Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-01
Shorter Hours, Higher Wage for
Farmers. 90
A winchenden, Mass, farmer writes
the Boston Journal as follows:


A winchenden, Mass, farmer writes
the Boston Journal as follows:
To read the various reasons constantly
being given for the high cost OF LIVING
10 enough to make a horse laugh; either
writers on the subject fail to see tne
true cause or else they studiously avoio
it. 1t Is plain to anyone VINO LOOKS ,, ih.o
It thoroughly that the constant striking
for more pay and shorter days Is the true
cause. It has drawn farmers ana those
who worked on farms into the cities ana
villages to get the big pay ana SHUT
days.
within a radius of three miles OF my
farm I can count more than ~ aDan.
doned farms, and still farther away are
q great many farms on which. ai'n ra;sed
nothing last year. They walked or rooe
into the village, where they couid &c.
three times as much as they couio sel
at work on their farms. ana only have
TO work eight hours day. while on
their farms they would have had TO WORK
"A hours in order to barely make cheap
living.
From all accounts farmers here ana q
there all over the country are piannlns
TO leave their farms az soon as they can
get ready, and go for big pay and short
days ,. ava
beat down the high cost Of labor and
compel everybody to work IL hours d
day. the high cost Of living would fall
fat within a year. II II could be oone
now but 4 tsss %ns pH than near year
The expense OF running farm now is
20 great that farmers are getting dis-
courased and feel Ike giving up , rather Ter
than farm at the prices that they Will De
likely to get for their produce.
II people are seeing starvation now
they will certainly see it great deal
worse q year from now, unless something
toll md
something that will not discourage the
farmers.
The gentleman Is carrying eggs and
stones In the same basket-a slight
shake would destroy the good in his
burden. His declaration that decreas-
ing hours of labor and corresponding
increase Of wages. is an egg His de-
mand for beating down the high cost
of labor" Is a stone, and a dangerously
jagged and sharp-cornered one.
It is true the success of one branch
of employment in securing shorter
hours and higher wages makes neces-
sary the same accomplishment in
another and another, without end and
around again. The limit has not been
fixed. Professional promoters of Gus
tice to the workers" make a calling of
it and must earn their money. Greed
is the task master
But the farmers have never been
unionized, nor has the doctrine of "the
shorter the day the more DONE" ever
been demonstrated on a farm. The
farmer never gets double time"
time and a half" or any other con-
sideration for over hours labor. The
more he produces the less he gets for
it. because apparent plenty breeds in
dependence among his employers, the
public. The farmer is an aphid with a
Spectator ant sucking his secretions.
The average farmer makes at least
twelve eight-hour days every week,
and he sees no hope of the shorter day
necessary in this grilling age of ma
chinery." He cannot stand and see
the machinery do it, he must get into
the game with all the Drawn in his
feats. the dirty work, the back break
ing stunts, until his back is bumped
up like hog going to war, and his
hands are knotted into hickory knurls
and calloused receptacles for rheuma-
tism.
But we cannot agree with the Win
fo hot
down others to relieve the farmers
burden. Why not lift the farmer up to
the level of those who work ten or less
hours day and have leisure for social
advantages and recreation?
How can that be done?" Simply by
taking the ant off the aphids back and
giving him just return for his en-
deavor. Let the government penalize
food speculation and holding for
profits: then the ants would go to work
and earn their own sustenance and
producer and consumer would deal di-
rect. or through jointly controlled
"middlemen."
We hope to live to see the day when
legalized gambling devilishness has
been sent the same course as the lot
terry.
And again we would suggest that
the Winchendon farmer has not gone
far enough concerning the "aban-
doned" farms We venture that in his
state and this are hundreds of other
farms that would be unoccupied were
it not possible for their owners or ten
ants to exc out living by work in
factories. teaming, building State high
way, and many other occupations out
side their farming.
Indeed these days of Unparalleled
prosperity" are wondrously enlighten-
ing and-well, discouraging to the
average farmer. Like dog that is
afraid, the government looks every
where but in the right direction for the
wolf. We propose to keep pointing
toward organization of farmers, union
izing of farmers. shorter hours for