The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-06-21
LABOR MARKET.
IN THIS COUNTY
Hardly Satisfactory to the Ranch
ers and Not Inspiring to
the Wage Farmers
GOOD MEN HOWEVER ARE
NOT REMAINING IDLE
Rancher Says That the Trouble
With Most of the Workers Who
Are Drifting Through Is That
They Lack Initiative

With haying operations in progress
in various parts of the Yakima val
ley the labor situation is such that
there is little protest one way or the
other. Men are plentiful and work
is not It is possible for an active
man who is really seeking employ
ment to get it; at least such is the
statement of those who study the
labor situation. The number of men
seeking work has not been as large
here this year as in previous seasons
and one reason for this is that the
heavy work which was in progress in
the Tieton. in the Milwaukee con-
struction work and in various other
projects in previous years has about
been accomplished and the crews en-
gagged are smaller There is big work
going on In the Ralouse country,
which Is taking men, and there is
more of disposition on the part
OF the laborer to hold their post
tons
Views of an Agent
"The situation here" said c. T.. Red.
ford, has been saved by number OF
fine young fellows who have come
out from the east. They are clean,
alert boys. BILE and wiling to take
hand at anything until something bet
ter shows up and they have not hest
tated. There are a number of men,
Of course, who. do not propose to
work. They have All impression that
they control the labor market and
they refuse to turn hand until the
wages and conditions are to their lik-
Ing. I offered some of these employ
ment today and they turned it down
saying those fellows VIII raise the
price another two bits or so a day il
we hold off for week or two That
is their point of view hut later on
things will be worse for them
Hard on the Hobors
These poor hoboes and dubs whom
the police are running in" said an
other citizen. should have their op-
nortunity now if they are ever TO have
1t. They are down and OUT and if the
city keeps them on the chain gang
at the only time of the year when
work Is likely to rise no and hit
them they will always ne down and
out | think they should he turned
loose. given 50 much time to get
away from the city limits and arrest
ed if they came back They are en-
titled to a crack at the open air and
the hayin9 or other harvest work and
to get such money as is necessary
to carry them south in the fall The
ranche-s are entitled to their work, if
they will give it |, for one, would
he glad to see them sent out to the
fields rather than tn the cells
There certainly is not large
lot of money being paid out for the
haying operations said an employ
ment agent who had been looking in
to the situation. 81 know he said
of one man who is paying ninety
cents a day and board for his crew
and the wages are running from that
as high as a dollar and d quarter. 7
am told that a Seattle agency has Of
fered to furnish all the men needed
for the Kaches work at s1.15 per
dav. ! do not know that such is a
true statement hut it is being told
about"
Better Men Arc Needed
The trouble with the labor situa-
ton" said a lower valley rancher lis
to get men who can think indcpend-
emily. The bulk of them can't even
do what they are told to do n u
man gets foreman who is capable
straightWay he loses him again for
such man insists on working for
himself and he starts his own es
tablishment If rancher leaves a
crew at work and stays away for Il
day he finds upon his return that
they are sitting about waiting new
Instructions. Good men can get and
can hold their situations"