The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-02

problem. The work of organization al
| ready has been started in about 40
states, and it is expected that eventually
every community in the United States
will be reached 1t is believed that the
resultant utilization of emergency la
Dor will begin to have an appreciable
effect on the farm labor situation before
the season has far advanced Mean
while the immediate and acute problem
of supplying labor for the harvests, now
beginning in the southwest, is being
handled, so far as the United States
governments service are concerned,
through the existing employment serv-
ice of the U. S. department of labor,
which will continue to handle such prob
lens of mass mobilization under the new
plan as it has in the past
Federal and State Cooperation.
The plan is based on close cooperation
on the part of the Z. s. department OF
agriculture and the u. S. department
of labor with state committees on ma.
tional defense charged with labor mat
tiers, with the state agricultural col
leges, with the county agents, and with
county and local or township labor com
mittees or representatives to be estab-
lished in every locality. The department
of agriculture will represent the federal
authorities in determining farm labor
needs and in assisting in organizing all
available farm labor in the rural dis
tricts. The U. S. department of labor
will devote its attention to organizing
labor in urban communities and indus
trial regions, and will cooperate with
the farm labor forces where necessary
by obtaining extra labor from the pop
ulous centers.
The plan provides for strictly local
of all labor problems that can
be adjusted locally. The fundamental
unit of the organization is the com.
munity man" who, with the assistance
Of such committees as he may appoint,
his own neighborhood, finds
out what farmers need help, and what
men are available for supplying the To-
al need, and effects such adjustments
rs can be made locally If, after all To-
al adjustments have been made, there
'emains either a deficit or surplus of
abor, he reports to the County man."
whose business it is to effect adjust
nents between the several communities
n his county. The county man, in turn,
eports any deficit or surplus to the
state man." who canvasses the situa-
ion for the state as whole and re-
'orts to the department of agriculture,
which, in close cooperation with the de-
artment of labor, is charged with the
of mobile labor for the
ountry as a whole.
Thus each unit in the system acts as
clearing house for its own territory,
eporting to the units higher up only
Yhen it needs help or has help to offer.
he plan provides that supplemental
eports shall be submitted by each COM
lunity man whenever changes in the
zeal labor situation make desirable fur
her adjustments that can not be met
18th the material at hand, or when
lrplus of labor develops which can not
e used.
A great many retired farmers, Of
HON there are 100000 in the country,
lay be available for emergency serv-
e under this plan of farm Tabor mo-
ilization. The plans contemplate also
ne drawing of emergency labor from
ne cities under the immediate direc-
on of the department of labor, the eff
,ctive utilization of college students and
,hool boys, and, if necessary, the as
gnment of volunteer women and girls
, rural tasks connected particularly
18th feeding and caring for harvest
ands or other extra labor, or with farm
inning or drying of surplus perish
bic products. In other words, the plan
supplying assistance not
erely for field operations, but TO farm
omen during their season of heaviest
,mestic duties.