South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-02
FARM LABOR To Be
PLENTIFUL IN 1878
Farm Congress Bureau TO
Handle Men and Jobs
Look for Good Results.
nternatlonaI - 80 |:

International News Service:
SPRINGFIELD. III, Dec. L.
That there will be no shortage Of
farm labor next year. despite the
drafting Of thousands of the farm
hands into military service, is the
prediction here Of William II.
Young OF Urbana, III.
Mr. Young is the federal farm
labor representative OF the farm
congress bureau az Washington in
Illinois, Indiana. Ohio and Missouri.
He is on a tour of investigation f
the four states. probing the needs Of
the agriculturists.
The object Of the bureau prima-
rily. Mr.. Young says. is 20 provide
farm labor OF next years crops.
They are working i'm cooperation
with every labor organization in the
country. In this connection, he de-
clares, splendid coordination pre-
walls Farmers finding themselves
handicapped for help next year, he
said. should appeal TO the bureau,
/ instead Of the state labor and en-
ployment agencies. It is hoped be-
fore the season begins next year
enough men Will have been register
ed TO provide the demand. The
congress will work in conjunction
with every county agent in the
United States, whose party duty is
| TO secure farm labor i'm their re-
spective communities.
II is a patriotic movement, desig-
mated TO help the government in its
/ present emergency.
Plan Gives Protection.
The farmer and the laborer alike
Will be protected in the matter of
prices paid for help" Mr. Young
says. While we have no direct
power to establish a fixed wage
] scale. we hope to product a feeling
of harmony between both the en-
ploye and the employer in this re-
spect. If possible, we do not pro-
pose to permit the workers being
undergrad, nor allow the workers
charging excessive rates for help.
AN instance in this respect can
be noted from our first efforts in
working out the plan in Cham
paign county in Illinois A num-
Der OF farm hands. who had heard
the farmers in that vicinity were
paying unusually high prices for
help, arrived in the county during
the corn husking season. On de-
handing from 10 10 1 > cent a BUSH
81 from the farmers, the services
of the labOrers were rejected. Form
| ing a small clique, they stood firm,
declaring the crops would go to
waste before they would work for
| less.
''Retaliating. the farmers them
! selves got together in an 'Ostraciza-
ton meeting. The county adviser
was called on. He in turn notified
our bureau. Within a short time an
available number of men were sent
to Champaign, who were more than
glad and willing TO accept the prof
fered price Of from five to six cents
a bushel offered by the land own
ers.
"A good farm hand working for
| FIVE cents a bushel can easily make
from five TO six dollars a day When
il is considered board and lodging
are furnished additional. il hardly
/ seems reasonable to demand treble
the amount
The Champaign incident is the
only report we have of illinois farm
workers attempting to force the
price Of labor almost beyond the
reach of the average agriculturist.
I In Christian. Sangamon, MacOupin.
Montgomery and many other central
/ Illinois counties the five and six
cent figure is accepted without dis
pute."
Plans for further outlining the
work OF the congress were for
mulated at a meeting recently held
in st, Louis, Mo. r. V. Wilcox, head
/ OF the bureau. was in conference
with all of his aides at the meeting.
at which reports Of progress in the
I work were made