Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1915-02-05
The Farmers Payroll and How He
Meets II.

The annual payroll of agriculture
approximates $12,000,000, 000 A por-
ton of the amount is shifted to for
eign countries in exports, but the
total payroll Of industries working for
the farmer divides substantially as
follows: Railroads, s1,252 900, 900;
manufacturers, s4,365 100000; mining,
$685., 100000; banks, 100000, 600:
mercantile $3,500,000, 900, and a heavy
miscellaneous payroll constitutes the
remainder s..xz
1t takes the corn crop, the most
valuable IN agriculture, which sold
last yearfor $1,692 900 900, to pay off
the employees of the railroads; the
money derived from our annual sales
of livest :; of approximately $4,000
100000, the yearly cotton crop, valued
at $4,000, 00o; the wheat crop,
which is worth 500, 100000, and the
oat crop, that is worth $4,000, 900.
are required to meet the annual pay
roll of the manufacturers. The
money derived from the remaining
staple crops is used in meeting the
payroll of the bankers, merchants.
etc. After these. obligations are paid,
the farmer has only few punches of
vegetables, some fruit and poultry
which he can sell and call the pro-
ceeds his own.
When the farmer pays off his help
he has very little left and to meet
these tremendous payrolls. he has.
been forced to mortgage homes, work
women in the field and increase the
hours of his labor. We are, there
fore, compelled to call upon all in
dustries dependent upon the farmers
for subsistence to retrench in their
expenditures and to cut off all un-
necessary expenses. This course is
absolutely necessary in order to avoid
a reduction in wages, and we want,
If possible, to retain the present wage
scale paid railroad and all other in
dustrial employees.
We will devote this article to a
discussion of unnecessary expenses
and whether required by law or per-
concerns, is wholly immaterial We
want all waste labor and extrava.
gance. of whatever character, cut out
We will mention the full crew bill as
illustrating the character of unneces,
sary expenses to which we refer.
Union Opposes Full Crew" Bill.
The Texas Farmers Union regis
tered its opposition to this character
OF legislation at the last annual meet
ing held in Fort Worth, Tex, August
4, 1914. by resolution, which we quote
as follows:
The matter Of prime Importance
to the farmers Of this state is an ade
quate and efficient marketing system;
and we recognize that such a system
is impossible without adequate rail
road facilities, embracing the greatest
amount of service at the least pos
sible cost. We further recognize that
the farmers and producers in the enc
pay approximately s5 per cent of the
expenses of operating the railroads
and it is therefore to the interest Of
the producers that the expenses OF
the common carriers be as small al
is possible, consistent with good ser
vice and safety. We, therefore, cal
upon our lawmakers, courts ant
l5uries to bear the foregoing facts il
mind when dealing with the common
carriers Of this state, and we do espe
icially reaffirm the declarations o.
the last annual convention of ouI
State Union, opposing the passage
the so-called full-crew' bill before
1.-THE thirty-third legislature of Texas"
: The farmers of Missouri in the last
election, by an overwhelming ma
jority, swept this law OF the statute
hook of that state, and it should
come OF of all statute books where
IL appears and no legislature of this
nation should pass such . law OF
simil1Y Regulation which requires I'M
inece6safy expenditures.
Ihe same rule obp1jea . n roeu-
llatoe1 measures v1iek 16Geupo ~.
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