The Washington times., 1915-03-25
"Sape Crops" Worlds
Dominating Cry Today
Never Before Has Labor Load Been So Sharp as 1t
Will Be at Harvest Time-Task of Gathering the
Crops Next in Importance to That of
Providing Men for Battles.
Bv JUDSON c. WELLIVER.

numbers that every country can press
into service at that time. The crops will
be of only less Importance than the bat"
ties, and to get the harvests of death
will be the task of the
organizers OF social and Industrial con-
Germs.
The Department OF Labor is under
taking to get the railroads. the farm
ers, the press. the employers and the
workers, TO cooperate in handling the
situation in this country. In recent
years harvest-time business Of NOV
ing the farm labor supply has been
pretty we'll orgasized. An army OF men
start with the opening of the harvest
season in Texas. and even in northern
Mexico. and follow northward as the
season advances. They push through
Texas. Oklahoma, kansas. Missouri, Ne
Dakotas. even into Canada: the great
est international army of industry that
the world ever saw: a migration of
peace and industry that might be COM
pared to some of the great racial move
ments Of the olden world that marked
epochs in history.
Canada Needs Y. S. Labor.
This year their numbers must be
greater than ever before. because the
number of acres to be garnered will be
without precedent, and the value of the
product will be greater than ever be-
fore. Last autumn there was about
100000 increase in the number of acres
of winter wheat planted; there will
probably be a still greater increase in
the spring wheat acreage, because the
prices have advanced startlingly since
the winter wheat was put into the
ground. Canada has sent a vast number
of men away to the war, and will send
tens Of thousands more before harvest
hn u
therefore. will be more dependent in
1915 than ever in the past on the sur
plus labor of the United States.
Realization of the gravity of this
the great problem that is presented.
There has lately been serious discussion
of the effort to secure very much re-
duced rates and special facilities, by
rail. for transportation of the army of
harvest workers. Even at the high
wages that can be commanded in the
Western fields for a short time at the
height of the season. the worker has
little left at the end of the season If
he Is compelled to pay railroad fares
over several long jumps from one iso-
| therm TO another of the grain belt. The
| railroads get large share of the wage.
1t rs being suggested that they could
far better sacrifice a substantial part
| freightage of the crop that can only be
saved by supplying plenty of harvest
| labor.
Lessons Being Learned.
The problem of 1915 is expected tc
teach some lessons of organization anC
coordination that will not be forgotten
in the future. when other years OF
peace shall still demand special atten,
tion to saving the crops to feed the
| world. The war is teaching many
things about conservation of the re,
sources of the producing world; anG
| among these are some that will con-
tinue to benefit men after peace is re-
| stored
| The effort to provide harvesting labol
when and where it is needed will con
| front every nation on earth this yeal
| with an acuteness never before known
! and lessons learned in one country are
| going to be watched with sharp in
| terest in other lands. Australia, aftel
| sending armies away to Europe, t
Africa. to the islands of the Pacific
is yet getting ready to turn out rec
! ord-breaking grain crop next winter
and its radical admins tration Is promis
ing some wonderful innovations in tht
sOcialization of the labor service OF tht
| whole nation. Labor has always beer
! scarce In Australia never so scarce a.
now,