The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-14
SIMPLE TALE OF
A FARM WORKER
Dan Jones, Who Left the Fields
to Toll In a Factory.
SHORT ANIMAL OF THE POOR

What Man With Imagination Read In
Bulletin of the United States De-
partment of Labor-High Cost of
Living Quenohed the Ambition of a
Brave Spirit.
With Disguised smile, John Smith
laid down the Monthly Review of the
bureau of labor statistics of the United
States department Of labor. why does
the government get out these senseless
I publications." he said. Here are pages
OF mussy figures that mean nothing
| think will write the department Of
| labor to take my name off their list.
This stuff is not worth mailing.' Uncle
Charlie picked up the offending periodi-
cal and looked at the article "John,"
said he after moment, this is really
| interesting" I'm from Missouri"
snorted the practical man. SHOW me
something's "All right, John. Listen
to one story 1 see in these tables:
"a husky farm laborer, Dan Jones,
worked from early dawn to plumb
dark for Farmer johnson on q fine
place in Ohio. Dan thought he earned
more than johnson paid-being human.
Besides, being an average man any
way, Dan was getting--this was in
1915-only $3.50 a month in real
money, besides board Like any other
human creature. Dan did not realize
. what the board was worth. But he
could remember that his pay had risen
only $3.50 month since 1910.
1.-THE Weekly Banner reported big
demand for workers in the new auto
mobile plant in the city. So Dan quit
one Saturday night, and Monday found
him in the line Of applicants at the
factory door. And Dan wasn't the only
country boy there Sixteen out of ev-
cry hundred farm laborers did as Dan
lid this year, john" said Uncle Char
lie, interrupting himself. That's bad,
Charlie. VIII the farmers be able to
plant as much ground with so many
leaving?" I'm afraid not, John. The
reports indicate per cent less cultiva-
ton this year. But let me go on with
my Interpretation Of this table Dan
took his sister with him to the city,
and another country boy welt along.
Della got job in cotton SAanufac-
turing plant, and San. zoe
factory, They took those jobs Because
they could soon learn the work, while
Dan, being ambitious and having q
turn for machinery, stuck to his plan
and was hired by the automobile com
pany. That was year ago. Now
Dan, Della and Sam are city people
They are pale and not so strong. Their
evenings are filled with amusements-
movies, walks in the bright lights,
visits with other young workers, some
times bit Of beer or some other relax
alton. Even ambitious Dan has lost
his first determination to work for the
future. The spirit Of resignation of the
poor is eating their vitality. And here
are some of their experiences written
in this report:
Della is one among 53,242 who wer4
working February last. The payroll is
bigger than when she started in. The
average was SO week then, it is $10.7C
now.
"Sam gets little more pay now
$14.37 against $1299 a year ago.
dan gets $21.72 week. and year
ago 1t was $19.31. There are l11,971
in those factories now. where 93,555
worked a year ago.
but how much better off are Dan.
Della and Sam really?
'"The factories pay more to their
workers; the pay roll increase runs
from 10 to 80 per cent. More workers
are busy, as many as one in FIVE more
in some kinds of industry, and man,
of them come from the farm, whick
works to reduce the supply of food for
US all and to increase the cost Of our
living. And listen to Della. Dam she
Is saying, i think we had better stayed
on the farm. You get the biggest pay
of the three Of us, almost 500 a month
Your pay would be only $3.50 on the
farm, but look what it costs us to eat.
A five dollar bill just melts down when
1t meets the grocery man. Back home
you got your meals with the job. and
so did Sam and |. None Of us are as
well off. Dan, let's go home.
But Dan won't CO.
Now. John. look at those tables.
again.
Boots and shoes: Eighty-fve estab
lishments were asked for reports; six
ty-eight replied. They pay every week
Fifty-six thousand four hundred and
ninety-nine worked for them In Febru-
airy, 1916; G0226 In February, 1917
That means that &c per cent more
were working in 1917 than in 1916. and
the pay roll figures show that II costs
is per cent more to pay them In other
words, this table shows the rising cost
of labor in the industries reporting and
the increasing number of workers en-
ployed in the industries that have re-.
ported. Pay rolls rose everywhere
37.8 per cent in iron and steel, $3.50 per
cent in automobiles, 29S per cent In
leather working, 1915 per cent In paper
making. In each of these trades thou
sands OF Dams and Delias and Sans