Newell reclamation news. [volume] (Newell, Butte County, S.D.) 1910-19??, 1917-02-15


and Man Power on the Farms Vital
Il Factors in Economic Crisis-Appeal
for Government Action.
Government action 2nsnrfng the
! farmers Of America ample supplies or
farm implements and competent farm
/ labor 5 virtually necessary to this
countrys future participation in the
war. declare the manufacturers of
farming tools and machinery in the
United States. This action must be i'm
medinte and radical. they say, or in
| 1918 the United States will fail to pro-
duce foodStuffs necessary to feed the
civil population of our allies and to
keep the allied armies in fighting trim.
This declaration is made in a public
statement by the National Implement
aud Vehicle Association, whose mem.
| oers manufacture most of the farming
| implements used in and exported from
the United States. It Is the Associa
| tons answer to an anxious inquiry
about reports of prospective nipple
ment shortage addressed to 1t in behalf
/
Ex-Governor w. d. Hoard OF Wiscon-
sin, one of the leaders of American ag-
riculture and publisher of Hoard's
| Dairyman. The statement, which Is
signed by Charles S. Birmingham,
Chairman of the Associations Execu-
tive Committee, says.
Unless prompt action is taken by
| fha nfry will ma a
the same MISTAKES that have result
ed in compelling our allies TO ap-
| peal to us to saw them from famine.
Unless we protect the production Of
abor-saving farm machinery and the
| supply of skilled arm labor we, too,
must soon fac a shrinkage of food
supplies.
Without such action as Is here Sug.
gested and urged the farmers OF
he United States will not have enough
machines or men in 1918 to meet the
demands upon them.
We are now confronted by shortages
of raw material and factory labor that
will begin TO be manifest In shortages
Of certain lines of farm machinery this
I
in many vital lines next year. Stocks
IN hand in important kinds of tools
and machines are smaller thao in nor
nal years, because of earlier scarcity
If factory labor and rapidly tighten
Ing scarcity of all raw materials.
Farmers have deferred during the
last three years the replacing of old
and badly worn tools and machines
Now. confronted by the practical GER
cainty that the war is to continue in
| definitely. with attendant assurance of
heavy demand and high prices for all
heir products. and by an inevitable
shortage of farm labor. they cannot pus
III longer requirements of worn our.
Machines and the additions to equip
and production.
at is also essential in meeting the
demand of the farmers for Implements:
hat there shall be preference in rraps'
oortatiOn for raw materiais 10 the fac
,OI-ies aud for finished goods from tb..
'actories 10 the farms.
"For the last ten years farm labo-
4 |
secure. and now with an enormous In
crease in the demand for labor in mt
uirions factories, and the withdrawn
of many young men from productive.
occupations. there is bound to be 3
shortage Of farm. labor such as thii
country has never known. In Kansas
alone vast number uf fertile acres OF
-,.I. fpt lad will He
idle this summer, chiefly fer lack OF
'abor AKA partly through lack of ma
hines to repiant to corn.
I'VE regard ii as vital TO keep on thu
tarns the men now there who know
Ethe business, especially the nlen
trained In the use of .abor-saying ma
| chinery. 1t would be wasteful and
foolish to let them go and afterward
cry to replace them with unskilled men,
eve seek no advantage for our in
| dustry over any other, but we realize
aud we want the public to realize thai
without this product and without sui
fcienr labor the farmers of the United
| States cannot increase or even main
tain their production OF foodstuffs next
gear. TO avert the calamity that snch
q condition will surely produce, our In
dustry and the farming industry which
It chiefly supports must be put npod
the same preferred basis as the makins
Of war munitions, even If Other less
yita, Industries suffer thereby for ma
terials and men.
these are the measures that we dc
-rare TO be vital to the feeding of thi!
/. cation and its allies next year:
Il. That the manufacture of farir
materials be given equal preference
with the manufacture OF war NUM-
lions as regards supplies Of necessar.
raw materials.
Il -. That service to the country Il
farm machinery factories be consid
cred Of equal Importance with servic'
- nunitlon making plants, Govern
Il ucsf 8 private.
&. Is. That labor on the farms be con
4 Adered as Il equal impcrtane< witt
Z fr.x--