Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-07
A WAY to Reduce the n. c. Of L.

ing the mgn cost Oh uVlng. he Salu, III
part: ITO millions Of laboring people
and professional people on small sal
aries it is a very real thing. To hun
dreds of thousands with large families
Of children to support and educate, it
has come to be fearful thing; to
many, torture and death.
For the high cost Of living there are
many causes Two Of these are the un-
usual lack of food, and the fact that
most of the food is consumes. rar from
the place of production, which makes
the consumer pay the cost Of storage
and transportation, and the profits of
the middlemen, many Of whom, in
times like these, take advantage Of the
wants of the people to make profits
larger than they should.
rs there remedy? There is a par
tial remedy at least, but not wholly in
investigations or legislation. This rem
edy is so simple and close at hand that,
as is so frequently the case. it is over
looked. In the schools of the cities,
towns, suburban communities, and
manufacturing and mining villages of
the United States there are approx
imately 6,00o,0 900 boys and girls between
the ages of nine and sixteen. Most of
them are idle more than half of the
year. They are in school less than
1000 hours in the year and al
lowing 10 hours day for
sleep, are out of school more than
1000 waking hours, more than an aver
age Of nine hours day, not counting
Sundays. NATIONAL and State laws
make it impossible for most Of them to
do any profitable work in mill, mine or
shop, and many of them are forming
habits of idleness and falling into vice.
Even during the vacation months only
about 10 per cent. have any profitable
employment: only about 5 per cent. Of
them go away from their homes except
for few days. Still, they must live
and be fed and clothed.
For four millions of these there is
access to back yards. side yards, front
yards, and vacant lots, which might be
cultivated as small gardens for the
growth of vegetables and small fruits.
Many live where space could be easily
had for chickens. ducks, or pigeons.
And there are not less than 100000
older boys and girls end aIul.,Vsn and
women for whom an hour nor stwo Of
work each day in "a eden..would be
the best form Of recsatXa. and rest.
from the routine of their daily labor in
office or shop or mill or raine and who
might easily find the time for T -
with some intelligent 'direction,
these school children and, older BOYS
and girls and men and. women. might
easily produce on the availaple land an
average of $75 each in vegetables and
fruits for their own tables or for sale
in their immediate neighbdrhood; fresh
and crisp through all the growing
months 'and wholesomely. canaed and
preserved fer use in winter. This
would add s75O,ccO,ooo to tho best form
of food supply of the country without
cost of transportation of-sstorage and
WITHOUT profits of middlemen. The es-
innate is. very conservative, as has
been shown by. many experiments.
In addition to the ecopomic profits,
there would be for the children health
and strength, removal from temptation
to vice. and education of the best type;
and for older persons, rest.arrd recrea-
ton in the open air and the. JOY of
watching things grow. 4
This might all be attained at COM
paratively little cost by putting unto
the public schools for every hund0a
J children between the ages Of ninesand
sixteen. one teacher skilled ingaraen-
ing and paid for all the year. OaA
such teacher could easily direct the
work of 100 children, and Of the 15o old
err persons belonging to the families. Of
'hese children or living in their COM
munity. Thus 10000 teachers Of this
Kind would be sufficient for the entire
country. These teachers might 0Awly
be had fos an average additional salary
of $500 or total of $4,000 900. There
would be some cost for seeds and some
for fertilizers and TOOLS but after the
first year the cost of these rast two
items would be comparatively little.
The proceeds would represent profits tn
greater extent than in any other kind
of production. The miracle Of It is IN
bringing together idle land on the one
hand and idle children and tired peonle
on the other. Alone, neither is pro-
| ductive. but all would be benefited nv
the combination even If the vegeua bles
and fruits produced had no value: the
land by the cultivation. the children by
the health-giving. educational labor.
and the older people by the hours out
doors and the contact with the soil"
A late Legislative session and a
buncn of committee hearings pile I'D
the work of the boys in Names Hub