Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-07-31
THE HARVEST HAND PROBLEM.


for the farmer is just now occu-
plying the attention of the press and
the railroads and in fact the mer-
chants and all others dependent up
on the success of the farmer and
agriculture. During the earlier
years of the states development and
before the denuding of the pine for
ests of Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Michigan by the lumber barons,
there existed sort of migratory ar
rangement-an exchange of help, so
to speak. Vast numbers of men were
engaged in the lumber camps In the
winter and in the summer and fall
drifted out over the prairies Of the
northwest and formed the army of
harvest hands. With the disappear
ance of the pine tree, has come the
decreased demand for men Gin the
woods and with the great influx of
settlers and the increased acreage
of grain in the northwest has come
a corresponding increase in the de-
mand for harvest help. Thus the
labor problem has become serious
problem. Added to the complica-
tions incident to this evolution are
the restrictions on the railroad COM
panies in the way of giving special
or nominal and discriminating rates
to harvest hands.
The Grand Forks Herald, in dis
cussing the problem, suggests very
practical relief along economic lines.
We must discover some means Of
giving steady employment to labor
in this state. The Herald says:
"The problem of the hired man is
again with us for solution. The or
binary population Of North Dakota
is not sufficient to take care of its
crop. We do not know at this mo-
ment how many additional men are
needed during the harvest season,
but we must have good many.
There are few farmers who are able
to get along without some extra help.
Even where there are large families
of boys as rule land enough to
keep them busy all summer has been
acquired, and there is still the need
for more men during harvest. Har-
vest cannot wait. We are subject at
this season to the caprices of the
elements, and brief delay may
mean inestimable loss. The hired
man must be on the spot, and he
must be active and reliable. We
have to trust to the east to- send US
the sort Of help we need. Some
times we get it, and sometimes we
do not. The state needs a line Of
activities which will make more men
necessary in the winter months, and
if we had those conditions we would
be less dependent on transients for
the harvesting of our crops. The
one thing which. will bring this about
is. the diversif1cation of our farming
industry More stock must be kept,
more dairying must be DONE These
things will give the hired man a job
all winter, and he can afford to stay
with us. This will work out in sew
eral ways. 1t will give winter en-
ployment to labor. 1t will lessen the
proportion, of our land cropped with
grain each year, and thus will tend
to. diminish the rush demand for
labor in the fall. 1t will get all the
d. land into better condition, as it will
make possible an intelligent rota-
ton. II will increase the grain
yield ION the cropped land. hence it
will diminish the cost OF production
per bushel. 1t will increase very
materially the aggregate income, of
every farm, which means the enrich
mentsof the state.