Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1917-05-24
DEMAND FOR FARM HELP.
The Large Crops Being Put in De-
mand More Labor for the
Harvesting of Them.

A meeting of the county commits
sioners was held on Monday of this
week to attend to some unfinished
business, and later joint meeting
was held by the commissioners and
the War Production committee of
Lincoln county at which time the
question of procuring sufficient help
to harvest the large crops of the
county was taken up and discussed
The situation was gone over carefully
and it was concluded that if Lincoln
county was to do her share in feed
ing the world, some immediate steps
must be taken to relieve the labor
shortage that exists, and according
ly the following resolution was pre-
pared and will be forwarded to our
representatives in congress and to
the governor of the state.
RESOLUTION.
THAT WHEREAS. a joint meeting
was held on the 21st day of May,
TgI7, at Shoshone, Idaho, by and be-
tween the Board of County Commits
sioners of Lincoln County, Idaho, and
the War Production Committee of
said County, and that said meeting
was called for the purpose of devils
ing ways and means for procuring
more farm laborers to assist in the
| irrigation. cultivation and harvesting
of the farm crops of said Lincoln
| County,
And whereas after hearing reports
from numerous we'll posted farmers
from said County and after a full
and complete discussion of the sub
ject, it was the sense of said meeting
that very great and grave danger
is now threatening not only the crops
of Lincoln County but also the crops
all over southern Idaho by reason of
the fact that there are not sufficient
farm laborers available for the prop
er handling of the crops in question;
that a large number of the farmers
of this County are at present time
suffering for a lack of help and that
as soon as irrigation season gets un-
der way it will be utterly impossible
for many of the crops to be saved
without additional help. That ow-
ing to the scarcity of farm laborers
their wages have been rapidly in
creasing and many of the farm la
borers are taking advantage of the
absolute necessity of the farmers to
secure exorbitant wages, much in ex-
cess of the amount the farmers are
justified in paying for such help, and
that there is a constant demand for
still further increase in said wages.
That by reason of said conditions
there is a feeling of unrest on the
part of the farm laborer for fear that
he may not be obtaining as much
money as some other farmer in an
other part of the community is pay
ing. Under such fiuctuating prices
II is a common occurrence for the
farm laborer to leave his employer
without notice, in the almost certain
belief that he can obtain at least as
much If not more from someone else.
The more serious result of the
above condition is that the substan-
tial farmers who have a considerable
area under cultivation are placed
upon such uncertain basis that they
dare not go farther along the line OF
additional food production, and that
altho the farmers of this community
have Loyalty answered President
, Wilson'S and Governor AleXander's
call in using their utmost endeavo1
to obtain large food production dur
ing the war, their energies along this
line will prove a detriment rather
than benefit unless some action is
taken to relieve the scarcity of farm
labor in this vicinity.
1t was also the sense of said meet
ing that steps should be taken by the
Federal Government to aid the farm
ing vicinity of the country, and es'
pecially the irrigated section oi
southern Idaho in procuring men to
work on the farms, and altho nC
recommendation was definitely made
. two plans were suggested at saic
meeting, one beine that draft OF
the idle men of the country be made
l. for farm laborers to be organized