Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-27
FARMERS BEG
|: FOR MORELABOR
MANY of Them Are Seriously
Handicapped by Prevail
r. ing Conditions

Thirty per cent of the farmers of
Pennsylvania are unable to secure
the male farm help that they desire
and need, according to a statement
made to-day by Secretary of Agri-
Iculture Charles E. Patton, who dwelt
upon the great necessity of concen-
.trated action in every county of the
State to help bring about the max
,imum production from the fertile
acres of the farm land of the Com
-monwealth.
Secretary Patton said: '"The call
for help and the organization of
AGRICULTURAL units in every township
of every county of the State has not
been taken seriously enough by the
.busin nessmen and citizens, but / am
not exaggerating when I say that
thirty per cent of the farmers or a
total of $500 farmers are unable
TO secure the male farm help they
idesire and need. Such figures should
impress every man, woman and child
lof the State that the problem of Sc
curing organized help to bring about
= full production of crops from our
farms is one of the most serious that
iconfronts us in this emergency"
The Department of Agriculture
has Just completed a survey of the
Commonwealth of the needs of the
farmers in every county in the way
lof farm help and the reports from
lover 500 township reporters indicate
Ia shortage of thirty per cent. of help
on the farms. The counties which
have large cities surrounding the
agricultural districts show the most
urgent need for help as the indus
tries have drained from the ranks
tof the men who once performed
duties on the farms and have left
the farmers, in some cases, with so
little help that even the normal
amount of planting and sowing can
not be accomplished. Tenant farms
have been offered the Department of
Agriculture on the shares basis, if
lonly the help is supplied to operate
them and some farmers in despera-
ltion have given up all hope of tilling
their soil this year.
In Allegheny county fifty-four per
cent of the farmers are in need of
male farm help or a total of $3.50
farmers cannot bring about max
imum production on account of the
lack of labor. In Lancaster county
one-fourth or 2,710 farmers are in
need of help while in Montgomery
thirty-five per cent or 1908 farmers
need help. In Berks county 2,224
farmers need help, in Bucks, 2,40S;
Chester, 1,SI0; Delaware, 10;
Franklin, 1860; Lehigh, $50; Ly-
coming, 922: SchuyIkill, 900; Wash
ington, 1920: York, 1850. and other
counties in comparison with the
number of farms they contain.
Secretary Patton appeals to every
patriotic citizen and businessmen to
Immediately lend his efforts to the
local members of the Committee on
Public Safety to help with the agri-
cultural survey of each county and
to then form township units and
companies of helpers who are willing
to spend some time on the farms to
help along the much needed food
supply movement. The farmers are
willing to pay for the help and it is
the duty of the citizens of each
county in this hour of emergency
to aid in whatever way they can.
Volunteer labor, schol organiza-
tions, store and factory organizations
and all interests are called upon to
help as only concerted campaigns
in each community will bring about
a maximum production of the grains
so much needed in time Of war. Sec
retary Patton urges that this con-
centration be directed to getting the
full results from the fertile and al
ready cultivated lands in each COM
hIdilllS anu SN65GSNS NhoS NoAtCoo
organizations take over one section
of a township with pledge to see
that the farmers in that community
are supplied with ample labor.
The farmers of Pennsylvania are
paying an average of s193 a year for
farm labor that is employed for
only a short season and this small
payment represents a total of s42,-
267,000 which would be greatly aug
mented if the farmers could only OBJ
tain all the help they need.