The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-10

only to 1914. but in the case OF farm
laborerA the purchasing power Of
wages per month In hiring by the
year and season Increased to 1l0.1:
tho purchasing power Of day rates OF
wages for harvest work increased 10
Ills. and of day rates for other than
harvest work to 1854. Nothwith-
standing the increase Of retail prices
OF food. the rates of wages of farm
labor have increased In degrees sur
fcient to make as new result a sub
stantial rate Of increase.
Wages OF Women.
The wages of women for domestic
labor on farms receives attention.
This subject was FIRST investigated in
1902. In hiring by the season, the
wage rates of the domestic labor of
women on the farm are higher than
in hiring by the year. The monthly
rate by the season was $9.71 in 1909;
s11.95 in 1906: and $12.02 in 1903.
The Western division of States has an
average rate far above the average for
the United States in 1903, namely
o. Id
lantic and North Central divisions
are a little above the national aver
age, while in the South Central d.
vision the average is ss.s2; and in the
South Atlantic division, ss.25. The
foregoing rates are with board.
When the domestic labor of wo-
men was employed by the day. the
day rate Of wages was GO cents in
1902. 76 cents in 1906, and II cents
in 1909.
The report declares that in farm
household matters the situation Ia
acute with regard to the supply OF
hired labor Country girls as well as
city girls seem to regard household
labor for hire as undesirable. Joined
with this fact is the other one that
the women Of the farmers family are
neither able or willing to repeat the
manual labor performances OF their
Erandmothers on the farm Besides
this, the farmers standard of living
has risen, certainly on the, medium
and better sort of farms In the North
and West; and In a perceptible de-
gree the women Of the farmers fam
lily have engaged in social functions
which are beginning to be incom-
patible with the performances or
household labor without the aid OF a
servant. The social obligations un-
dertaken by them are for the Grange,
the women's clubs the Macahees, the
woman's Christian Temperance, union,
the local church. the farmers clubs,
and list that might be much eN-
tended.
Oid-Time Industries Gone.
The time domestic industries are
all but forgotten. The women OF the
farm mako no more soap. candles, or
I've, and so on with a long list of do
nestle products of former days; 1t
Is rare that one OF the younger OF the
women knows know to knit Through
| out large areas tire pride of the house.
wife is great store OF preserves, dried,
| and picked fruits, berries, and vege-
tables exists chiefly in history. and
dependence Is placed mostly upon the
! local store for the products OF the
eannerv and the evaporation.
| 1t is protested that the frequently
published statement that farm life
has made the women Of the farm es-
pecially prone to insanity Is calun-
ny. There Is no statistical authority
/ for the assertion, aud the author of
this bulletin has endeavored for near
w a score of years to discover the
originator OF the fabrication, with In
dications that the irresponsible author
was for many years a popular writer
| on domestic subjects.