The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-27
$ll.45 PER DAY
FAIR WAGE, SAYS
|. ". ". BACKER
Organization Wants $4.O0 a
Day, or $4,000 a Month,
But Regard it as Measly.
SAY FARMERS
DODGE ISSUE
industrial Worker Charges
Tillers With Exacting
Greater Profit

An interesting contribution to the
discussion anent farm labor costs Is
made by "The Industrial Worker
official organ Of the Agricultural
Workers union, a unit OF the Indus
trial Workers Of the World, with which
organization President A. C. Townley
of the Nonpartisan league has an
nounced the formation of q labor
pact.
That the Industrial Workers OF the
World are entitled to $11.45 a day is
the theory the industrial Worker Is
spreading among members. &G
President Townley, Of the Nonpar-
the committee representing the
league, made up of j. N. Hagan, r. B.
Wood and NJ q. Whipple, had reached
an agreement with a like COMMITTEES
representing the Industrial Workers
of the World, such agreement cover
ing hours Of labor, conditions of en-
ployment, and wages. The wage fea-
ture has not been made public.
As a means Of giving more binding
Townley has called meetings Of league
members to be held at Minot July IL;
at Valley City, July IL; Bismarck,
July 13, and Devils Lake, July II.
According to the announcement SO
far made by President Townley, the
agreement provides that farmers who
hire ]. w. w. members. will be pro-
tected against strikes, and will be sup
piled with labor.
Wanted 81 at Convention.
Some time ago The Forum publish
ed a story of the proceedings OF the
I. w. w. convention held at Kansas
City, when the men agreed to make a
demand Of $4 day for harvest work,
and $50 q month for straight farm
work.
The sIndustrial Worker" article.
declaring $11.45 a day the wage due
20 farm laborers, based on the present
price of wheat, was written by ]. A.
Billings, published in the issue June
0. 1t gives some intimation OF what
the Industrial Workers of the World
are being educated to preparatory to
the opening Of the annual campaign
in the wheat producing states of the
northwest. 1t follows:
Fed Them at Family Table.
when wheat was selling at so
the harvest hands were being paid
$3.50 and $500 day. AT $3.50 a day,
the harvest hand could buy four and
one-sixth bushels with his days
wages.
Those were the days when the
farmer did not ride in automobiles; a
plow horse, hitched to a lumber
wagon, was then good enough for him,
but even in those days the farmer
could afford to provide his harvest
hands with good beds and he fed
them at the family table.
Today the farmer gets $2.75 q
bushel for his wheat. If the price OF
labor were to eb raised to correspond
with the raised price of this commod-
ity, the farmer would be paying
gl1.45 a day for harvest hands this
year without any more grumolng
than when hes previously paid $3.50.
To-day, we find that the farmers
are adverse to paying even S. during
The harvest. In other words, the
farmer wants $6.45 more profit out OF
his worker than when grain was
worth so cents a bushel.
''In addition to this, the harvest
hand does not enjoy the conveniences
and conditions of former times despite
to the improved modern machinery
used in the harvest fields.
Machinery cannot alone harvest
the wheat.
seWheat cannot harvest itself.
Human labor must be applied to
the wheat before 1t is worth anything
to society.
"Then why should not the harvest
Rand be entitled to a raise IN wages
proportionate to the increased price Of
wheat.
aThe farmer lodges this issue by
aaying-'there is more help than
formerly'-but If such is the case,
whv is the farmer so strenuously adj
vocating the employment OF school
boys in the harvest fields and for gem
eral farm work?
$50 Much Craft.
saThe farmers cultivation, per acre,
costs him less than formerly.
ssBeds for the harvest hands would
not cost much more than in former
times. SO we find that this year in the
harvest field the difference between.
what the farmers viii be forced to
nav bv the workers organized in the
Agricultural Workers organization.
tcontinued On Page Eigntl