Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-11-29
NEWsY GOSSIP FROM NATIONAL CAPITOL

WASHINGTON. Nov. u. Uncle
rama jim Wilson, the Secretary OF
Agriculture. has recently made ar
rangements to issue a bulletin on the
Supply Of Farm Labor, prepared I'M
der the direction of George X. Holmes
chief OF the Division of Production and
Distribution Of the Bureau of Statist.
les. The subject of the wages of farm
labor has been treated in another bull
letin heretofore Published. The ele.
ment Of agricultural labor in this
country, as in many other countries,
is relatively n diminishing one on ac-
count of the rapid increase of indust-
rialism. The testimony OF the sensus
of this country is that S3.1 per cent
of all persons reported as having gain
| full occupations We're EMPLOYED in ag-
riculture in 1870, to AL per cent in
| 1870, to 37.2 per cent in 1890, and to
| 35,3 per cent in 1900, or about one
| third of the persons having gainful
occupations. During the so years from
1920 to 1900, the agricultural fraction
| declined AIS per cent. During the
| same period the number OF persons
having gainful occupations in agricul-
ture increased from 2,0iS,65S in 1920
to 1929, Col, or five times.
Comparison is made with the for.
eisn countries for which information
is obtainable. The statistics Of those
countries combine the occupations Of
| agriculture, forest work, and fishing,
and for the purpose of the comparison
the same combination is made for the
! these three groups of occupations en-
ployed 35.9 per cent Of all persons hav-
United States. In this country in 1900
ing gainful occupations. In Germany
| the percentage was 35.2 for 1907; in
France. Ais per cent in 1901; in the
| Nethers aGs. 33.7 per cen in 1899; in
| England and Wales, s per cent in 1901,
! registering the extreme subordinati0n
Of agriculture to i~ndustrialism. The
percentage for Switzerland, for the
latest year for which it can be stated,
Co.; for the Indian Empire, 67.2; for
Italy, 59.4; and for Sweden, 49.S.
ii was reported in the census Of 1900
that 2,109,9 $50 negroes 10 years old and
owe had gainful agricultural occupa-
tons, and these negroes were 52.S per
cent OF all negroes in all galnful Occu-
pations The corresponding percent
age o fthe preceding census in 1890
was 55.5, SO that negroes as we'll as
| whites had drifted away from agri-
culture relative TO all gainful OcCupa-
tons II the entire number of all per-
sons having g&inful occupations be tax.
Ell into account, the agricultural ele-
ment in 1900 was 35.3 per cent: ii the
negroes are considered by themselves,
their agricultural element in 1900 was
52,S per cent.
The outdoor labor of women on
farms received attention as far back
as 1870. In that year g. per cent of
gainful agricultural occupations were
women and the percentage steadily in
creased to 9.5 in 1900.
The rapidity Of the agricultural de-
velopment OF this country owes a great
l.deal.to the immigrants who came here
to do hard work, live cheaply, and
| save out of -leir thrift. They began
as farm laborers, eventually bought
farms by giving mortgages to cur
a portion of the purchase money, and
subsequently paid off the mortgages.
1t is possible to discover no wlare
relatively the foreign-born element
was in the white agricultural laborers
in 1890 and 1900. The approaching ex-
haustion of the supply OF cheap public
land had caused a diminution of the
foreign-born element in white agricul-
! tural laborers by 1900. In that year
| the f%oreign.born white agricultural Ia
borers were S.51 per cent of all white
agricultural laborers, whereas the per
centase was 1910 in 1890.
Competition between agricultural
and other emp'oyments in determining
most everywhere in this country.
hence it is important to the success
of farming operations that depend on
hired labor, that they should produce
commodities whose prices are high
enough to sustain competitive wages
! en- the farm. 1t is demonstrated i'm
this bulletin that there is at least asso-
citation. if not the relationship Of cause
and effect, between high and low farm
| wage rates, respectively, and high and
low average value Of products per
worker. An examination Of the course
Of prices of farm products a. the farm
shows that farm wage rates have per-
sisted in an upward movement in spite
Of a downward price movement at
times, as well as during the periods
when the price movement was upward,
although not in as great a degree.
The average value of implements
and machinery per farm was $1Ul in
1880; it increased to $10S in 1890; in
1900 there was a marked increase to
$13l; and al enormous increase to
S199 in 1910. These increases were
l. ro& duo ro1o1u to an WI " cr1t