotment Of $4,000 for immigration
purposes from the annual income
Gl09,000 last Year, disbursed by the
department of agriculture?
The board of agriculture, after care
ful ana deliberate consideration of the
farmers needs. says yes" and it is,
presumably, evident that the e%xpendi-
ture of less than 10 per cent. of their
income may we'll be applied to the eff
tort for relieving the need of labor,
which relief will benefit the IN
at least as much as the manufacturers.
but which will cost the armer midi
rectly only $1.00 where it will cost the
manufacturers directly $500. For
1t should be borne in mind that no eff
fective work can be done with but
$4,000. Juding from the South Car
Dina experience at least $4,000 ad-
ditional will be needed.
The farmers of the State need six
times as many labOrers as the manu-
facturers. and are asked to contribute
Indirectly one-fifth the amount the
manufactures will contribute directly.
1t should be understood that there
IAN be no discrimination under the
operation of this law. h cOntribu-
ton of the individual beng expended
for the general benefit exactly as must
be the allotment from the agricultural
lund. If need alone were considered
tn" farmers should contribute six
flmes as much as the manufacturers.
As 1t is, he is asked to sanction an al
lotinent from Il fund which, if not
spent for this purpos will be
Sptht for some other purpose which is
NOT likely to be of as much value to
MIN as the relief of his need-that for
4 rehable and sufficient class of la
Dor.
IN c~2nclusion l appeal for a law
tl'l VIII give to the State a Depart
ment of Immigration with sufficient
scope ana authority to be effective.
The farming interest. especially in
eastern North Carolina, is mainly de-
pendent on negro labor, which each
year becomes more unreliable and
harder TO get. Scarcity of labor has
caused higher wages with the result
That a nnoFn n 81 nov, liz - "