East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-06-27
HARVEST is GREAT;
LABORERS ARE FEW
Farmers Are Again With the Prob
lem of Getting the Needed Help.

Farmers Are Again With the Prob
lem of Getting the Needed Help.
Grain-cutting time is near at hand
in the wheat-producing sections of
the interior and the farmers are again
confronted with the always serious
problem of securing the needed help
for the harvesting of the crop. The
cutting of fall-sown grain In the three
northwestern states usually begins
early in July and II Is not until the
latter part of August that the crop
of spring and fall grain is gathered,
but this year the season is little late.
While It is generally conceded that
the wheat yield Of the northwest this
year will be slightly, at least, under
that of 1907, the task of gathering
the crop will be no small one, and for
this purpose a small army of men
will be needed in the wheat fields
during the two harvest months. With
mills and factories more or less gen.
orally suspended as result of the
late financial depression, logging
camps and sawmills closed down for
the time and railroad construction
work curtailed, II was believed that
curing the help needed by the farm
ers; but reports have already reach
ed the city from some of the principal
wheat districts that help Is scarce.
Offers of wages from $3.50 to IS a
day, with board and lodging provided
have not yet drawn the forces that
will be needed through the harvest
season.
1t is said that there are now on the
coast thousands of idle men, who
were thrown out of employment by
the closing of mills and other indus
/ tries some time ago, and other thou
sands are without employment in
many of the mining districts of the
interior. Many OF these will of
course take to the harvest fields, but
It is the experience of farmers that
sawmill men and others who have
been engaged in the lumber industry
do not usually take kindly to harvest
field work and not many of them are
drawn into 1t.
The use of combined harvesting and
threshing machines has in a large
way disposed of the labor problems
in many districts, but even with these
machines thousands of men are need
ed, and in many places the greater
part of the grain is yet cut with
binders. In districts where men are
building homes on government lanL
there will be no serious labor short
age. In other parts the farmers will
have to get help as best they can.
1t will be of interest to farmers this
year to know that grain bags will in
all probability cost materially less
than year ago. In Portland stand
ard Culcutta bags are now quoted at
6 ga to cents apiece, as against an
average price of s cents last year.
This means a reduction of $40 TO SIS
a thousand from the cost of bags a
year ago. Bags of domestic manu-
facture, which comprise but a small
part or the quantity used every year,
are held at about the same figures as
the imported article.
The bag supply for the season Ia
already largely contracted for. and in
some of the wheat districts It is re-
ported that the farmers with a view
to getting bags at low prices, some
time ago made contracts for supplies
at prices considerably higher than
those now prevailing. Local dealers
say there is small probability OF any
advance this season in bag prices over
present quotations
The wheat yield of the inland en-
pire this year is yet a matter of spec
ulation. and estimates on the prob
able output vary widely. Some OF the
local grain men hold that the cror
will be 25 to 80 per cent under that
Of last year. Some estimate the out
put at 5O,OO0,OOO to $4,000, 900 bush.
els. 1t will be impossible until the
harvest is well under way to make
anything like an accurate guess on