The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-19
KEEP THE FARMER WELL
Because There Is Great Need of Products
of His Labor.


1t has been stated that the suprem,
need of the nation during the comm:
months is an abundance of foodstuffs
The truth of this statement is being more
and more brought home to every either
as the days go by, the constantly increas
! ing prices Of food materials constituting
reliable evidence that the situation is be.
coming acute. One reason for this is the
scarcity Of labor in orr rich agriculture!
sections, q condition which cannot be al.
| together relieved. Another reason, and
one which is frequently overlooked, is
the lack of efficiency in the present day
worker, particularly when due to dis.
ease. II is estimated that four per cent.
OF the population of certain sections sui
fer from malaria, disease which lessons
production and results in serious eco.
nomic loss.
keep the farmer welp should be a
fitting slogan OF the present day. There
never was time when production was
in such need of stimulation and when
able bodied men and women were in
such demand. Every case of malaria,
typhoid fever or other efficiency redue
ing disease among the productive popu
lation means that the output of food
is appreciably reduced and that the
shortage is measurably increased A
large part of the lands in the rich sec
tions of the South and to a less extent
in the North az well, is to-day partially
or wholly unproductive on accoun. VI
being oyerrm with malaria, with con-
sequent loss of millions of dollars. II
is entirely feasible to reclaim these
lands and thus increase the nations ont.
put In certain areas the working afil-
ity of the population has been so af-
fected by this disease that not Ily is
there a shortage OF growing crops, but
also of lumber, cotton and other msilu
featured goods. The moving Of agrieul-
tural and manufacturing hands into
these districts would not materially i'm
prove the situation, as the newcomers
would suffer loss Of efficiency fully as |
great as that of the older residents
However, if eo-ordinated, intelligent and
we'll directed effort is instituted this se.
-ious economic handicap under which we
ire laboring can be easily overcome. AL
ready examples of individual accom-
,lishment along this line are plentiful.
At Crossett, Ark. town Of 1000
people, the United States public health
eryice working in cooperation with the
health board, in one season
educed the incidence Of malaria by over
10 per cent. The cost OF the work was
;l23 per person, less than what one
would have paid for single visit of
MUSICIAN, this, too, in one of the worst
hilarious districts of the country. At J
AXE Village, Ark, the annual financial
osses sustained by people protected -.
gainst malaria averaged but rs cents
er family, as reclSoned from money ex-
ended for physicians and medicine and G
bsence from work on account Of sick.
ess. In the same town the neighbors of
hese citizens who employed no control e
leasures against the disease sustained :
n annual loss of sll2l per family, to 4
w nothing of the economic loss result
q from decreased efficiency. The state I
I Mississippi has also inaugurated ac-
We steps which win lead to an in