Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-06
EASTERN SHORE FARMERS
PRESENT THEIR SIDE
DIR. Holland, Of Eastville, Tells Why
Scout Movement Was
Failure.
DENIES ALL DISCRIMINATION
Many Of Boys Too Small, Commissary
Arrangements Inadequate, Discip-
line In Camps Not Sufficient and
Cots Late in Arriving.

| plOH ,ouulS, yesterday
the following statement giving the
farmers side OF the potato digging
fasco in which Boy Scouts from Rich
mond and other cities figured:
There has been so much written about
the Boy Scout tiaSco on the Eastern
Shore that feel 1t is but fair that the
farmers side of the question be heard.
When those In command OF the Scout
organization of the State offered the
services of these boys to help harvest
our potato crop. in view of the scarcity
of labor. eagerly sought to. avail
ourselves of their aid The farmers OF
this county raised fund of Sl40o TO
equip camps for their accommoda ton.
The county school authorities turned
over the high school buildings to be
used as places of encampmcnt. These
were provided with cots and the neccs-
sary cooking utensils These camps
were put in sanitary condition under
the direction of sanitary expert. DIR.
w. a. Brumfeld. of the State Health
Department Of Richmond.
The farmers hailed with delight the
prospect of this aid. The boys came on
| .ighth-juSt Il wcck-thcy were ordered
home. Now for the cause of The failure
OF this enterprise. There may be three
| chief causes assigned
MAJORITY TOO SMALL
FOR THAT KIND OF WORK
First the majority of tho boys were
under age for this kind Of work When
arrangements for their coming were
being made. our farmers in mass meet
Ing adopted the following resolution:
| Resolved. that the Scout authorities be
requested to bring down no boys under
fifteen years Of age" This resolution,
was transmitted to the proper author
ity by the writer, accom- panied by n let
ter urging strict adherence to same.
The farmers knew better than any one
else the kind Of labor needed for this
work. Notwithstanding this. the reso-
luton was ignored. and one can imagine
[ our surprise and chagrin when the
! boys arrived to find more than half oS
them under this age. and many Of them
not over twelve or thirteen. This made
, more than half of the camp entirely in
| efficient. The small hoys whe were un-
! able 10 work soon became dissatisfied
and homesick. ard began telegraph-
| ing home for money to return. AN OF
this threw An extra burden upon the
| campmasters and created more or less
disorder and confusion at the camps
! Inc order for cots was placed ten dave
| before the expected date Of the boys
| arrival However. part OF them were
| delayed in transit. and when the boys
arrived only three camps were equipped
| in this respect The other cots arrived
| Wednesday. after the boys had been
here several days-but three days prior
to their departure
COMNtISSARY ARRANGEMENTS
PROVED INADEQUATE
Secondly. the commissary arrange
ments for provisioning the camps were
| inadequate. and did not get to running
| smoothly until the boys had been here
| nearly or quite a week. In fact il
seems that 1t was just getting in rum
| ming shape when the order came 10
break camp. All of this was under the
management of the Scout autho: tiles
and was part with which the farmers
| had absolutely nothing TO do. IT would
be but fair to state that the cause of
! thir trouble was due chiefly to the
hardness in the shipment OF supplies
from the cities. chiefly Norfolk and
Richmond. But whatever may have
been the cause OF this trouble. The
fact remains that these little fellows
were not properly rationeJ for the first
part of thei- stay. and this did not con-
tribute very much to their working
! spirit.
Thirdly, while the individual camps
were presided over by most excellent
young men. yet At the camps which
came under the observation Of the
writer, they seemed unable 10 maintain
| that kind of discipline necessary for
! Inc success of project Of this kind
These boys were. without exception
| SO far as | have been able to learn
genteel and we'll behaved: yet they
were high-spirited boys and bent on
good time. Consequently their hours
OF sleep. instead Of conforming to the
nine hours recommended by State
Health Commissioner e. G. Williams.
fell several hours short Of this. AS a
result when they were called at 1890
o'clock in the morning to get break
fast. preparatory to going to the fields
! they felt much more like taking
morning nap than they did like work.
No doubt If the larger boys had been
tod -
have gotten we'll into the work this rest
problem would autom tically have reg
ulated itself. as a tired boy Is usually
glad to retire early. and they thus could
have gotten their nine hours
CHARACTER OF WORN
NEW TO TlTF; BOYS
There has been much written about
the boys not making wages. IT would
have been surprising had it been other
wise right at first. Tne WORK was en-
ttrely new to them: many of them no
doubt, had never seen potatoes har-
vested before; thei- muscles were soft
and they could not expect to keen up
with one seasoned to this kind of work.
From twenty to thirty barrels a day
is about what is expected of n good
man: for which we pay Is cents Der
barrel. making the daily wage from
SO to $3.50. have laborers IN my field
making these wages. Had the larger
boys remained on the Job a week longer
and learned the short cuts and how
to take advantage of the work. I have
no doubt they. too. would have been
making these wages.
The established price of this work
In the past has been 10 cents per barrel
This season we ara paying Is cents or
an increase in wages of SO per cent
How many factories or corporations in
this country are doing more?
The statement has been made that
the boys were Disseminated against:
that negroes have been paid more for
the same work than was paid to the
boys. ] wish to braid this AS abso-
lutely false. The boys no doubt heard
OF some farmers paying az high as %
cents barrel. This has been done In
quite number Of cases but II Is only
the farmer who has ii very poor crop
| that hLc to co this. ana the lctorer
who picks POTATOES In tnesa fields ut
30 cents In many cases does not make
II much a the u,b,