The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-09
PREPARES
FOR CROP RAISING
Children Taken From School
To Aid the Women In
the Work.
1Rv Associated Press

VENICE, April 9.-Next to war.
Austria-Hungary is devoting her great
est energies to agriculture. "If We
can only obtain sufficient labor" says
the government, "the next harvest is
secured" Consequently possible is
now being done to provide for the
spring work on the land. Tens OF
thousands of boys and girls have been
released from attendance at school;
married women and girls T being
pressed into service, and adult male
workers are as eagerly sought after
as are recruits for the armies in the
field.
BY a special decree the Austrian
ministry OF education has directed
that in the country districts all chill
dren in the three higher grades, that
is, o twelve thirteen and fourteen
years of age, are to be excused from
school in order that they may work in
the fields or at home. The school au-
thorities are instructed to organize
this child labor in a systematic man.
ner, SO that the best results may be
obtained by employing them In dis
tricts where help Is most needed They
will be formed into groups in a sort
of military manner, the elder boys
acting as under-officers. 1t is thought
that this will encourage the children
in working, besides inspiring them
with patriotic sentiments.
Practically all country children have
been brought up to work on the land.
and there are endless ways in which
they can be useful, from picking cater
pillars of the fruit-trees to guiding a
plow and a yoke Of oxen. Farmers
declare that the modern pillow Is so
lightly built that a sturdy boy OF
twelve years can quite easily work
1t. Then as to the girls, the little
ones can 1ook after the babies at home
while the bigger ones cook and iron
and carry meals to the workers in the
field.
So many peasants have been called
to the army h a there is very little
adult male labor left in the rural dis
tricts. And the few men who are
there show no great inclination to go
to work, and SO far have steadily re-
fused to enter into the usual contracts
for harvest work. hoping by waiting
to get considerably higher wages. The
land owner are furious an dthreaten
that the government will compel them
to work when the time comes. And
as a matter o fact the state has al
force able-bodied men of all classes
to work in the fields in case of neces.
sity, for wages at the current rate in
the district.
In addition to securing all the labor
possible, the government is doing its
best to encourage the use of machin-
cry on the farms. The ministry of
agriculture has already agreed to sub
sidize seed.sowing machines with a
grant OF twenty dollars each, and will
do the same with harvesting machin-
cry when the crops are ready.
The field work OF last fall Is said Is
have been satisfactorily prformed and
now It is hoped that by all these ex-
pedients the problem of the spring
work will also be solved, so that in
the end the next harvest will not fall
below the average.
From the official reports of the
Vienna markets, It apears, that many
OF the most important articles Of daily
food have more than doubled In price
since the outbreak OF the war, seven
months age. Flour now costs eight
cents a pound, and dried peas eleven
cents. with four cents last July. Split
peas cost fifteen cents. Lard costs
forty cents q pound. which is exactly