The Washington herald., 1914-06-14
WEST CRIES FOR
HARVEST HANDS
Wheat Crop Of 8OO.O 900. 900
!, Bushels Requires Help Of
$4,000 Men.
U. S. ROUNDING THEM UP
To. 7. v. Poverty. Department Of La
Dor. Falls Herculean Task of
Gathering Force Together.
IL. S. ROUNDING THEM UP

bushels almost ready for harvest In the
United States this year, the farmers of
Missouri. Minnesota, Montana, Okla
homa, and other middle Far Western
States are clamorjng for 5000 harvest
hands to bring home this great harvest
One of the first things the wheat farm
ers Of the West did. after learning Of the
tremendous quantity of wheat which will
be produced during the coming summer,
was 10 turn to the Federal Department
Of LaNor for assistance in gathering
hands. Already the department has post
ed notices. offering jobs to harvest hands,
In all the first. second, and third class
postoffices of the country.
T. v. Powderly. chief Of the division
of information. Is the man who has been
selected by Secretary Wilson. of the De-
partpfnt of Labor. to handle this great
problem for the wheat farmers OF the
country. 1t Is Mr.. Powderly's task to
gather together nearly 10000 men. who
Of the West and earn from $50 to 50 per
day, for a period ranging from sixty, to
ninety days
Mr.. Powderly. as chief of the informa-
ton bureau. of the Department Of Labor.
was not at all ratified when he received
this Gargantuan order from his chief.
Mr.. Powderly has been gathering to-
gether armies OF wheat hands for a num-
ber of years. and he knew just about the
best ways of accomplishing his task
Year after year, college students all
over the country, play an important
part in the harvesting of the national
wheat crop. These college men usually
finish their school year shortly before
the harvesting of the wheat begins
and from the student ranks of the
country Is annually recruited the ma
jor portion of the harvest hands of the
West.
Appeal to Colleges.
Mr.. Powderly ordered his assistants
TO send a letter to the president of
every faculty of every college through
the Central and Eastern portion of the
country, announcing the location. time.
pay and general conditions of harvest
jobs in the wheat belt of the United
States. The men. leaving their schools
and colleges at the close of the year.
nearly always find themselves without
summer work and the wheat harvest
is their most golden opportunity.
When the wheat farmers of the
country wrote to the department ask
ing help. they were asked to furnish
data pertaining to the location of their
farms, the general conditions under
which the men would be required to
road fare from the nearest large city
and the length of time the employ
ment would last.
This data was gladly furnished by
the farmers. who find themselves an
nually confronted with the prospect of
hundreds of dollars of loss unless they
can harvest their wheat crops at the
proper time. The Western wheat farm
er is not a farmer at all-he is some
harnn-anh
wages of from $3.50 TO So a day he
offers are always offered. exclusive
of the board and sleeping accommoda-
tions given to the men.
The wheat men are faced by a greater
problem this year than they have faced
for a long time. The winter and spring
in the West has been particular fine for
wheat, and the latest figures of the De-
partment of Agriculture on the amount
Of the 1914 wheat runs close to a bill
lion bushels. his wheat, particularly in
the Middle Western States must be har-
vested at the time 1t ripens, or mold will
spoil thousands of bushels and a sudden
rain or hail storm will spoil thousands
more. In this section of the country
the wheat is harvested by scores of
ordinary binders. dropped behind the ma
chimes in sheaves, which must be gath
cred and shocked" to preserve the
gram from water.
How the job L. Done.
In the Sacramento Valley of Califor-
mia. and other parts of the far West.
where a rainy and dry season of the
year obtains, the farmers do not need to
exercise such great care. Here are used
the great headers" which are drawn
by traction engines or by horses and
mules. The headers" are machines
rha
head of grain. thresh II. sack il. and
dump 1t upon the field in bags, in one
continuous operation. Here the demand
for harvest hands Is not so urgent but
the header cannot be used in parts of
the country where a summer hainfall
would mold and rot the bags of wheat. |
II has been said that harvest hands
from the cities. who are employed at
other lines of work. except during the
summer layof, do not make good hands !
in the Western harvest fields, because
the unusual labor and the heat of the
sun proves too much for them. Chief
Powderly, of the Department of Labor, |
says this is largely untNue. In gather !
ing hands for the farmers. the Depart |
ment seeks to avoid the employment of the
mission or boomer variety of labor, |
which is usually not up TO standard. !
The city laborer who finds himself out
of work during the summer months well |
comes the prospect of a 90-day job in
the West. where. after the wheat crop |
Is over. work Is usually found for the
capable and energetic worker. at other |
pursuits about the great farms.
One OF the most serious sandicaps !
under which the Department of Labor is |
obliged to work In gathering together |
these laborers. in the inability of the |
Interstate Commerce Commission, to !
allow the railroads of the Middle West |
to lower passengers rates for harvest |
hands going into and coming from the
great wheat belt 1t is said that a re-
duction of passenger rates in this regard !
would greatly reduce the difficulty Of OBJ |
tanning suitable help.
Another handicap is the inability Of the |
department. under the law. to guarantee |
to the laborer, his railroad fare to and |
from his place of employment. This mat |
ter, II Is said, eventually will be brought |
to the attention Of Congress and a pro- |
vision made for the transportation of !
these men, the government afterward be- |
ing reimbursed by the wheat farmers |
who substracts the cost of the laborer's |
TRANSFORMATION from his salary.
In Germany, where the government |
supplies transportation to the laborer in |
Similar cases, It has been found that
only one-eighth Of per cent Is lost by |
the government through the failure of
laborers to honestly fulfill their part Of |
the obligation.
.the millionaire hobo" wants Congress |
N,.N as.-l, u.