Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1917-05-31
WILL HELP SOLVE
FARM LABOR PROB
Washington Sends Assistant
to Aid Solution of War
Food Problem.

To assist and cooperate with the
Efficiency Committee of North Da-
kota in the work of this state to
help win the war, a representative
of the office of Farm Management
from the Department of Agriculture
Washington, D. c., R. J. Leth, has
arrived at jamestown from Wash
ington. Mr.. Leth has been desig-
mated by the Department of Agricul-
ture especially to work along the
lines of the farm labor problems and
increasing agricultural production in
this state. His designation by the
department comes as the result of
correspondence and solicitation done
by Oscar J. Seller of this city who is
secretary of the North Dakota Effici-
ency Commission, and who has been
in conference with Secretary D. F..
Houston, the National Council of
Defense, the Patriotic Agricultural
Service Committee of New York, and
Governor Lynn J. Frazier of North
Dakota.
Mr.. Leth will, it is hoped, make
his headquarters at jamestown. 1t
is intended to canvass the state,
compiling data as to the permanent
help each farmer already has, and
what will be his requirements to
complete the planting, but especially
later the harvesting and threshing
of the crops. The efficiency commits
sion of North Dakota intends to CO.
operate directly with the national
government, following out the plans
laid down at Washington and car
ried out to suit the particular con-
ditions of North Dakota. The desig-
nation of Mr.. Leth to North Dakota
comes directly from the statement
to the government by Secy. Seller
that lone of the great needs in this
state is an assurance that the farm
ers will be provided with sufficient
labor to harvest and secure their
crops. For this purpose" he adds.
"the commission believes that it
would be advisable to form some
kind of central labor clearing
house under the management Of the
commission, the various county and
townships committees cooperating,
to find out where and when the la
Dor is needed and the central office
to work with outside agencies and
the railroads to bring in the labor
needed and to deliver the laborers to
those who are in need of them"
The chief of the Farm Manage
ment Office, Washington, states that
the plan of the North Dakota Efici-
ency Commission is "just. what they
were going to recommend" and
urges that the commission proceed
at once in completing the organiza-
tion.
A survey of North Dakota will be
made by the Commission, together
with Mr.. Leth, whose salary and ex-
penses are betrayed by the Depart
ment of Agriculture as to the acre
age of crops planted, amount of seed
and feed on hand, what permanent.
help the farmer has, and what addi-
tional help is needed and the best
method, of solving the farm labor
problem. In New York state such a
survey was made and completed in
two days and within two weeks the
material was all in hand and tabu-
lated for the whole state. This CEN
sus, taken thru various organiza-
tions, but particularly thru the
school teachers and children of New
York, was one of the most remark
able pieces of work ever known.
The work done thru Bureau of
Educational Experiment." of New
York was handled by patriotic ag-
ricultural service committee which
has sent the North Daokta commit
tee samples of the blanks used in
the survey giving considerable valu-
able information to the North Dako-
ia committee.
CITY TEST WE'LL.